Question Does it matter which 4tb HDD I should buy for archival purposes ?

[knowledge2121]

I want to archive 4tb of data. I will need 2x 4tb HDDs so that I have two copies of the data.

My preferred brand is Seagate.

Should I buy the cheapest HDDs ? Does brand matter ? Does it matter if it is external or internal ? (I have a HDD bay and some external SATA to USB adapters)

In the Seagate's line I have the option to buy Barracuda, SkyHawk or IronWolf. Which one should I get ? Does it even matter ?

 

[USAFRet]

Buy new, with a warranty.

Internal or external depends on how you do these backups.
An Internal drive is subject to the same issues as your original source drive(s).

3-2-1
3 copies, on at least 2 different media, at least 1 offsite or otherwise inaccessible.

 

[knowledge2121]

So I should go with the cheapest new hdd with warranty ?

What do you think of 100gb Bluray discs for archiving ? I have read that if properly stored, they will last 50+ years?!!

 

[USAFRet]

So I should go with the cheapest new hdd with warranty ?

What do you think of 100gb Bluray discs for archiving ? I have read that if properly stored, they will last 50+ years?!!

Depends on what "the cheapest" actually is.

Bluray?
Not for me.

 

[knowledge2121]

Depends on what "the cheapest" actually is.

The cheapest new 4tb HDD I can find on eBay, BestBuy or amazon?

Why are you against Blurays ? Whats wrong with them ?

 

[USAFRet]

The cheapest new 4tb HDD I can find on eBay, BestBuy or amazon?

Why are you against Blurays ? Whats wrong with them ?

ebay, any condition and warranty is suspect.

BR?
I'm not going to write once and put it on the shelf for decades.

 

[knowledge2121]

BR?
I'm not going to write once and put it on the shelf for decades.

What if i wanted to write once and put it on the shelf for decades ? Would BRs be the proper solution ?

 

[USAFRet]

What if i wanted to write once and put it on the shelf for decades ? Would BRs be the proper solution ?

What would you do if you tried to access it in 20 years, and found out it had "died' at some point in the past?

I'm just saying....that concept is not for me.

 

[fzabkar]

I prefer 3.5" drives. Choose CMR over SMR.