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    Good and reliable External HD?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by amir786_z, Apr 24, 2015.

  1. amir786_z

    amir786_z Notebook Consultant

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    Hi there guys can u suggest good and reliable external HD? Which company's Ext HDs are good and reliable?
     
    amir786_z, Apr 24, 2015
    #1
  2. TANWare

    TANWare Just This Side of Senile, I think. Super Moderator

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    This can really count on what you are looking for.

    1.) Portable or desktop, if desktop case or doc.
    2.) Capacity.
    3.) interface port.
     
    TANWare, Apr 24, 2015
    #2
  3. amir786_z

    amir786_z Notebook Consultant

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    Portable USB powered, 1 to 2 TB.
     
    amir786_z, Apr 24, 2015
    #3
  4. TomJGX

    TomJGX I HATE BGA!

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    Western Digital Passport USB 3.0 HDD's are pretty good....
     
    TomJGX, Apr 24, 2015
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  5. Starlight5

    Starlight5 Yes, I'm a cat. What else is there to say, really?

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    amir786_z, Seagate Backup Plus Portable Slim 2TB (and its siblings) is the only good choice. Avoid anything else, especially WD since they have native USB connector prone to failure, instead of SATA-USB bridge on Seagate.
     
    Starlight5, Apr 24, 2015
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  6. amir786_z

    amir786_z Notebook Consultant

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    #\BUMP/#
     
    amir786_z, Apr 25, 2015
    #6
  7. baii

    baii Sone

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    "reliability" isn't really a concern if you are looking at one single drive. It will fail if you are lucky, period. Look at price and warranty.

    Sent from my 306SH
     
    baii, Apr 25, 2015
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  8. amir786_z

    amir786_z Notebook Consultant

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    amir786_z, Apr 27, 2015
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  9. Starlight5

    Starlight5 Yes, I'm a cat. What else is there to say, really?

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    amir786_z, review revealed it is Seagate-Samsung drive in rugged enclosure, i.e. the only good choice. You will likely get it cheaper in standard enclosure, though. It is more reliable than WD or Toshiba because it has a USB bridge. If USB connector gets damaged, you simply use another bridge/enclosure or put the drive inside your notebook.
     
    Starlight5, Apr 27, 2015
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  10. Clutch

    Clutch cute and cuddly boys

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    Have a western digital passport that I have had for 6 years. Just did a 280GB transfer from it last night.

    Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
     
    Clutch, Apr 28, 2015
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  11. kent1146

    kent1146 Notebook Prophet

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    ^^ This. Price and warranty.

    It's a waste of time to ask people what brand of HDD is the most / least reliable, because all you'll get is anecdotal stories.
    * Always buy brand ABC. I've been using their stuff for the past 160 years, without a drive ever failing! or
    * Never buy brand XYZ. MY brother-in-law's sister's cousin's coworker's son's nephew had one that died after only 32 days! And the 4 warranty replacements they sent him died also!

    Those are all anecdotal stories, not data. The data behind a drive's longevity is its warranty.

    Every mechanical drive *WILL* eventually fail. The only thing that matters is whether it's under warranty, and how the manufacturer handles your warranty claim.

    So if you want a data-driven way to actually select the right drive for you, I'd suggest:
    1) Pick a few drives that meet your needs based on price, capacity, and form factor. If you're absoltuely lost on where to start, go with the big names in storage (Western Digital, Seagate) as a starting point.
    2) Compare which drives have better price and warranty.

    That's it.
     
    kent1146, Apr 30, 2015
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  12. amir786_z

    amir786_z Notebook Consultant

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    Nice suggestion. Thanks
     
    amir786_z, Apr 30, 2015
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  13. M17XR42012

    M17XR42012 Notebook Consultant

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    I stopped using external (Mybook) Western Digital hard drives when the word got out that the worst drives in the batches they make get thrown in the mybooks....... I have had a number of Mybook's fail over the years.

    That is why I buy my own hard drive and enclosure and make my own external drives.
     
    M17XR42012, May 2, 2015
    #13
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  14. ratinox

    ratinox Notebook Deity

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    This is almost always the most cost-effective solution. Enclosures all use the same handful of controller chipsets (Oxford, ASMedia, JMicron) regardless of who makes the enclosure. Buy a LaCie Porsche and you get an ASMedia chipset. Buy a no-name enclosure and you get the same ASMedia chipset for a lot less money.
     
    ratinox, May 2, 2015
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  15. Starlight5

    Starlight5 Yes, I'm a cat. What else is there to say, really?

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    ratinox, FYI 2TB Seagate-Samsung M9T was initially available only and is still noticeably cheaper in enclosure. Buying a drive and enclosure is always a cost-ineffective solution. If you check actual prices, external drives usually cost the same as internal. This solution is better in a sense that you get the exact drive you want, though.
     
    Starlight5, May 2, 2015
    #15
  16. ratinox

    ratinox Notebook Deity

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    Check the warranty. Bare drive with 3 year warranty > drive in enclosure with 2 year warranty, and bare drive with 5 year warrant >> drive in enclosure with 2 year warranty.
     
    ratinox, May 2, 2015
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  17. karasahin

    karasahin Notebook Consultant

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    I would buy Seagate. I currently use WD 1 TB and it never gives me any trouble but can't mount it to laptop because it has native USB port. I don't know Seagate disks' reliability but it can't be too bad.
     
    karasahin, May 2, 2015
    #17
  18. Starlight5

    Starlight5 Yes, I'm a cat. What else is there to say, really?

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    ratinox, warranty doesn't cover data losses/recovery, and they get replaced with bigger newer ones after a couple of years anyway, ending up as secondary backup storage or simply collecting dust. That is if they are intended for personal use, of course.
     
    Starlight5, May 3, 2015
    #18
  19. ratinox

    ratinox Notebook Deity

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    We're not discussing data. We're discussing media which warranties do cover.
     
    ratinox, May 3, 2015
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  20. Starlight5

    Starlight5 Yes, I'm a cat. What else is there to say, really?

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    ratinox, the point is, by the time warranty ends, the HDD will likely be of no much value to user.
     
    Starlight5, May 3, 2015
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  21. amir786_z

    amir786_z Notebook Consultant

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    So i bought transcend 2tb working great
     
    amir786_z, Jun 8, 2015
    #21