Hitachi 7k200 drive in USB enclosure - $131.99AC+tax @ BB

Hope the return works out for you kkanuck, let us know.

 

Hi kkanuk,

I've been watching several of the 7k200's on ebay. But, the
prices always go way higher than the $131.99 at Best Buy.
Usually somewhere around $160 or $170 - even higher than
the regular purchase price for one!

It would sure be nice to be able to tell the version from looking
at the package.

My guess is, if connected to a system, something like "System
Information" on Windows or the equivalent on MAC, Linux, or
UNIX could tell the specific drive part number.

Can anyone who has the drive verify this for us? Could it be
the newer ones at Best Buy are the 7200's and the older
ones are 5400's??

Thanks again for everyone's information on this. It's always a
lot of fun figuring these things out....

 

I had to edit the message my mistake

 

I would not touch one unless you verify the serial numbers you need (at beginning of this thread), as the newer ones are the 5400, older ones were the 7200, they must have had a production issue and put the 7200 in the box when they did not have enough 5400 around.


I think unless you find one with these specific serial numbers, just spend the extra $50.00 and buy a no enclosure Hitachi drive in the specs of 7200 200GB.

 

Hi,

Some of the ebay drives are definitely 7200 RPM. For example,
item #320211200968 very clearly shows the back of the drive
and 7200 RPM. I may go back to bidding on one of these "known"
drives. There are several "Buy It Now" at ~$170 plus shipping,
and possibly tax....

As mentioned before, several bids went way over the $170 mark.

I may drop by Best Buy in the next few days and study the
packages to see if there is anything different about any of
them.

Good luck all. The $131.99 price and 10% discount is still a
very attractive price for the 5400. If you want a 5400 drive,
there is a 250 GB "Model: H2250U SKU: 8355718" at Best Buy,
online only, for $129.99. Perhaps the store will meet the price?

Good luck all. Let us know what new information you find.

 

I went yesterday to BB and looked the best I could, it's hard to look down into the packaging but I didn't see anything with DTG


please post back if you find anything for the 7200 drives , i'd like to get one at a great price!

Thanks!

 

I just got back from BB. I returned my "opened drive", no worries,

and I ended up buying a Lacie 160 GB rugged external drive. It has USB 2.0 FW 400, FW 800 and has 7200 capability on the external if using the FW 800, and they told me if I install it into my laptop, I will get 7200 speed as well. I have not opened it yet, but will do so soon. I figured 160 GB would be enough for me, and Lacie is a better brand within the industry.

Best of all, it was 1/2 price, normally $219.00 and I got it for $119.00 less 10%, $107.00 out the door!

 

You could have gotten a 320GB HDD + 3.5" External Enclosure for around the same pricing.

 

I don't need all that space, and reliability, and portability is more important than capacity to me.

 

kkanuck, I'm glad the return went ok. I felt bad that you took the plunge based on the rotten info I got from the Hitachi Support guy and didn't get a 7200. Thanks for having the guts to give it a shot.

I guess that anyone looking needs to stick to DTG and maybe the DEG or watch for any sale on the regular OEM bare drive.

 

You got it, but overall, I am happier with this LaCie drive I replaced it with, better enclosure, cheaper and 3 interface's even though it is 40 GB smaller.

I'm happy I could help educate us all on what the story was.


Cheers,

 

Hi All,

Here is some information from the Hitachi person. This is
a snippet of his response to me. The gist of the situation
is this - there were in fact TWO versions of the H2200U:

----------------Snippet of message from Hitachi Rep-----------------
--STUFF DELETED--
Firstly, I must, of course, remind you that opening the enclosures in order
to get a better deal on an internal drive as described in that thread will
void your warranty on the drive, and is a practice that is not condoned by
Hitachi GST.


The model H2200U portable drive has indeed shipped with two different
drives internally. There are two part numbers for the H2200U: 0A55551, and
0A55552. The 0A55551 version of the drive uses the 5400 RPM drive
internally, and the 0A55552 version uses the 7200 RPM drive. Apparently I
failed to provide all the information when I replied to that customer's
support request. I apologize for the omission of the other part number in
the support e-mail that was sent to that customer, and for any
misunderstanding this may have caused.

As far as knowing which version of the drive you would be purchasing, it
would appear that Best Buy does not list our manufacturer's part number on
their website. Judging by the specifications they provide, they are
currently only selling the 0A55551 part.
--STUFF DELETED--
----------------END Snippet of message from Hitachi Rep-------------

This is the information we all needed! I replied to his e-mail
thanking him VERY MUCH for the information.

It's still not clear if the 0A55551 or 2 are listed on the package!
But, I sure hope so!

Best regards to all on this. Have fun with the Easter Egg Hunt!

 

Hi,

At my local BB yesterday, all of the packages had the 0A55551
listed below H2200U. I'll try calling some of the other BB's
later to see if they will check their shelves and find a 0A55552.

Chances are, those are long gone....

 

Keep us posted....


where are you in the country?

 

Hi kkanuk,

I'm located in the Bay Area of California, near San Jose.

In another forum, someone mentioned they had not seen
the DTG serial number drives in the Bay Area for over a
month.... The BB's that I called said they only had the
0A55551 drives....

I'll keep checking....

 

I checked today again in my area in NYC and only found the 551 also