12tb Easystore External USB - $198.99 & 16TB - $299.99

For all you suckers out there.
Fixed it for you. :D

I don't get why people do this anymore when you can get true enterprise drives for the same price:
https://www.simplynas.com/collectio...-512e-3-5-sata-high-performance-enterprise-sp
https://www.simplynas.com/collectio...ta-6gb-s-st16000nm001g?variant=20252707782718
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Toshiba/MG08ACA16TE/

Now, usually the easystore prices will drop <$15/TB so they can be cheaper, but the warranty is also half so there's a loss in value too imo.

According to shucks.top, the 12TB price is decent, but you can get a 14TB for just $10 more or at the same price when 14TB deals are on, and the 16TB Elements can be found at amazon for $270.

The easystore externals are nice for what they are when they're on sale--I still have 2x 14TB that I use for off-site backups. And the enclosures are nice for converting spare drives to externals. You can even make some drives appear 4kn if the WD utility allows it. I did this with a 6TB WD Black to use it MBR with XP. :)
 
You can get brand new internal 18TB WD ulltrastar enterprise drives from Amazon from $319.
The most reliable of all drives going by previous HGST/WD enterprise drive stats, quick too with 5yr mfr warranty.
And better $/GB than the shucked 16TB.
All round win.

lol, Samir beat me to it :)

ps these are 4kn with 512 emulation, they work fine out of the box as a normal drive.

pps Some PSUs dont have the power connectors to allow these to power up. The fixes are:
a) mask a 5V line on the power connection
b) use a molex to SATA power connector, the pin is already disconnected.
A minor inconvenience for what you get!

ppps
Be sure NOT to get a SAS drive unless you have a SAS controller.
Include SATA in your search!
And be very wary it really is a SATA drive before purchase.
I nearly fell for this a few times and I'm not blind to it normally, some situs make you forget to do basic checks.
It was only because I took my time to be sure of not goofing that it was spotted eventually.
One UK advert had SAS in the title and SATA in the description. I sent them a message to have it corrected but it hasnt changed so I dont think they care. I didnt buy from them.
 
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Man I guess I don't watch drives very close. I just saw the price drop and thought it was a decent price. Thanks for the info on different drives guys!
Yep, unless you watch drives prices regularly you won't know the 'sales' from the 'deals' and even sometimes regular prices that are good. Generally, <$15/TB is good for easystores, and a steal for new enterprise. Used, I aim for <$8/TB for low poh drives with warranty and <$6/TB for high poh ones with no errors. :)
 
https://www.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-red-pro-sata-hdd#WD161KFGX

Just saw this in the WD store--WD Red Pro 16TB for $299. I'm not sure if coupons and rebates can be stacked like people did last month or so with the WD Gold 16TB, but a good price for a 5yr warranty drive brand new. :)

Well, hot damn--the WD Gold 16TB is also $299, which is a superior drive to even the Red Pro:
https://www.westerndigital.com/products/internal-drives/wd-gold-sata-hdd#WD161KRYZ

Enjoy!
For nearly the same price you can have an 18TB enterprise helium drive.
I paid less than £300 for mine which includes 20% VAT!
 
For nearly the same price you can have an 18TB enterprise helium drive.
I paid less than £300 for mine which includes 20% VAT!
Where? That would be awesome, but I haven't seen a deal like that lately (I got one last year I think when the 18TB deal was on a owc).
 
Where? That would be awesome, but I haven't seen a deal like that lately (I got one last year I think when the 18TB deal was on a owc).
https://www.amazon.com/512MB-7200RPM-Ultra-Storage-DEVIC/dp/B08DHH8V9P
$310 + $30 del (but that might be the delivery price to UK??)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-18TB-ULTRASTAR-HC550/dp/B08DHH8V9P
£290 inc vat, free delivery in UK


Apparently, if you contact WD directly they will manually register it with 5 yr warranty.
The automated system doesnt accept OEM serials.
 
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https://www.amazon.com/512MB-7200RPM-Ultra-Storage-DEVIC/dp/B08DHH8V9P
$310 + $30 del (but that might be the delivery price to UK??)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-18TB-ULTRASTAR-HC550/dp/B08DHH8V9P
£290 inc vat, free delivery in UK


Apparently, if you contact WD directly they will manually register it with 5 yr warranty.
The automated system doesnt accept OEM serials.
That first link is a seller with a 79% rating so I wouldn't gamble on that one. Second one is the same company with a UK address and an 84% rating, so not much better. :(

In the US, they definitely won't register it--but EU/UK laws may require them to warranty them. Here, every company looks for every reason to not honor warranties. :rolleyes:
 
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That first link is a seller with a 79% rating so I wouldn't gamble on that one. Second one is the same company with a UK address and an 84% rating, so not much better. :(

In the US, they definitely won't register it--but EU/UK laws may require them to warranty them. Here, every company looks for every reason to not honor warranties. :rolleyes:
Oh, sorry about that, when I checked that drive a few days ago, prices were the same as now and sellers were ok.
Those must have run out of stock, my bad.
I remember the UK seller was Amazon EU then, no longer it seems.

Keep an eye out, theres a lot of traffic for these HC550 18TB drives.
US Ebay has it for $319,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184545097589
Seller information aaawavecom (9195)
99.3% Positive feedback
 
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Oh, sorry about that, when I checked that drive a few days ago, prices were the same as now and sellers were ok.
Those must have run out of stock, my bad.
I remember the UK seller was Amazon EU then, no longer it seems.

Keep an eye out, theres a lot of traffic for these HC550 18TB drives.
US Ebay has it for $319,
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184545097589
Seller information aaawavecom (9195)
99.3% Positive feedback
Yeah, that's why I don't like Amazon as it basically borders on 'bait and switch' sometimes. At least the other marketplaces don't do that as much.

I think this must be the same 'gray market' drives that owc got. They are under warranty, but the WD warranty checker will show that they're 'out of region'.

I think there's a lot of movement of the 16TB as they ramp up for 20TB production. :) It's amazing how the max size on my old 6 drives nas units keeps going up. :D
 
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Yeah, that's why I don't like Amazon as it basically borders on 'bait and switch' sometimes. At least the other marketplaces don't do that as much.

I think this must be the same 'gray market' drives that owc got. They are under warranty, but the WD warranty checker will show that they're 'out of region'.

I think there's a lot of movement of the 16TB as they ramp up for 20TB production. :) It's amazing how the max size on my old 6 drives nas units keeps going up. :D
I'm surprised just how many of these drives are for sale and at such good prices.
Before purchasing I wondered if they might be fakes but theres no way fakes would run this cool, quiet and with such high transfer rate.
Only genuine could achieve that.

This is my 4th helium drive and the HC550 18TB is there with the 'best of' but bigger and quicker ... and quieter too!
Well over 1/2 full it still sustains over 230MB/s.
A NAS RAID will be quick.
 
I'm surprised just how many of these drives are for sale and at such good prices.
Before purchasing I wondered if they might be fakes but theres no way fakes would run this cool, quiet and with such high transfer rate.
Only genuine could achieve that.

This is my 4th helium drive and the HC550 18TB is there with the 'best of' but bigger and quicker ... and quieter too!
Well over 1/2 full it still sustains over 230MB/s.
A NAS RAID will be quick.
I am too. I thought the owc sale was the only time that there would be such a deal, but it seems like there is a lot of them out there.
 
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pps Some PSUs dont have the power connectors to allow these to power up. The fixes are:
a) mask a 5V line on the power connection
b) use a molex to SATA power connector, the pin is already disconnected.
A minor inconvenience for what you get!
c) cut the orange wire (or the 3.3v wire if all your wires are black)
 
So now I've bought three of these 16tb gold units direct from WD.
So far so good, been replacing all my 8TB drives.
After this last one I'll be all gold!
 
Love my 16gb gold, a bit jealous the 18 is 10 more but oh well.

Getting about 275 transfer rates, insane for HDD.

Edit: closer to 260 in an enclosure but still.
 
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I knew this was coming, see post 14. I meant to say RAID, not NAS RAID.
Yeah I get it, I'm trying out four helium HGST in RAID 0 with the WD Gold as a backup - 4x4TB with a 16TB gold. The RAID 0 array gets about 750 transfers.

Edit: Actually I gotta double check, these HGST might not be helium. The cutoff was 6TB I think so my other NAS has helium HGSTs, but the 4TB probably aren't.

The RAID array has 16,002,760,830,976 B while the WD Gold has 16,000,881,782,784 B - just thought it was interesting!
 
Love my 16gb gold, a bit jealous the 18 is 10 more but oh well.

Getting about 275 transfer rates, insane for HDD.

Edit: closer to 260 in an enclosure but still.

For dumping data files (videos, game mods, pictures, documents, whatever) any reason not to go with a WD Gold? Been dumping these files on a mix of an external (very slow, 80-100 MB/S) and internal HDD. What is a good price for the Gold 12GB or 14GB?

My WD Black 6TB and Toshiba X300 6TB get around 180-200 MB/S at their peaks which is impressive. If these are faster I might consider getting one.
 
For dumping data files (videos, game mods, pictures, documents, whatever) any reason not to go with a WD Gold? Been dumping these files on a mix of an external (very slow, 80-100 MB/S) and internal HDD. What is a good price for the Gold 12GB or 14GB?

My WD Black 6TB and Toshiba X300 6TB get around 180-200 MB/S at their peaks which is impressive. If these are faster I might consider getting one.
They is be.

https://hardforum.com/threads/wd-18tb-red-pro-7200-rpm-251-at-amazon.2017290/page-2#post-1045289219
 
For dumping data files (videos, game mods, pictures, documents, whatever) any reason not to go with a WD Gold? Been dumping these files on a mix of an external (very slow, 80-100 MB/S) and internal HDD. What is a good price for the Gold 12GB or 14GB?

My WD Black 6TB and Toshiba X300 6TB get around 180-200 MB/S at their peaks which is impressive. If these are faster I might consider getting one.
Works great as a dump drive or general storage, 260mbps and sub 300 with honey and/or PayPal rewards for 16TB straight from WD
 
SamirD yo, is this a good deal or so-so, or?

HGST Ultrastar He8 Helium (HUH728080ALE601) 8TB 7200RPM 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Enterprise Hard Drive - 5 Year Warranty (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z77QT43/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_875N492M5CDSG72AF3YS

I need big, reliable, cheap. Rough having a tight budget, but I need to buy drives in pairs and I kinda can’t afford to drop $600 or whatever on 16TB drives as much as I’d like to.
 
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SamirD yo, is this a good deal or so-so, or?

HGST Ultrastar He8 Helium (HUH728080ALE601) 8TB 7200RPM 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Enterprise Hard Drive - 5 Year Warranty (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z77QT43/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_875N492M5CDSG72AF3YS

I need big, reliable, cheap. Rough having a tight budget, but I need to buy drives in pairs and I kinda can’t afford to drop $600 or whatever on 16TB drives as much as I’d like to.
I've got two 8TB reds that I just replaced with the gold's. You interested? PM me
 
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SamirD yo, is this a good deal or so-so, or?

HGST Ultrastar He8 Helium (HUH728080ALE601) 8TB 7200RPM 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Enterprise Hard Drive - 5 Year Warranty (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z77QT43/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_875N492M5CDSG72AF3YS

I need big, reliable, cheap. Rough having a tight budget, but I need to buy drives in pairs and I kinda can’t afford to drop $600 or whatever on 16TB drives as much as I’d like to.
I have one of these and a HUH721008ALE, both are 8TB Helium, one is the earlier He8, the other the later He10 version.
The He8 runs a lot warmer than the He10, at least 7C. I blow a fan directly over the He8 drive, the draught from that reaches the He10 giving close to the same temps then.
I thought it might be a problem with Helium leaking out but the smart parameter for both drives are identical, showing no problems for either.

I'm not saying all He8 drives are like this but thats my experience.
fyi
 
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I've got two 8TB reds that I just replaced with the gold's. You interested? PM me
Speed does matter somewhat. I shoot video for a living. And also I suppose it depends on what they cost.

I have one of these and a HUH721008ALE, both are 8TB Helium, one is the earlier He8, the other the later He10 version.
The He8 runs a lot warmer than the He10, at least 7C. I blow a fan directly over the He8 drive, the draught from that reaches the He10 giving close to the same temps then.
I thought it might be a problem with Helium leaking out but the smart parameter for both drives are identical, showing no problems for either.

I'm not saying all He8 drives are like this but thats my experience.
fyi
The big thing in case you didn’t notice is that they’re refurbs. HE10’s are also available as refurbs but they’re about $40 more a piece for the same density.

I wish I could find 12-16TB drives used and of this high quality though for sure.
 
The big thing in case you didn’t notice is that they’re refurbs. HE10’s are also available as refurbs but they’re about $40 more a piece for the same density.
You missed the point of my post entirely.
 
SamirD yo, is this a good deal or so-so, or?

HGST Ultrastar He8 Helium (HUH728080ALE601) 8TB 7200RPM 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5in Enterprise Hard Drive - 5 Year Warranty (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Z77QT43/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_875N492M5CDSG72AF3YS

I need big, reliable, cheap. Rough having a tight budget, but I need to buy drives in pairs and I kinda can’t afford to drop $600 or whatever on 16TB drives as much as I’d like to.
Pretty solid price, but I always worry about amazon due to fakes always somehow entering their network...
 
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Decent price, but I wouldn't trust those drives since they're a reseller hiding behind amazon.
Oof. Well I could cancel my order, but I guess I already rolled the dice on the 14TB option. $200 was just too reasonable. Hope it doesn't bite me.
I've purchased other refurbed drives before that are still going strong and didn't give me problems.
 
Oof. Well I could cancel my order, but I guess I already rolled the dice on the 14TB option. $200 was just too reasonable. Hope it doesn't bite me.
I've purchased other refurbed drives before that are still going strong and didn't give me problems.
Refurbs are all about the company selling them. The thing is that at this price, you're risking a lot since you could be stuck with a dead drive in <1yr while you could have one covered for a little more.
 
Just saw this in the WD store--WD Red Pro 16TB for $299. I'm not sure if coupons and rebates can be stacked like people did last month or so with the WD Gold 16TB, but a good price for a 5yr warranty drive brand new. :)
There was apparently some comedy a few days ago that people were uh... making off with some deals. Not sure if their orders shipped though.

(Not mine)

1652379473464.png

1652379501270.png
 
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Wow! Those are some serious deals! :eek: And they will probably get them too. Someone on the STH forum discovered where an amazon seller was selling 16TB golds at cost and bought 8 of them before they quickly shut it down (like in 15m), and while others orders didn't ship, he got all 8. :eek:

It's actually a sad state of affairs when gaming a company's systems for goods and the company not even caring is normal now. Feels so much like the third world...
 
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