Discussion Forums > Technology
external HD question
kenshin-dono:
tnx xin i'll go take a look over at that thread
Im still a bit confused about this seeding thing. Is the problem just USING it that wears it out, or heat? because i actually have a desk fan i almost never use off to the side that i could turn on and point at it if thats the problem. Though i dont recall my current Maxtor one ever getting particularly hot. If its just use, then are external HD's just designed worse than internals?
this is something i really need to know because it REALLy does get used a lot. Almost as much as my regular HD. I dont have much space on my laptop which is what i usually use since its hooked into my TV and surround sound and the like, so i rely on externals for all my anime needs. I watch, and leave seeds on all the time (3:1 ratio right now on BBT)
kenshin-dono:
so im asuming its better to go with someone that does it all in house then?
you listed
WD/Seagate/Samsung/Hitachi
is there a way of telling when you look at the box?
kureshii:
--- Quote from: kenshin-dono on October 20, 2009, 03:37:50 AM ---is there a way of telling when you look at the box?
--- End quote ---
AFAIK, no. WD almost always uses caviar greens in their externals though, so that is what you are likely to get. You might have to ask around and see what kind of drives people got in their enclosures.
I had a pretty good experience with a 320GB Hitachi Deskstar, and most reviews I find of their Deskstar series are quite positive as well. I don't know much about their laptop drives, though. Also, that drive is at least 4 years old now, so I don't know how highly (or lowly) the Deskstar is reputed these days, hard drive reviews just don't interest me as much nowadays.
IMO when it comes to externals, it is too much of a hassle to try to buy a pre-assembled external just to get the internal drive you want. If you want that much control over the parts you get, find a well-ventilated 3.5" enclosure and put in your drive of choice. Or you could go for one of these babies. (Probably has better ventilation too.)
(Note that it's the first link off Google, I'm not endorsing that make of hard drive dock in any way)
If you're getting a pre-assembled external, service support and warranty should be the most important factors. Reliability and other issues may vary even between drives of the same make, from batch to batch. Maybe a firmware revision bricks a batch of drives but is quickly fixed, a bad batch of solder makes some drives die under high heat, etc. Also, do NOT judge a drive solely by its MTBF. In fact, don't even do any MBTF comparisons unless you know what it actually is (statistically), and how the manufacturer measures it.
Picking a drive for its performance is moot since you're not even getting full speed from the drives anyway. Rather, find a company/dealer who's willing to expedite your RMAs and other warranty claims. Even if you have to pay a slight price premium for better service, it's worth it in the long term.
kenshin-dono:
well looked over the thread.. few things that confused me and several of my questions werent covered there
One thing was brand.. some people actually sugested Seagate, i thought they were utter ass?
WD seemed to come up a lot but im confused on the different versions what is an elements WD? Tats i think said that he bought an elements and it sucked but his other WD's were good. Whats the difference and which one should i snag for an external?
a few people also sugested just buying a HD/case and hooking it up... doesn't that defeat the purpouse of just hooking it up via USB? Not sure how that would work with an ATA hookup or something
So i guess WD is the best bet to gofor? anyone have a specific model thats the best bet? around 1tb or so. Id also really like to know what brands just suck, never really got any info on that. I thought Seagate sucked but some people were actually recommending them in that thread for some reason o_O
Im asuming all these externals use NTSF right? i dont think anything uses crappy fat32 anymore right?
kenshin-dono:
that kinda sucks i guess the best bet is to just stick with WD or some brand that actually uses its own HD's.. does samsung and hitatchi use their own HDs as well?
building my owns not really an option, im not even sure how to hook that up, dont you need to use a sata conection or something going into the computer? this is mostly for a laptop
i keep hearing WD is probably the way to go for a good external, but im not sure which one to get
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