Good HDD's for Mass Storage?

[GunXpatriot]

So I'm looking to get more serious about backing up my data. And I know that's smart. However up until this point, I've used an old 250gb Toshiba external HDD. That was from about 5 years ago. Then last year, I bought a 1TB Silicon Power external. I've also put 1TB in the system I build in the middle of August.

However, I backed up all the stuff that was on the Silicon Power external, onto my computer's HDD and I'm down to like 28GB. I mean, with me doing video production and stuff, that'll last a solid couple of weeks at this point... 🙁

So I'm looking to expand significantly. I was thinking 2TB at least, but 3 would probably be better. I'd already be filling over 1TB in, so I'd definitely want that extra space. Maybe even 4? But it's a lot of money to just throw down...

Another thing I want to get down, is keeping the multiple drives in sync... I was trying to use SyncToy a while back, but if you start moving things around on the "source" drive, it ends up finding conflicts with files, etc... Would it be better to just delete the entire external drive once in a while, and just re-copy everything to it again? It seems stupid, but I feel like that's still going to be less of a headache than finding the 3 files you moved, causing SyncToy to not work...

I was looking to get maybe a WD MyBook (I think that's what it's called?) as my external... But what would be a good internal drive? Would a WD Red be any good? I thought it was more for NAS, but...

I've heard that Green's suck because they cosntantly start up and turn off and due to a lot of cycles, aren't great for any "long-term" storage... So I don't even want to touch that with a 1000 ft pole... Any recommendations here, would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks!

 

[MaXimus421]

Seagate 3TB NAS HDD - $115

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178392&cm_re=seagate_nas_3tb-_-22-178-392-_-Product

(the 2TB version is $99)

 

[TakeshiKudo]

Over 2TB you have to make sure your Os support that. I recommend reading these threads:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/286926-32-windows-64bit
http://www.pcworld.com/article/235088/everything-you-need-to-know-about-3tb-hard-drives.html

First Hitachi makes the most reliable HDD in the market, second comes WD. And since WD bought Hitachi (HGST), you cant go wrong with either. Green are great for media external storage. If you want a performance HDD, a Black would be better than a Red. Like what you said, Red are aim for NAS. What I look when choosing an HDD to put inside my system, is the number of platter. The higher the number of platter, the higher the chance of failure because of the wear. I like WD over any other manufacturer because of their 5 years warranty (except for the Green which are 2 years warranty). And their RMA are top notch and fast and hassle free.

You can buy a WD MyBook or you can buy an HDD and an external enclosure separately. Something like:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145132&cm_re=vantec-_-17-145-132-_-Product

Or go for an HDD Docking. Docking are best if you have many external HDDs, you dont need to buy a case for each HDD, which save lots of money.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153133&cm_re=blacx-_-17-153-133-_-Product

*Stay away from Seagate, their HDDs failure rate are at least triple that of WD.
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive/
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-update-september-2014/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2089464/three-year-27-000-drive-study-reveals-the-most-reliable-hard-drive-makers.html

 

[JobCreator]

*Stay away from Seagate, their HDDs failure rate are at least triple that of WD.
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive/
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-update-september-2014/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2089464/three-year-27-000-drive-study-reveals-the-most-reliable-hard-drive-makers.html

Any evidence of this? Seagate is a fine manufacturer. In fact the WD Green and Blue drives fail more often than any Seagate in my experience.

 

[TakeshiKudo]

The links are evidence enough. If you're happy with them, then good for you. Failure rate is just that, a rate/ratio. Theres some lucky people out there who buy crap that never fail. While others buy the best and it fail. It's all about luck. But if you look at the failure rate, some brand will fail more often than others.

 

[LordConrad]

Considering your storage requirements, you'll need to decide if you want a single external drive or a multi-drive NAS setup. You can buy multi-drive NAS systems from Qnap, Synology, and Drobo. I built my own NAS system using an old computer, FreeNAS OS, and a 3-drive drivecage with backplane. Setup is a bit more involved than Store-bought NAS systems, but also a lot cheaper (especially if you repurpose an old computer like I did).

 

[GunXpatriot]

Hm... Yeah, I've got a Black 1TB in my desktop, but like I said, I'm willing to give up a little speed, etc, for cheaper overall storage, since I'd have multiple drives anyway. Blacks would cost a fortune!

LordConrad, I don't know if you're into cryptocurrencies... And I am very unfamiliar with NAS setups... But would you essentially install the software, and set it to an IP on your network, and then be able to go to that IP in any of your computers and drag and drop whatever you need? That's just my mental image of how a NAS is going to work. 😛

 

[NexusDota]

Yeah, Seagate Barracudas with 3TB will do or get Black, Blue or Green drives for your mass storage, they come in 3TB or 2TB depending on your liking. It really doesn't matter too much on the brand as long as they have kept a good reputation for failure rates.

 

[LordConrad]

LordConrad, I don't know if you're into cryptocurrencies... And I am very unfamiliar with NAS setups... But would you essentially install the software, and set it to an IP on your network, and then be able to go to that IP in any of your computers and drag and drop whatever you need? That's just my mental image of how a NAS is going to work. 😛

Yes, that's pretty much how it works. You add the NAS to your other computers as either a Network Drive or a Shared Network Folder, then you just drag-and-drop or cut-and paste files to your NAS. You can also set up a DLNA server, which will allow your media players (computers, Roku, game consoles) to stream videos saved on your NAS.