Storage forum: Are today's new computer hard drives just simply junk?

It sure seems that way. I Personally have used well over a 1000 hard drives in the last 4 years and can attest to the fact that most of today's desktop hard drives do not last.

I personally feel it is due to the demands the market has placed on driving the cost down. Hard drives are now significantly less expensive per GigaByte than what they once were. The manufactures really try hard to give the consumer the most bang for the buck and like to sell replacements.

If your tired of disks failing on you after a few years and you have done all the trick things to conserve them there is an alternative. There is another type of hard drive called "Enterprise Class".

They are typically designed for commercial applications and are meant to be used and abused 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. That is what I run in my personal machines and I rarely if ever see a catastrophic failure anymore and really use my computers way more than the average person. Here is the PDF http://express.ikoula.com/sites/default/files/fiche_disques_enterprise.pdf describing the difference in the drives. I will also tell you what models from all the big suppliers that you can buy. Surprisingly they do not cost a lot more that the standard consumer grade desktop hard drives.

I would mention them here but I do not think we are allowed to to mention brand specific products. By the way, I do not work or have any affiliation with any hard drive manufacture or supplier. I am just a real power user of hard drives for both personal and business related projects.

Folks please read member, Rabear2010 follow up post here: http://forums.cnet.com/7726-7588_102-5406890.html which includes link to PDF and other info on this topic. Thanks! -Lee

Message was edited by: Lee Koo (ADMIN) 01/07/2013 10:58AM to add PDF link

Message was edited by: Lee Koo (ADMIN) 01/08/2013 9:12AM

Hi

I would like to have a listing of hard drives that you found more reliable than just the average store bought drived.



Thanks

Note: This post was edited by a forum moderator to remove email address for security on 01/05/2013 at 11:57 AM PT

Why wasn't the second posters email edited?

Off subject, but needs to be said....they too have other commitments, like eating, attending to personal hygiene, working for a $, quality time with families, sports pursuits, and of course a bit of time sleeping etc.,etc.

They are there doing an often thankless and frequently abused voluntary task for the benefit of all CNet users. Give them a break and make sure that whatever is posted does not need their urgent rectification, just to protect the internet safety of individual CNet users. Basic courtesy and personal PC/Laptop safety regimes rule......and Cardinal Rule # 1!!!

but with that said, it would be nice if cnet would add a private note option. so that we could contact each other if wanted/needed. it would only be the appropriate, and pc, thing to do!

Why would anyone give this a thumbs down ? even if you are not keeping up, it really only makes sense.
So I guess it is showing what percentage of people are truly clueless ?

Which is exactly what I do and I would assume that anyone reading a tech site such as this would be aware of the dangers and doing the same. Really don't think the lecture was appropriate.

And moderated forums are unnecessary. Not only do they remove the instant interaction of users, they are a form of subjective censorship. All any forum needs is a "report this" link on each post so that forums can be self-monitored by users. PBS just went from monitored and delayed -posts forums to self monitoring, simply because they were unable to monitor all the remarks and keep the process viable. Same applies everywhere.

Please don't give me that drivel about unmoderated is better. In the case of political forums, that might be true, but for the most part the primary purpose of the forum (making useful information available to those who need it) is subverted by massive amounts of postings by forum lurkers, flakes and creeps. I have never had a problem with a tech-site moderator slowing, editing or blocking my messages.

I very much appreciate the work the moderators do to keep forums such as this useful and effective.

I pushed a wrong button on this one and there seems to be no eraser .... sorry

Those of you who gave this rely a Thumbs down are the exact ones we are talking to and about, you are also a huge contributor to all the bad on the net. As if this wasn't proof enough of how many people really are ignorant, uncaring and have a HUGE need for Logic, 100's of people kept posting their email addresses, AND what's just as bad all those 100's of people had to do, was actually read understand what they read, OR read a few posts down from the Original question (before they were edited) to find the information, the links to the information, and posted information Lol..
By and large you people are more than scary, it's sad, disgusting and very degrading to all people.
It IS so bad, that the Cnet staff had to send us subscribers 2 paragraphs on how sorry they are and to let YOU people know.

Lee Koo
( I like to apologize to all of you for last week's discussion topic over "Are today's hard drives simply just junk?" It was a great topic that got a lot people talking. However, the discussion quickly got out of hand and became inundated with members posting their e-mail addresses in the thread requesting the enterprise white papers from member Rabear2010, This is my fault; I should've kept a closer eye on it. Since then I have done my best to clean up the discussion, where I removed/edited 100+ posts with people e-mail addresses and also updated member Rabear2010's original post to include the link to the Enterprise-class versus Desktop-class hard drives PDF. I also added a link to his follow-up post. With the discussion cleaned up, I hope it will make your reading of the discussion a bit easier.
In addition to this, I also want to point out that for many of you it was the first time posting in our forums (which is fantastic). And along with that I want to suggest a tip for posting in our forum or any public online space: it's never a good idea to post your e-mail address or any personal information online. It is for your safety and I'm sure no one here needs more junk mail in their inboxes. Again, I apologize for this.)

I should dissect this for you, but if you can't understand it, I dare say, it would be of no use.

Wow! So it comes down having to dodge 'friendly' fire!!! ...a sort of "do as I say, NOT as I do!"...and typically, a misguided parental authoritarian attitude, sadly so common today.

And me? ex Army with 25 years of service, world travelled, with understanding and empathy of many different cultures and ethnicities.

Now a Retired Humanist, who does understand and sympathise with some folks shortfalls or failings - takes all kinds.

How do we get the White Paper or list of Enterprise Hard Drives and sellers if we cannot give him our email and he cannot give his? I need the answer not a lecture because I want the list. Besides, CNET will not let you post your email on a forum thread. The moderator removes it. The only way to get it is for him to publish it on CNET in a forum. Please do so.

I followed your advice. The only Tom's roundup I saw was 5+ years old.

I still see those drives for sale on Newegg, etc. and the prices are less than they were 5 years ago; which is better for me, is still beats a stinking "white paper".