Question Recommend a gaming HD

[Craig234]

I need to replace my 5TB gaming drive. It's out of the shorter Toshiba 3 year warranty, but would still be under a 5 year.

I'd like a 10TB; this one filled up. At least an 8, but why not 10. All the usual factors - speed, reliability, warranty, value.

Any suggestions? Memorial day deals? One option would be another Toshiba for $300.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CSFGLFZ

Also, any suggestions on migrating the old one? I guess one option would be, set up new one with both installed and use a copy command. Probably take some hours I'm guessing. But then how to get the OS to recognize the new drive as if it's the old one... Maybe use clone software from the drive manufacturer, if that would do it.

 

[killster1]

wow 300 sounds like alot, i just buy 8tb reds for about 120 on ebay new. (tho i dont know why that toshiba is a gaming drive) i dont run games much and if i do usually install them to a sata ssd or nvme. i do see 120mb/s transfers from the reds, (the 10tb are WAY more expensive so i jus thave been buying more 8's )

 

[Craig234]

Found this, Seagate Ironwolf 10TB $255.

Seagate 10TB IronWolf 7200 rpm SATA III 3.5" Internal NAS HDD (CMR, Retail)

Buy Seagate 10TB IronWolf 7200 rpm SATA III 3.5" Internal NAS HDD (CMR, Retail) featuring 10TB Storage Capacity, 3.5" Form Factor, SATA III 6 Gb/s Interface, 256MB Cache, 7200 rpm, Up to 210 MB/s Data Transfer Rate, 1 Million Hours MTBF, Workload Rate: 180TB per Year, 8760 Power-On Hours per...

www.bhphotovideo.com

 

[VirtualLarry]

Do you care about warranty?

Are you willing to buy (new) externals, and "shuck" the drives?

 

[Craig234]

Do you care about warranty?

Are you willing to buy (new) externals, and "shuck" the drives?

Warranty is a secondary factor.

Don't know what you're asking about shuck the drives. This is for an internal drive.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Don't know what you're asking about shuck the drives. This is for an internal drive.

Search on YouTube for "Shuck EasyStore". Then get back to me.

 

[aigomorla]

Don't know what you're asking about shuck the drives. This is for an internal drive.

Larry means u buy a USB external one, break it open, and take the drive and put it in your PC.
Essentially external USB drives are cheaper then internal for warranty reasons.

But by doing so, you would void out all warranty.
IMO not really worth it, as you can find renewed/refurbished enterprise class drives on ebay and amazon with 1-3yr warrenty even.
Just need to gamble if the seller will stay in business. But a few companies i noticed have been a around are : HardriveGo and WorldWideImporter.

My first recommendation for spinners is ALWAYS HGST He#
Then it would probably be a WD Black Re.

I would probably get renewed over new, unless data is that important.
For games, its MEH, as your games saves to cloud, so you can afford to redownload all the games anyhow, and renewed offer the best value.

If you don't mind ponying up 300 dollars for a drive, this would be my first pick.

Amazon.com: HGST - WD Ultrastar DC HC520 HDD | HUH721212ALE600 | 12TB 7.2K SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch Helium Data Center Internal Hard Disk Drive: Computers & Accessories

Buy HGST - WD Ultrastar DC HC520 HDD | HUH721212ALE600 | 12TB 7.2K SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch Helium Data Center Internal Hard Disk Drive: Internal Hard Drives - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Craig234]

Thanks for the suggestion; I forgot to mention, I'd really like as quiet a drive as possible. Some of the reviews (3/5 stars on Newegg) say it's loud. Also seems a little odd getting a 'server' drive for desktop gaming but I'm open to it. The specs look comparable. But the noise...

 

[Craig234]

Search on YouTube for "Shuck EasyStore". Then get back to me.

You know me, I like to keep it simple and easy...

 

[Shmee]

If you want quiet, I would go with SSD storage, but that would be more money. My first recommendation though for an actual HDD would be a WD Black.

 

[Craig234]

If you want quiet, I would go with SSD storage, but that would be more money. My first recommendation though for an actual HDD would be a WD Black.

Ya, 10MB of SSD is a bit much. I'll take a look at WD black.

 

[Craig234]

Hm, WD black only goes up to 6TB, for $230.

 

[Shmee]

The gold/enterprise line is also good. I thought they made larger blacks though.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You know me, I like to keep it simple and easy...

I don't know about you, but I don't mind spending 10 minutes, using a butter knife, Torx set (from a dollar or hardware store, they're cheap), and a Phillips screwdriver (for one screw holding the USB board onto the SATA HDD, all PC builders should at least have a Phillips screwdriver of the appropriate size), to save ... well, basically half the cost of buying a "New" (with warranty) "Bare drive" from Newegg.

You can get the 8TB EasyStore Desktop External HDDs (with "White label WD Red" drives inside), for like $120-130 on sale from BestBuy (best_buy) on ebay, or sometimes from their site (www.bestbuy.com) direct.

Edit: And if warranty is a true concern of yours... in some states, the "Right to Repair" laws, apparently protect you and keep your factory warranty intact, even if you shuck the drive, and even if not, given that the shucked drives are half the cost or less, JUST BUY TWO OF THEM. Seriously, that's what I do.

 

[aigomorla]

Enterprise >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> prosumer > gamer.

sure it makes a little more noise then a black, but its an enterprise drive.

Also WD Gold, is basically a HGST He.

Im sorry to say this, but you really would be looked at as a fool for not picking up that 12TB HGST Helium drive.
Yes its Helium and not standard Air.

Blackblaze even lists it as one of the least DOA drives.

So yes, go ahead and pick a 2nd rank drive.
There is no better spinner drive unless you want to pay a lot for the ALN604 which again is another HGST drive.

Well you can try your luck with the Toshiba ranked up top.
But i cant seem to find that drive for sale, and the TE versions are not as great as the TA from what i hear.

 

[Craig234]

Im sorry to say this, but you really would be looked at as a fool for not picking up that 12TB HGST Helium drive.

You need to learn how to say something more diplomatically. While I'd appreciate your attempt to help, I'd rather you don't until you learn that.

 

[Craig234]

So, I'm considering the WD. There are so many variations. I assume this is the one:

Amazon.com: HGST - WD Ultrastar DC HC520 HDD | HUH721212ALE600 | 12TB 7.2K SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch Helium Data Center Internal Hard Disk Drive: Computers & Accessories

Buy HGST - WD Ultrastar DC HC520 HDD | HUH721212ALE600 | 12TB 7.2K SATA 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5-Inch Helium Data Center Internal Hard Disk Drive: Internal Hard Drives - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

But then look at:

https://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-12TB-Ultrastar-HC520/dp/B07HF9RJZC?th=1

Amazon.com: HGST WD Ultrastar DC HC520 HUH721212AL4200 12TB HDD 7200 RPM SAS 12Gb/s Interface 4Kn ISE 3.5-Inch Helium Data Center Enterprise Internal Hard Disk Drive, Model: 0F29560: Computers & Accessories

Buy HGST WD Ultrastar DC HC520 HUH721212AL4200 12TB HDD 7200 RPM SAS 12Gb/s Interface 4Kn ISE 3.5-Inch Helium Data Center Enterprise Internal Hard Disk Drive, Model: 0F29560: Internal Hard Drives - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

From the chart above, there's the enterprise off-brand from WD: https://www.amazon.com/HGST-Ultrastar-HUH721212ALE600-Platform-Enterprise/dp/B07CC48DYL

I see the gold also; a little more, which I'd get if there's a reason; mixed reviews on noise, all the stats look the same on quality (same MTBF, warranty, etc.)

https://www.amazon.com/Gold-12TB-Enterprise-Class-Drive/dp/B075L6FJH8

Any suggestion other than #1 for $320?

 

[Craig234]

I hadn't even heard of an SAS interface, guess I can rule those out.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Craig,

If you want a really quiet computer, mechanical data storage should not be considered. Having said that, you should not compromise on quality. My choice would be this (it's slightly cheaper than the similarly specced bigger 12tb model). You want a SATA variant.




2) In 2021+ there will be UE5 based games taking full advantage of the higher speed NVMe drives. Not sure, how these will perform in 2-3 years when used for gaming. The money isn't huge to gamble, though.

 

[Craig234]

If you want a really quiet computer, mechanical data storage should not be considered. Having said that, you should not compromise on quality. My choice would be this (it's slightly cheaper than the similarly specced bigger 12tb model). You want a SATA variant.

Thanks. Any idea how the noise is? The one you linked IS a SATA variant isn't it? It's pricier from Newegg - $380 for 10TB - but lists another seller for $265. I am planning to get an NVME SSD also, either when I get up the nerve on installing it or with a new PC when I get a new graphics card. Know so little about them, except there are better and worse...

 

[Craig234]

I gave it a couple days for any more input, none, close to buying it... read some reviews, 3.5/5 on Amazon, reports of 'has a power feature requiring you to modify the cable to get it to work', 'it was not new', 'it was oem', several reports of 'wd says the serial number is invalid for warranty'... not a big warm and fuzzy this will b an easy to use, hassle-free drive... hm.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Thanks. Any idea how the noise is?

It's very quiet at idle, but quite audible under loads. You can use rubber pads and/or screws to help a bit with the noise. Something like that or this. I've used similar things and they DO help to bring noise/vibrations down.

The one you linked IS a SATA variant isn't it? It's pricier from Newegg - $380 for 10TB - but lists another seller for $265.

Yes, it's the SATA variant at the $265 price. You might however add a bit more and get the 12TB version.

I am planning to get an NVME SSD also, either when I get up the nerve on installing it or with a new PC when I get a new graphics card. Know so little about them, except there are better and worse...

What are you currently running?

 

[Craig234]

It's very quiet at idle, but quite audible under loads. You can use rubber pads and/or screws to help a bit with the noise. Something like that or this. I've used similar things and they DO help to bring noise/vibrations down.

Hm. I'd like one quiet while loading, also... Maybe those things would help. I'm so allergic to hardware handling that my disk drives and PS's tend to sit not screwed in, which probably doesn't help them, in a case without the sides on, killing airflow...

What are you currently running?

Samsung EVO 970 SATA, I think.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I gave it a couple days for any more input, none, close to buying it... read some reviews, 3.5/5 on Amazon, reports of 'has a power feature requiring you to modify the cable to get it to work', 'it was not new', 'it was oem', several reports of 'wd says the serial number is invalid for warranty'... not a big warm and fuzzy this will b an easy to use, hassle-free drive... hm.

Your first comment about the Power Feature is something you'll see most newer drives going through because of the new(er) SATA Power Disable (PWDIS) Feature introduced in 2016. If you have a Power Supply from before then, you may need to use a Molex to SATA Adapter to get the drive to properly spin up. Western Digital wrote a brief about it here: https://documents.westerndigital.co...h-brief-western-digital-power-disable-pin.pdf

You can also get creative with things like Kapton Tape to cover the 3.3V Pin, but I'd say you'd be better off just using an adapter (if the problem affects you).

As for Used / OEM / etc this is also not a WD Problem, but a "buying from Amazon" problem. If you look through the sellers and make sure to buy from Amazon.com, you shouldn't have any issues. If you choose any other seller, then like any other Amazon product you risk used / relabeled / counterfeit product. You can also buy direct from Western Digital's online Store, or from one of their other qualified retailers to make sure what you're getting is genuine.

 

[Craig234]

I'm using a Corsair HX750i PS bought perhaps a year ago, not sure if that has the issue. Fair enough on the sellers; but there are some big differences like $380 Newegg/$265 seller on Newegg.