New HDD hdtune sudden drops

[jhyukkang]

hi, i just got a new wd7502aaex drive. caviar black.
this is a storage drive, i currently have any files on the drive, just formatted it.
i ran hdtune, and there are many sudden drops on the graph. is this normal? this is not a boot drive,

spec
msi p64 c43
2500k
4GB ddr3
GTS250
corsair vx450 PSU
7502aaex
7501aals
3200aaks

also, when i first opened this anti static bag, i found many scratches on the back side especially on the spindle area. and there are some scratches around the sides too. this questions me if this is refurbished or new.

 

[Ubrales]

Yes these drops are normal in HDTune.

Regarding the scratches on the disk; these may be due to the automated handling of the components in the automated assembly machines. Parts are handled by vibratory bowl feeders, pic-and-place arms, robotic machines, etc. - these equipment will leave marks on the parts. As long as they (marks) do not affect functionality and appearance, there is no problem.

So if the disk was sold to you as new, it probably is new, not refurbished.

 

[jhyukkang]

ok thanks for the reply.
well yea machines do almost everything. but i own few WD drives, and this one particularly stands out compared to other drives i have. older ones i have have very light brushed looking 'scratches' but this is 100% caused when its made, but this new one has uneven, random scratches. i can even feel it when i touch with my fingers.
im not sure, im very sensitive with hard drives, and i wanna make sure i get the good ones. you know how important data and time are...

 

[Ubrales]

ok thanks for the reply.
well yea machines do almost everything. but i own few WD drives, and this one particularly stands out compared to other drives i have. older ones i have have very light brushed looking 'scratches' but this is 100% caused when its made, but this new one has uneven, random scratches. i can even feel it when i touch with my fingers.
im not sure, im very sensitive with hard drives, and i wanna make sure i get the good ones. you know how important data and time are...

Yes I fully agree with your concerns.

The metal covers are bulk stored and fed to the automated assembly lines. Somewhere in the line a buffing operation will reduce the scratches. It is very likely that this operation was eliminated in order to reduce costs especially for the OEM drives.

I don't think that they would sell you a refurbished drive as new, but sometimes errors could happen by the shipper.

 

[jhyukkang]

thanks maybe im just too sensitive lol

 

[Ubrales]

thanks maybe im just too sensitive lol

No problem! It is better to be sensitive to such things than the other way around.

 

[fzabkar]

AIUI, refurbished WD drives have an "R" on the label.

The following example has an "R" appended to the date field:
http://i54.tinypic.com/5f3ll5.jpg

BTW, dips in HD Tune's graph are not good. However, they may be due to interference from background Windows tasks during the test. A more conclusive test would be a surface scan in real DOS mode using a tool such as MHDD. MHDD will identify any "slow" sectors, ie those that require several retries before they can be read successfully.

If you are willing to remove the PCB, then you could compare the YWW (Year / Week) date codes on the chips against the date code on the label.