This collaborative space allows users to contribute additional information, tips, and insights to enhance the original deal post. Feel free to share your knowledge and help fellow shoppers make informed decisions.
Is this the one that requires pressing the power button on every boot? I know there was one floating around that required that and wanted to avoid it.
No, I have never encountered a WD drive that required the power button to turn on. I have 4 of this exact model. All the power button is good for is to power the drive off, but you can just as easily unplug the wall plug if you're so inclined, ofc making sure it's safely removed via USB first.
No, I have never encountered a WD drive that required the power button to turn on. I have 4 of this exact model. All the power button is good for is to power the drive off, but you can just as easily unplug the wall plug if you're so inclined, ofc making sure it's safely removed via USB first.
Thanks! Overall, is this a good drive? Seems like a great deal and would probably pass on any Seagate model for a WD, right?
Thanks! Overall, is this a good drive? Seems like a great deal and would probably pass on any Seagate model for a WD, right?
Yeah, it's a great drive! It's not really a clear "Seagate vs. WD" world we live in anymore though. Whichever has the better deal, is the better deal, but you have to be wary of warranty.
For example, Seagate has a 24TB external drive that has a 2 year warranty, but is limited to 100 power on days per year, and 120 TB transfers per year. To put that into perspective, even if you don't use the drive for 100 days in a year, which doesn't even account for every weekend, you will hit the 120 TB transfer limit within a few days as you test the drive with badblocks/pre-clear.
Even if you only test 2 patterns in badblocks (the default is 4, meaning this is essentially half a test), it will write 24 TB of data, read it back, and repeat once more, leaving you with 96 TB of transfers used out of 120 TB before you even begin to use the drive. Then, actually filling the drive with your data and verifying that data puts you at 144 TB, all within a week, meaning you've gone over the warranty. I wouldn't touch that drive with a 10ft pole.
But Seagate usually doesn't have those terrible warranty terms for drives, so sometimes they're the better pick. Their drives are usually faster, especially if you get an exos or ironwolf pro in your external. This deal for 14TB WD Elements in particular, however, is really good, so I'd definitely jump on it. Here in Canada, WD's webstore actually had these for $224 thanks to a coupon that stacked with their sale, which is $163 USD, so I picked up two and am testing them with badblocks as we speak.
1
1
Like
Helpful
Funny
Not helpful
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I recently purchased the WD 20TB from BB on FP, it was DOA. It clicked on first power on. The clicking stopped but it would not initialize. So I had to return it.
How safe is it to get these shipped across country? Are they that fragile?
I recently purchased the WD 20TB from BB on FP, it was DOA. It clicked on first power on. The clicking stopped but it would not initialize. So I had to return it. How safe is it to get these shipped across country? Are they that fragile?
It takes an insane amount of abuse to kill a powered off drive with its heads parked while in its retail external drive packaging. Especially if that retail packaging is then packaged inside another box with any sort of packing filler. Either you ordered an internal drive that wasn't adequately packaged, or if it was an external, your drive was somehow a factory defect that made it to shipping.
Better deal, yes, but it's kind of wild how BHPhoto lists the retail price as $379.99, while the WD homepage lists it as $279.99. (Amazon retail price is $289.99).
Like
Helpful
Funny
Not helpful
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
32 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
For example, Seagate has a 24TB external drive that has a 2 year warranty, but is limited to 100 power on days per year, and 120 TB transfers per year. To put that into perspective, even if you don't use the drive for 100 days in a year, which doesn't even account for every weekend, you will hit the 120 TB transfer limit within a few days as you test the drive with badblocks/pre-clear.
Even if you only test 2 patterns in badblocks (the default is 4, meaning this is essentially half a test), it will write 24 TB of data, read it back, and repeat once more, leaving you with 96 TB of transfers used out of 120 TB before you even begin to use the drive. Then, actually filling the drive with your data and verifying that data puts you at 144 TB, all within a week, meaning you've gone over the warranty. I wouldn't touch that drive with a 10ft pole.
But Seagate usually doesn't have those terrible warranty terms for drives, so sometimes they're the better pick. Their drives are usually faster, especially if you get an exos or ironwolf pro in your external. This deal for 14TB WD Elements in particular, however, is really good, so I'd definitely jump on it. Here in Canada, WD's webstore actually had these for $224 thanks to a coupon that stacked with their sale, which is $163 USD, so I picked up two and am testing them with badblocks as we speak.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
How safe is it to get these shipped across country? Are they that fragile?
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!