Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.B HDT721010SLA360 - Hard drive - 1 TB - internal - 3.5" - SATA-300 - 7200 rpm - buffer: 16 MB

Comment: Unless you receive your drive in a WELL PACKAGED box, you better install and run it immediately upon receipt to insure it won't fail within a few days (potentially due to damage in shipping)!!!

This model drive was installed in a NAS unit when I purchased it, so when I wanted to expand my storage, I naturally ordered the identical models to add (in 3 years time, I never had ANY problems with the ORIGINAL drives in the NAS). The first drive I received from Amazon was DOA and just made the click of death. Of course, I'm not so sure that Amazon's packaging isn't what killed the drive in shipment - the drive was merely placed in a box with an airbag at one side. That's certainly not adequate protection for a hard drive!

Anyway, I immediately returned it (major kudos to Amazon for making this so easy!). I suspect Amazon must have had similar returns from others because THIS particular version of the drive was no longer "available" and a slightly more expensive version was suggested as a replacement (NOTE: This "second" version was in fact identical to the first but with improved packaging!) Still, this more expensive version was reasonably priced compared to elsewhere so I bought it.

I received the second drive with improved albeit still inadequate shipping protection. The drive initially worked fine but quickly died with a SMART failure reporting excessive errors. I received a similar Western Digital drive in this same shipment (although in a separate box and packaged MUCH better). The Western Digital drive has been fine. Since both drives were in the same external box but had separate internal boxes that were packaged quite differently and the poorer packaged Hitachis have been so problematic, I suspect the poor Amazon internal packaging COULD be the cause of failure (after all, the Western Digital and Hitachi would have been subject to identical shipping stresses since they were in the same external box).

Once again, Amazon's return process on the defective drive was super easy (one of the reasons I continue buying from them) but this time I'm going to order a Western Digital instead of the Hitachi as a replacement. Since I can't be sure whether or not it is actually the drives that have been bad OR Amazon's inferior airbag protection that's been causing good drives to go bad during transit, I wasn't sure I wanted to chance another Hitachi. Then I found lots of blogs that report similar problems with Hitachi drives over the last few months so I figure they're having problems and that made the decision to switch a no-brainer! Back-ups or not, who wants to go through the trouble of replacing 1 TB of data on a regular basis due to drive failures?

Bottom line: I've had two of this model Hitachi drive work flawlessly for nearly 3 years and 2 others purchased within 30 days that were DOA so I'm giving Hitachi the benefit of the doubt with 3 star ratings (2 would be 5 stars and 2 would be 1 star). Consequently, if you buy these drives, get them installed IMMEDIATELY and run them thoroughly to check for failures or increasing error counts so you can get them replaced by Amazon if required.

Comment: Tiger ndirect has a sign for delivery which delayed receiving. Other than that a great drive for a great price. Be certain to distribute your power from the supply evenly.

Comment: I ordered two of the bulk OEM drives and received them today. They were loosely packed together in a much larger box, with the anti-static bags the only shipping protection (and much the worse for wear on arrival). Neither drive would boot; one wouldn't even spin up, and the other has a constant clicking (stuck armature, etc.). I called Amazon customer service and was issued a full-credit RMA immediately, but this could have been avoided with just a little more care and foresight.

Comment: We are using 4 of these drives in a server for over a year now without any issues. We use them to store backup images of other servers. Speeds seem to be very good.

Comment: The drive failed S.M.A.R.T. on first boot and couldn't be returned to the store due to Hitachi's HDD warranty policy. It took 3 days to obtain an RMA because their web site was glitching and would not process the request. The info had to be emailed to them to obtain the RMA. I then had to acquire an "approved" HDD shipping box (their policy for warranty returns) and send the drive back at my own expense (also their policy). I've been waiting for over a month now for the replacement drive and keep getting the run around from their tech support about low inventory and moving to a new facility.

I would stay away from Hitachi hard drives until they fix their horrendous RMA support system.