Looking for a reliable external HD for backup

[Moltke]

All -

Looking for recommendations on a reliable external hard drive.

1. 2TB in size

2. Useable with Windows 7 Backup

3. Something that will not run 24/7 - I had an old WD Notebook that kept spinning randomly and would overheat

4. Something that will not crap out on me in 1 year - HP externals died on me

5. Something that I do not have to worry about overheating

Use will be to backup work files, personal files, kid photos, music, video. My limited research says to avoid Seagate. Also read that WD is hit or miss and you need to tweek to work with Windows 7 Backup.

Thanks.

 

[yassarikhan786]

WD Elements 2GB? I have had the 1.5TB version for nearly a year now with no issues. It has been on pretty much 24/7 as it's attached to my main machine running F@H.

 

[Moltke]

WD Elements 2GB? I have had the 1.5TB version for nearly a year now with no issues.

I have no serious issues with WD and that is what I was leaning towards. I am just not sure what other options are available.

 

[jamesriley94]

WD are probably the most reliable drives around.

As Yassar said - get the WD Elements

 

[seumasbeathan]

+1 For Western Digital

 

[ruairi.C]

+2 for WD

 

[KaraMurat]

Samsung Story Station, it's a bit more expensive than other externals but well worth the money. Western Digital & Seagate are hit and miss, there are occasional ones that die but that's like all electrical you expect a few odd ones out. Definitely miss out on LaCie's, the PCB's in them love to die.

 

[jamesriley94]

Samsung Story Station, it's a bit more expensive than other externals but well worth the money. Western Digital & Seagate are hit and miss, there are occasional ones that die but that's like all electrical you expect a few odd ones out. Definitely miss out on LaCie's, the PCB's in them love to die.

...You realise Seagate make all the Samsung Hard Drives?

I've had 3 Samsung F3s all die within a year too - so I'd stick to WD

 

[KaraMurat]

...You realise Seagate make all the Samsung Hard Drives?

I've had 3 Samsung F3s all die within a year too - so I'd stick to WD

Seagate acquired Samsung's hard drive business meaning Samsung hard drives are still made in the same factories and have the Samsung label on them but the profits just go to Seagate.

TBH it doesn't really matter what manufacturer you use, most HDD's are made in large manufacturing plants co-owned by the major companies and different labels are stuck on them.

External drives are always going to be hit and miss due to constantly being powered on and off, laptop hard drives are the most effected due to laptops being portable, whereas HDD's installed into desktop cases are far less likely to fail.

In the past the shop I work in has ordered plenty of HDD's, one particular batch was 25 Western Digital Blue Scorpio drives, most of which had bad sectors, read and write errors and some was just dead outright, even though this was brought from Ebuyer which have brilliant packing on deliveries.

This doesn't mean I tell people to outright avoid Western Digital, because it could have happened with any HDD manufacturer and the pile of dead Seagate / Samsung / Western Digital / Toshiba HDD's laying in the corner of where I work is attest to that.

Sorry about the long post, but what I'm trying to get across to the OP is that everyone is going to have different experiences with HDD's. A very simple example is that James has had 3 Samsung F3's die on him whereas my 2 year-old F3 is working fine and not a week ago a customer brought in a one-month old Western Digital Essentials 2TB with the HDD clicking, whereas the Samsung Story Station we use for backups has been going strong for 2.5 years.

Anyways, I've blabbed on long enough - just my 2 cents good luck with your choice regardless Moltke.

 

[CPMFW]

+3 for western digital