Question Testing refurb HD's

[CU]

Looking at getting some refurb Enterprise HD's. What is good way to make sure they are good before I install them in their permanent home? Is a surface scan like windows or EaseUS Partition Master can do enough or do I need to test it some other way? My only qualification for the tests are it needs to run in windows, so I can continue to work in windows as it tests the new drive. And, it shouldn't take days to test a 3TB drive. It needs to be reliable also.

 

[mikeford]

I would start with running whatever test the vendor requires for a RMA or warranty action. Same for whatever the brand uses for a warranty test. I don't think anything very comprehensive will run while Windows is running or without potentially erasing some or all of the data on the drive.

 

[CU]

Windows will be running on my SSD. I need to test a refurb HD that I will connect to my PC before I install the HD in another PC. Sorry for the confusion, I didn't mean test the HD while the HD was running windows.

I guess I am just looking for a test that writes and reads to every sector to make sure it looks good.

 

[ArisVer]

I would take a screenshot of CrystalDiskInfo and check the status of the disk from that application. Then follow the advice of the first answer. Finally I would slow format the disk as it lists the bad sectors and forbids writing on them (this will take some time but you can continue using your computer). Then check disk again with CrystalDiskInfo and compare with previous screenshot.

 

[VirtualLarry]

My routine is CDI, check pending / reallocated sectors, surface scan with HDTune, CDI, Disk Management FULL Format (writes zeros to entire drive), CDI, surfacev scan with HDTune, CDI. Then it's ready to utilize.

 

[CU]

Thanks. Just ordered 3 renewed HGST Ultrastar 7K4000 HUS724030ALA640 3TB drives w/ 5 yr warranty on amazon for $46.99. As they will just be used to hold steam games and have a 5 yr warranty it seemed worth it. Hopefully when I test them they all pass with flying colors.

 

[aigomorla]

Run crystalmark and pull smart values from it.
It should have 0 irrecoverable errors.

Other then that you really cant do any hardcore tests then finding software which will run a smart test long.

But seems like you caved into my advice and gave up on the SMR seagate (which is a very smart move)
Wondering why you didn't go the WD RE route tho.
The RE might have been a better choice for a gaming drive over the 7k400's.
Either way, HGST is a very reliable vendor.
They are my first pick 99% of the time.

 

[CU]

I don't see anything called irrecoverable errors in the SMART data from CrystalDiskInfo or GSmartControl for my old WD 750G drive, WD7501AALS. Is it called something else? Oh and that drive has 989 power on counts and 81868 power hours. And, it says it is in good health also. GSmartControl can also run a short self-test, long self-test, and conveyance self-test. It seems to just be a front end for Smartctl. I have also read where a lot of vendors erase the SMART data from the used drives. I don't like that, but not much I can do about it.

The more I read about SMR the more I didn't like it. Even for a game drive I ran across posts where downloads would slow down to a crawl or stop using SMR drives. So, I was torn between a 3TB used or a new 1TB WD Blue as they both cost about the same. Strangely the 3TB used has a longer warranty than the WD Blue. So, I choose used. I picked the 7k4000 over the WD RE based on reliability. I trusted the WD RE and WD as a brand, look at my old WD above. But, everywhere I looked HGST was praised for reliability. So I picked it even though WD RE seemed a little faster from what I could find online. But, I didn't figure the 1-2 seconds of game load times would really matter. Why do you think the WD RE might have been better for gaming?

Hoping they are not crazy loud. Although I assume all these older enterprise 7200rpm drives are about the same loudness anyway.

 

[aigomorla]

Why do you think the WD RE might have been better for gaming?

its a bit faster drive, but as you stated, 1 to 2 seconds wont make that much of an impact.
the HGST maybe quieter tho, so if noise is more important then the 1-2 seconds, its probably a better choice.

 

[CU]

Got the drives and had a look at them. They had 42K, 43K, and 17K hours based on the logs from SMART tests that GSmartControl could see. Unfortunately, the SMART data itself had been completely cleared. I did a slow format and surface scan of each one and they seem fine. Finally, I ran CrystalDiskMark to make sure they were up to speed.

 

[ArisVer]

As far as the WD RE drives, I have an old one 1TB , 2012 I think and it is good for storage only. If I make it do dual operations ex, read & read, read & write, it crawls down to 2-5 MBps with some noise (I suspect servo problems). Single operation still works okay (no noise), but i don't keep anything useful on it. All drives may fail over time. I also have a 3TB WD SE I think, the enterprise version, that still works flawless in my NAS.