Should I give WD hard drives another chance?

ITDEFX

ITDEFX

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Back in 2000, I bought 3 WD hard drives off the net for some good prices back then.

I thought they were a great deal when I bought them that I convinced a friend to order some for his build I was putting together for him.

It wasn't til about 3 -4 months later all 3 drives failed within a month of each other :( Hard drive clicks, system lock ups and all that. Then I moved maxtor and I was very , very happy. Their drives were a lot cheaper then WD's (back then). Since then I have only bought Maxtor Drives over the past few years and vow never to waste my money with WD drives after loosing those drives and WD's shitty customer support back then. They said two of the drives couldn't be returned because they were sold overseas and re bought to the US for cheaper and the only drive could be turned in for credit towards a more expensive drive, but the credit value was so low.

Anyways people have been telling me, get WD drives... but seriously have WD really gotten their act together and started shipping quality products to warrant a second chance?
 
I stick with Seagate and Maxtor. I had several WD drives fail on me around 2000-2002. I have yet to give them another chance!
 
My experience is completely opposite. I've been using WD for years and have had zero problems (unlike one of the IBM drives I had for a time). I don't have direct experience with Maxtor, but those who I know that do use them have had mixed results.
 
I have had drives from maxtor, WD, ibm, and seagate. And have only had 1 seagate go out on me (after 6 years of usage). I prefer Maxtor and WD and get what ever one has the best deal.
 
I've never had any problems with my WD drives. I usually get Seagate though. I've only ever had a maxtor die on me (after two months)
 
Yeah, you can't really pin down a particular HDD manufacturer as "bad" or "good" because they all have mixed anecdotal results. The major ones like WDD, Maxtor, and Seagate all have pretty decent warranties, and you want to keep backups on hand regardless anyway.
 
I love WDs. I've found them to be generally reliable with good performance. I've had one die on me, and the exchange process was painless and fast.
 
[quote name='CokeCola']I love WDs. I've found them to be generally reliable with good performance. I've had one die on me, and the exchange process was painless and fast.[/QUOTE]


which drive died? and what year was it and what year did it die?
 
wow...then WD must have clean up their act since the caviar fiasco of 2000.

but I wonder why they are so damn cheap?
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']wow...then WD must have clean up their act since the caviar fiasco of 2000.

but I wonder why they are so damn cheap?[/quote]

define cheap.

You can get a 500gb seagate for $105-115. That's "cheap" IMO.

Edit: I have various seagates, wd's, and maxtors. I've only had one maxtor die on me ever. No seagates or WD's so far.
 
Western Digital has really stepped up their game. If they were crap back than they are no longer now. Also Maxtor is a crap brand, and still kinda is, it's the budget brand of Seagate. If you hate WD, just get Seagate, they have like a five year warranty.
 
[quote name='NoRain']Seagate>Hitachi>Maxtor~Western Digital[/quote]

From my experience, dealing with hundreds or more drives, I'd rate them for Desktop drives as such Western Digital>Seagate>Hitachi/Samsung>>>>>>Maxtor, especially the thin series of drives they released years ago.
 
I have 2 250GB WD HDDs and 1 160GB WD HDD and they run smoothly. The 160GB drive is usually 10-15 C warmer for some reason, even with cooling. Doesn't seem to mind the heat much. Right now it's at 51 C while my other 2 are at 42 and 40.

I also have a 160GB Seagate that tends to flake out every so often. It turns itself off and on randomly. It won't do it for weeks, then it'll go crazy and I'll have to disconnect it. The 320GB Seagate that's in my PS2 runs like a champ.

The only HDD I've ever had completely die on me was a 3GB WD. I have 2 1GB WD's from 1995 and a 6 GB Seagate from 1998 that still worked 3 years ago. I haven't tried them since.
 
When I buy WD drives, they are the 10k RPM Raptors. Excellent for Windows/Games/Programs installations. Not huge, but they are smoking fast. For storage I sway to Seagate for larger disks. That's about all I will say without starting to talk out my ass. Take it for what you will.
 
The only problem with WD's is that they are freakin loud compared to your average Seagate. In external enclosures, I can turn on a Seagate 320 or 450 gig, and hear absolutely nothing but a slight hum of the motor.

If I turn on my WD in the same type of enclosure It sounds like a jet engine whining up, and just stays there......loud. I can tell its on from another room, I just listen for the whine.

I'll stick with Seagate or, if I had to, Hitachi.
 
wow loud huh? My maxtor 200gig is loud when it reads and writes.

So........I wonder what did become of the owners who bought Caviars (sp?) that died in 2000. Did they ever file a class action lawsuit? I do recall reading message board posts about people having trouble with them and I DID give WD my address and contact information. But then of course I moved out in 2001 and never put a forwarding address (mainly because I didn't want to be contacted by anyone from FL when I left)
 
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