Hard Drive Reliability >2TB

[Vanzagar]

Every time I look to buy a HD's above 1TB the reviews are filled with drive failures. I'm looking for a decent HD above 2TB that is reliable above all else, can someone provide a recommendation. Reliability is more important to me than speed...

or even provide opinions on which brand name is the most reliable (seagate, WD, hitatchi ...etc), please ID yourself if your an IT guy that deals with this stuff on a daily basis cause your opinions carries a lot more weight with me...

Thanks,

Vanz

ps. Newegg HD's above 1TB sorted by rating, ideally looking for a reliable 2 or 3 TB...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...r&Order=RATING

[Vanzagar]

This is probably top of my list, but so many reviewers complaining about failures has me really concerned, especially since I want this as a big personal data Backup drive (why reliability is important to me and speed isn't):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148844

Is there maybe a way I could do a Goodsync backup say once a month then turn the drive off to improve life (without unplugging it)? Maybe I should do this with a USB drive? Other thoughts welcome on how to maximize reliability...

Thanks,

Vanz

[FlakMagnet]

Have you looked at any cheap 2-bay NAS's. You could fit 2x2TB drives in RAID-1 and be pretty safe. If one drive breaks, you still have your data and you can replace the broken drive and have it automatically rebuilt.

But that means you need to buy a NAS and 2 drives... so more expensive.

Or you could forget the NAS and fit 2 drives internally in RAID-1 if you have the space.

[frenchy2k1]

HDDs fail. There is no 'if' to it, only a when. All mechanical hard drives will fail eventually. This is why you want backups and preferably redundancy on top of it.
As there are only a few HDD manufacturers left, I don't think you'll find meaningful differences in reliability between them. Just architect your backups and storage to be redundant and stable enough.

[Vanzagar]

Originally Posted by frenchy2k1

HDDs fail. There is no 'if' to it, only a when. All mechanical hard drives will fail eventually.

really, wow, I had no idea... I thought some went on forever...

[Vanzagar]

Originally Posted by FlakMagnet

Have you looked at any cheap 2-bay NAS's. You could fit 2x2TB drives in RAID-1 and be pretty safe. If one drive breaks, you still have your data and you can replace the broken drive and have it automatically rebuilt.

But that means you need to buy a NAS and 2 drives... so more expensive.

Or you could forget the NAS and fit 2 drives internally in RAID-1 if you have the space.

Thanks, this is useful info... I'll look into it. You have any good url or website describing how to do this? I'll start my goooogling...

[FlakMagnet]

This D-Link NAS looks quite cheap, and has some good reviews.

Amazon

I'm sure there are better around, but it supports RAID-1 and has some nice extras like the media server functionality.

I have a QNAP 419P, but these things are MUCH more expensive, but also much more useful. If you just want simple external storage with safety, then a cheaper NAS should suffice.

[T.h.o.m.a.s.]

so far i never had bad xp with hdd's . my prev computer had two 500gb in raid 0 running for five years and everyday use . i guess you have a greater chance to read a bad review instead of a good one , people complain more often in opposite to compliment

[frenchy2k1]

One thing I heard also is that newegg packaging for HDD is insufficient. I mean, Fedex/UPS/USPS are not really known for their gentle care of your package. I've had some throw mines over my fence (7') into my backyard despite the fragile sticker. If a HDD was inside, I would expect early failure. This is where buying local can help as computer shops usually get theirs by pallet, with a little less shaking...

[ICE2K]

Originally Posted by T.h.o.m.a.s.

so far i never had bad xp with hdd's

i haven't either, i have (2x 1.5TB) sata hhd's slaves n my new rig & they're wk'n fine i repair pc's alot & i always go with a WD hhd n all my rigs they wk best 4me & i do reg matainance on the rig .....