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Future Shop

FS: 500GB External USB HDD $89.99

  • Last Updated:
  • May 26th, 2008 10:42 pm
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28 replies
Sr. Member
May 22, 2004
749 posts
502 upvotes
Montreal
Nice price! Anyone know whether this is SATA or PATA?
Newbie
Sep 6, 2007
47 posts
7 upvotes
Edmonton
WD50000AAKB which is a WD Caviar SE16 with a 16MB cache
Deal Fanatic
Sep 5, 2002
6630 posts
964 upvotes
I would have ordered it now, but it OOS online.
Deal Expert
Feb 19, 2008
16990 posts
9322 upvotes
London
ah wtf

I just bought a comstar drive for $100 last week on sale
Jr. Member
Jan 18, 2006
109 posts
6 upvotes
Toronto
orakle22 wrote: Nice price! Anyone know whether this is SATA or PATA?
A comment of the FS website says that the drive is not-SATA (likely PATA then unless they decided to throw in SCSI drives as a bonus ;) ).
Member
User avatar
Oct 11, 2007
366 posts
24 upvotes
reviews for this hard drive are so negtive...
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is really a large matter- it's the difference between a lightning bug and the lightning. --Twain
Newbie
Nov 30, 2003
42 posts
Toronto
Picked up a few for work ...can't beat it for fast backup drives.
Deal Addict
Nov 8, 2007
1272 posts
12 upvotes
Ottawa
HDD are getting cheaper and cheaper...
Deal Fanatic
Feb 21, 2006
5148 posts
101 upvotes
I got the Trekstor 1 Tbyte drive that was on sale a couple of weeks ago. No complaints - it's fast, quiet, and seems well made. Looks like the 500 Gbyte uses the same enclosure.
Newbie
Sep 11, 2007
11 posts
Oakville, Ontario
I bought this drive on Friday after missing out on the 1TB drive 2-3 weeks ago.

My 500GB Trekstor identifies as a WDC WD5000AAVS which is a Western Digital Caviar Greenpower SATA drive. I had planned on eventually harvesting the drive (and voiding the 2 year warranty) for use in a future computer I might build but after seeing the specs on Greenpower, I'm happy to keep the drive in its enclosure solely as a USB backup device. Greenpower drives run very quiet but the price you pay for that is the low spindle speed (5400 rpm). The WD site says that Greenpower drives will run from 5400-7200 but reading independent reviews say that all the current GP drives run at 5400 and that the thinking at WD is that *future* GP drives will hit 7200 when the technology allows it. 5400 rpm is weak sauce for an HD in a new desktop but as a backup device, it should be no problem.

The case is solid and the base is sturdy (screw-on) but I kind of question the electrical design/manufacturing. The pin inside the case's electrical socket was slightly angled/off centre, though that posed no problem when I attached the cable. Additionally, the electrical plug might be annoying for some as it measures 3.5" x 2" x 1.25" which will make it a headache to share on most power bars.

Image
Deal Guru
User avatar
Jun 1, 2006
12700 posts
15951 upvotes
In this shopping thread:

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/show ... p?t=590597

This person did not know where to return a defective Trekstor drive because there is no distributor in Canada. He may have to send it to Germany.

So beware in buying this drive if something goes wrong with it 6 months later, you may have to send it to Germany.
Have a nice day!


Deal Fanatic
Feb 21, 2006
5148 posts
101 upvotes
makalin wrote: 5400 rpm is weak sauce for an HD in a new desktop but as a backup device, it should be no problem.
Not really. This is a classic error of getting caught up in specifications without considering what they really mean. The performance number you really want to know is data transfer rate, which is a function of linear data density and drive rotation speed. The newer drives have a higher linear data density, and can therefore transfer data at rates equal to or faster than older drives at a lower rotation speed, which saves on power and waste heat generation.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Nov 26, 2007
798 posts
220 upvotes
I bought mine for $100 during boxing day. It is a solid unit, and I have not had any issues with it thus far. I really disliked the bright LED, but a little piece of electrical tape cured that quickly ;)

If you need one, its a pretty good deal. I remember when they were on sale during boxing day, people were saying that there were both IDE and SATA versions of the hard drive, though I don't think you could tell from the outside.
Newbie
Sep 11, 2007
11 posts
Oakville, Ontario
I defer to your expertise. I was basing my opinion on what I see in pre-built desktop specs for video-processing work (which is what I intended to do with the PC i built including the harvested drive). I'm still more comfortable building my work PC with a faster drive but I guess I was hasty in dismissing GP/5400rpm drives for desktop use altogether.
Deal Addict
Mar 20, 2004
3080 posts
34 upvotes
Vancouver
I bought this during boxing day, broke on me very quickly.

Instead I got a Hitachi 500GB drive for $69.99 and an Acom Data SATA/IDE enclosure for $18.99 after rebate. http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php? ... COM%20Data

Total cost is the same, maybe a dollar or more due to the rebate, but it's a much better option. The Hitachi is a good drive and always goes on sale and NCIX always has a nice enclosure on sale.
[Removed by the RFD Moderation Team]
Jr. Member
May 24, 2008
183 posts
can anyone confirm whether this is as fast as a conventional 7200rpm drive?
Deal Fanatic
Feb 21, 2006
5148 posts
101 upvotes
HDTACH tested data transfer rates:

WD Caviar Green Power 1 Tbyte 5400 rpm
- Sequential read: 62.6 Mbytes/sec
- Sequential write: 63.4 Mbytes/sec

Seagate 500 Gbyte 7200 rpm 7200.10 model (a first-generation perpendicular-recording drive):
- Sequential read: 66.6 Mbytes/sec
- Sequential write: 66.5 Mbytes/sec

(Source: http://techreport.com/articles.x/13379/13)

The difference is too small to notice in spite of the apparent large difference in rotation speed.

But of course in an external USB enclosure, the transfer rate is limited to 20 Mbytes/sec anyway.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Aug 22, 2004
861 posts
1 upvote
jerryybf wrote: reviews for this hard drive are so negtive...
The drive inside the enclosure or the packaged drive?. I have had 2 since the boxing day sales and they are very well made and I have had no problem with them.

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