Helper's new PC

[Grauniad]

For reliability stats, see this: http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=14691.0

[Helper]

Nice links - thanks.
According to hardware.fr - my situation is really unusual:

Failure rate:
- 1.45% Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2
- 1.45% Western Digital Red WD20EFRX

How heartening to know I am in the top 2% of something (or is that the bottom 2%?)

[Grauniad]

Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times investigate your environmentals.

[Helper]

Good advice.
The NAS red was DOA. I plugged it into the power cables and it just sat there...didn't even click at me.
I've used the Black's frequently through the years and this is the first I can recall having a problem.

When I get the replacement(s), I'll plug them into my bench computer and do some testing. Any problem with having 500GB partitions? I remember way back when there were literal size limits, but haven't heard of anything like that lately.

Any suggestions on testing tools for checking these things out before installing them?

[Grauniad]

I don't partition drives unless the OS does not support the native size of the drive. Hard partitions just make it more difficult to decide how to use available drive space. I can manage user data in folders as easily as data in partitions. Installed programs can't be transported anyway, so only data matters.

As for testing, no clue. But I'd check my A/C power and check out the PSU. If you have a UPS powering the computer, I'd check if that is sending good power the the PSU. Some of the newer PSUs require sine wave power and older UPS systems don't do that. You may need to read up on that - it gets complicated.  Look for the issue around Active PFC on the PSU and interference by the UPS.

[Grauniad]

Helper, if you've not yet bought a replacement drive, then Newegg has a 3TB hard drive on the daily deals for just $105. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=22-149-408

However, the reviews of the drive is poor and it may be that they're just trying to clear out stock of something terrible.  Caveat emptor.

[Helper]

Thank you.
Typical situation. I held off buying until I could get the 'best deal', then two days later there is a better 'best deal'.
:)

I bought two of the WD Black 1TB - figuring that the odds are one of them will NOT be DOA. I've had good luck with them. Quiet, fast, and run cool. They should arrive today.

The new system has room for one more internal HDD (four total), and I might experiment with some other brands/models - so please keep watching for good deals.

Thanks.
H

[Grauniad]

And here's a 4TB for just $140.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178338

At a price per Terrabyte it's an incredible steal...

[Blaze]

And here's a 4TB for just $140.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178338

At a price per Terrabyte it's an incredible steal...

Dang, I could totally use that for my dedicated recording drive, let me record in 1080p @60fps without worries...

[Helper]

And here's a 4TB for just $140.

Any idea where that version of Seagate is manufactured? (There's a certain place I try to avoid when making purchases.)

[Grauniad]

Hey Helper, I thought of you! :)

How's your replacement drive doing?

I was looking to get a 4TB NAS drive and I noticed that the WD Red model on Newegg has terrible reviews, with large numbers of customers complaining about DOA drives. A few also comlain about the drives failing drive diagnostics.  The Seagate 4TB NAS model seems to have much better reviews.

[Helper]

Grauniad -

At least three of those terrible reviews are mine. Note also that the HDD's shipped by Newegg are 'bare drives', just dumped in some packing peanuts or bubble wrap. No way to know if you're the first or fifty-first person to try to plug it in.

[ has people monitoring the reviews and they cut/paste in the same comment for every bad review. The phone number is garbage - nothing but the basic 'contact' number at WD that gives you the computerized menu options for doing an RMA. As hard as I tried, I could find no way to talk to an actual human person at WD.]

2xDOA on the WD NAS Red, so I gave up.
I plugged in a spare 1TB WD Caviar HDD I had on hand and it went bad after six weeks.

Being both dumb and a glutton for punishment, I ordered another NAS Red and TWO of the 1TB Caviars.
The Red was DOA; as was one of the Caviars.

The second Caviar has been working fine and I ordered an NAS Red from Amazon that has also been working fine. Note that the drive from Amazon actually came in a real packing box from WD.

I've been a dyed-in-the-wool Newegg fan for a very long time, but all of my purchases for the past month have been from Amazon.
H

[Grauniad]

Good to know.  I'm looking onto a NAS setup (including drives)  and I must say it's still a niggling question in my mind why you'd put one into a desktop PC. :) While not immediately apparent, there are a number of differences in design and specifications. I'm still digging into this and as with most other things, I doubt I'll ever have a full understanding.

[Helper]

My knowledge of this stuff peaks out at how to mount them and plug them in to the mother board.
:)
I ordered these on the recommendation of my good military buddy who has been an MS MVP (hardware) for about the past 20 years.
He says he likes them because of the faster data transfer rate, low heat, and low noise.

I can ask him for some technical details, if you like.
H

[Grauniad]

Thanks for the offer. Much appreciated, but no need. I've basically performed my due diligence and am set to go. Since I am looking at a NAS, a NAS drive is logical, and for desktops, I'll go with SSHD drives next time I build. :)