New model coming out? WD Black HDD's seem to be going out of stock everywhere.. n/t
806441
I've noticed a lot of 1 tb drives are scarce. People seem to want them in their computers so regular sites like newegg, tiger direct or directron don't have them or the prices seem to have climbed.
372696
Some hard drive prices have doubled due to the worst flooding in decades in Thailand. Technology research firm IHS iSuppli has estimated that worldwide shipments of hard drives could fall by 30% during the last three months of the year.This is causing a shortage due to all the big OEM's buying up the inventory. Reports say the prices possibly won't start falling until mid 2012.
2080494
The best answer is that my WD unit liked it. If you have a newer model/version - then I can not answer but I know they would not want to mess with something that is working for now. Besides, it is cheep and if it doesn't work your only out a few bucks.
1538603
Unfortunately, I think the warranty needs to be purchased ahead of time. So far my hard drive is doing alright (knock on wood). If you did order from Amazon.com perhaps they have a warranty??? Sorry, hope things work out!!!
1436373
I received a 2TB Hitachi on June 29th, 2010, and it was RETAIL packaging. I ordered direct from Amazon, not a reseller. I had no issues with the drive, and it is still running strong. It seems that some of the 1 star reviewers later in July got non-Retail boxes. I bought mine when Hitachi was offering a rebate, so I bet Amazon sold out of Retail packaged units by the time July rolled around. Looks like they have the item under investigation now...probably for the packaging.
1308907
I can't speak for my experience with hard drives on Amazon, but I've dealt with other items I wanted to order that were under review and they were only unavailable for a few days. Also, a certain hardware website named after an item a chicken produces has these drives for the same price right now, if you're dead set on this drive. A lot of us have had bad experiences with them, so I am not comfortable advising people to take the risk, but it seems more people have had success than failure. And of course, Amazon has a decent return policy so you can put the drive through its paces and return it if they have problems, if you're willing to do so. Good luck!
77258
AP- I hope you are wrong but that is a good explaination. I notice that both Frys and Amazon are "sold out" while other stores such as CompUSA show they have them on the shelf. I'd rather wait for Amazon to buy this through. I'm a long time Amazon customer and they have yet to let me down on any item. That kind of customer service will keep me waiting for Samsung to work it all out. It's nothing I'm going to lose sleep over. But..interesting post nonetheless!
1436376
Some people are saying they have received the drive without retail packaging. I really need to order two 2TB drives. I wish there was a way of knowing what they are shipping right now.
842261
I was wondering the same thing. So basically, it's impossible to purchase a 3TB drive that does not come with a plug? Unfortunate. :/
1120024
I have a "very old" External Hard drive...not this make/model...I turn it on once/quarter to backup recent files...it's probably over 3 years old. Recently, I bought one of these WD Elite 500GB models...my plan is to backup on two externals...in case one fails. I know this seems lame, but it is the only way to ensure everything sticks around. Seems like its worth the extra $100.
1412385
I have purchased several of these drives and they are new in factory packaging. if you do have a problem amazon and wd support are very good. they run at 100 to 110 mps speed and are very quiet.
1950819
The 5400rpm Best Buy's (NP700Z5B-W01UB) model HDD was a deal breaker for me. Besides Amazon's tax savings offset the price difference, so you get all 4 additional features (7200 HDD, 8G SSD, backlit keyboard, better video) for about $100 considering shipping and the current $150-$200 price difference. However the mention of the 5400rpm drive in S03 (and I'm sure S04) models made me think again. It's gotta be some difference with S01/S02 and the drive seems to be it. Another thing that one reviewer (of the S04) confirmed is that the 8G SSD is indeed proprietary tech (built into and inseparable from the HDD) and thus unavailable as a separate drive letter. I use Linux as my primary OS, so I don't care about Windows startup or IE speed. I don't think Linux would pick up the SSD at all. Which makes me go back to the stripped down Best Buy model. I'd simply swap its slow HDD with a full-size (256G+) SSD which can be had for $300 nowadays. I can live w/o the backlit keyboard and as far as the less capable video card, it's a business notebook, not a water-cooled gaming rig anyway.
275754
That is no rule of thumb I have ever heard in my 15 years in IT. Seagate/Maxtor makes up the 'lower tier' of drive brands. Hitachi/Samsung are slightly more reliable. WD is still reliability king. Even if you get a good Seagate/Maxtor drive they are prone to fail after a few years, right after the warranty expires. The large capacity drive firmware issues they've been having this last year or so has just sullied their reputation even further and the kind of bugs they've had recently in fully released firmware is inexcusable. Seagate has recently earned their rep as the bottom rung hard drive supplier firmly and deservedly and that by a country mile.
98249
Is it being sold as new? This might be a refurbished drive. In any event, WD's website can provide warranty info and drive status.
1293160
These are most certainly *NOT* new. They come pre-formatted with a 150MB(ish) partition, and so far, of the 4 2TB drives I've attempted to use, SMART lists at *LEAST* 500 days of usage -- one has nearly 1200 days and has enough bad sectors to choke a chicken. Checking warranty status on them, 2 are 'return to place of purchase' one is 'Unreturnable' and the other has one year left. Thankfully, that's the *BAD* one.
556784
TonyP - With great appreciation for Matthey Dittrich's post of the following URL. URL: http://www.cavalrystorage.com/en-cahdd-u3c.aspx It will resolve this issue. Scroll down to the list of Features. The last bullet item states '"Support current model 3TB hard drives". So that is that. and Matthew posted this URL back in March of 2013. It pays to read through all the responses. I hope this helps you. Best Regards TP
1208629
Brittany, the drive I received from Arch Computers was definitely up to date, and I'm guessing that through some agreement with the manufacturer, the make is not advertised. I have ordered this item twice and both times I receiced a WD Blue, WD5000BPVT. Delivery was very fast.
1962487
These are the latest version that WD makes :) I would suggest that you call Western Digital's support line... They are both very helpful and completely knowledgeable about their products...