External HD Reliabilty

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Dumb_Question, Jun 28, 2013.

  1. Dumb_Question

    Dumb_Question Sergeant Major

    I'd like some advice on this topic, but I think it's a good place to start a discussion.

    I am thinking of buying an external HD, probably USB 3 downwards compatible with USB 2.

    I'd like to get a nice small 1TB one (2.5") that's well suited for carrying around on occasion, but other possibilities are a 500MB, or a larger, more bulky 3.5" one.

    The issue is reliability.

    I have looked on the amazon website, and my first choice [nice small 1TB one (2.5")], judging by the (hundreds of) reviews, has about a 4% failure rate, irrespective of manufacturer.That doesn't sound very high but compared to most things that you'd buy it's enormous. Now, I don't want the hassle of returning anything, even if I would not be out-of-pocket, especially as I intend this for someone else. The disks seem to fail catastrophically: they become unusable with no cheap fix (ok, well a new replacement is not that expensive, but the aggravation ?)

    What do the Major Geeks, Geek Captains etc think the best buy is ?
    1. nice small 1TB one (2.5")
    1. nice small 500GB one (2.5")
    3. Bulky 1TB one (3.5")
    4. Bulky 500GB one (3.5")

    Dumb_Question
    28.June.2013
     
  2. gman863

    gman863 MajorGeek

    Of the external (and overall) 1TB drives on the market, the WD Caviar Black 3.5" seems to have the best reviews. It is also the one I normally use for system builds.

    I'd purchase the internal drive and mount it in a USB 3.0 enclosure. If you're using the drive for long periods at once (such as recording and playing videos), I'd buy an enclosure that has a built-in fan to keep the drive cooler.

    Hope this helps. :)
     
  3. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    If you need a 2.5" for portability, go the DIY route suggested by Gman.

    The biggest problem with ready-packaged external drives, both 2.5" and 3.5", is not so much reliability but what happens when a problem does occur - many drives now use non-SATA standard connectors on the internal drives and some come with auto-installing drivers and encryption software by default, meaning huge costs incurred for professional file recovery, whereas with a stock DIY build, self-help/freeware recovery is possible.

    Keep it simple, buy/build (and use them in rotation) 2-3 drives, if used for backups; connect only when needed and located somewhere they can't get knocked; store them safely/low down so they can't get dropped.

    I'd go 2.5" 500GB or 1TB, less heat/noise produced, plenty fast over USB3.
     
  4. Dumb_Question

    Dumb_Question Sergeant Major

    Thanks for your responses so far, guys. Any more people wish to contribute ?

    I have realised that even less about HD's than I thought...
    I'd like the disk to be robust enough to be unplugged and portable enough to be carried carefully in a pocket, or laptop carry-case. It would be for a large amount of portable extra storage, for a laptop (hence putting an extra internal HD is not a possibility, and SSD/USB 'sticks' seem too small).

    ->gman
    Is this the model you were thinking of ? In this link you will find the ~4% failure rate in the reviews. It certainly seems small, though it's described as 'internal'. Is the difference between 'internal' and 'external' HDs (in basic terms) simply the case ? I can't find out the difference between Caviar black and Caviar blue lines. Can you help ?

    I dislike the on-board, self installing software that is on many HDs. Is it possible to format te disk before use (of course this means plugging it in).

    There is no suggestion that 2.5" is any less reliable than 3.5"...

    Dumb_Question
    29.June.2013
     
  5. gman863

    gman863 MajorGeek

    In the 2.5" drives, the WD Black Series is 7200 RPM; the Blue Series is 5400 RPM. My reason for going with the Black series, however, is that they have a longer warranty (5 years versus 3 years) and I have found them to be the most reliable.

    As Satrow noted, a 2.5" drive is more portable and doesn't require an external AC adapter for an external enclosure without fan cooling.

    The highest capacity WD Black series 2.5" drive is a 750GB:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136835
     
  6. brownizs

    brownizs MajorGeek

    I use a Toshiba Cavio 1TB on a Cirago NUS2000, and a Lenovo ix2 with 2TB in Raid1. The Cirago allows me to have up to 4x2TB USB pocket drives for network sharing. The Lenovo allows me to save me security camera images, but even with the 35-40gb those three cameras use, I can have plenty of space for other stuff also if needed.

    Both together give enough options.
     
  7. Dumb_Question

    Dumb_Question Sergeant Major

    Thank you for your answers, and to your responses to a recent thread started by another user. I am, however, no less confused, although perhaps a little better informed !

    Dumb_Question
    14.July.2013
     

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