after market drive talk

[MilesAhead]

(To cut the hijack of atifsh's thread thought I'd make a new thread for after market drive discussion generally.)

Anyway, just got my 750 GB Caviar Black from Egg. It came as others have noted, just anti-static bag wrapped in bubble pack and stuffed with brown paper in the box. I just formatted it and did a backup to it and it seems ok. I sprang for the FedEx shipping so maybe that helped. So far so good.

[Chewy]

I won't buy any drive shipped by UPS after talking to an engineer that read the G-force article a quite a few years back. Head slap during handling is a primary cause of premature drive failure.

[MilesAhead]

Yeah, I noticed one of the reviews on Egg the guy went into detail saying there's a 6 foot drop somewhere in the UPS handling chain(conveyor belt maybe?) Also I thought I remembered you mentioning it before. For $12 it's worth getting a drive that's not DOA. Esp. since the sale reduction paid for the shipping. I just wish these HPs I have had the simple screw on install behind the front plate cuz I'm curious to try one out. Pulling that drive cage is a pita for sure though.

[doctorhardware]

The thing that I am wondering is the boxes falling off the conveyor belt, or is it actually a 6 foot drop from one conveyor belt to another conveyor. Which would not make any sense.

[MilesAhead]

Here's the review:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284

I don't see any link to the source of the "six foot drop" other than just saying UPS's own web site. I couldn't find it. Only thing I'm thinking is maybe when the conveyor was designed, if this drop bit is true, maybe it was set up so large boxes would turn over or stand up on end as they move between belts. Who knows? Without the specific reference it's a wive's tale. The one true thing was the packaging. The way SuperMediaStore packed it was far superior. That's what I'm using to store the drive that's not in use. 2 big foam cushions that fit the box snugly.

Looks like I got my deal just in time. The 750 GB drive is back up to $74 now!

[doctorhardware]

It the past I use to order miniscribe hd, and they were shipped in a box that had foam rubber on the bottom, then a piece of foam with a cut out for the drive then another piece of foam on the top. Never had any drive issues back then.

[MilesAhead]

That's the exact way SuperMediaStore did it. I took a chance on the Egg deal because even with FedEx shipping extra it was about $78. Too good a deal to pass up. Seems to be working ok. I'll keep fingers crossed.

btw I finally found the video for swapping the HD on my older machine. The drive cage isn't as complex as the one for my quad-core, but still you have to pull off both side panels, the front panel, and pull a cage out before you can unscrew it. Really no regard whatever for the end user who might want to modify the thing. Guess I'll wait until I have a work bench before I succumb the the urge to break out the screwdrivers.

[doctorhardware]

The one case that I have is a tool-less case. The hd cage points to the side access panel. The drives have the plastic rails that click in to place and real easy to remove. It is a nice feature to have.

[MilesAhead]

Yeah, just for the satisfaction of it I'd like to have a box with some serious mechanical engineering. It would be nice to just hold down a spring-loaded button and pull the drive out instead of all this wrist-watch screw business. Now it seems like too they are making the screws out of some non-magnetic base metal. If you drop the thing(I know you can see this coming) ... you're screwed.

[doctorhardware]

Getting cheap on the screws, I have a good stock pile of steel screws when I need them. Usually for a cheap computer cases.

[MilesAhead]

There's nothing like being set up with the right tools and gear to make things easier. When I was a mechanic I was always getting special purpose tools, but the most bang per buck had to be this little crank handle with 3 hex holes in it. It was only aluminum with a plastic handle, but when you are pulling off front brake drums and rotors all day, and putting them back on, it saved a lot of time. Just put it on the spindle nut and twirl. I think it cost less than $5.

[doctorhardware]

Yes it is always nice to have the time saving tools and at a good price.