[ale] 2017 Backblaze HDD Failure Report

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-stats-for-2017/
Fun reading for anyone buying consumer HDDs in the 4T-12T size.

Good timing, the project later this year was to get some drives and
build up a NAS. I was planning on some WDC Reds which appear to do
reasonably well.
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DJ-Pfulio via Ale

2018-02-02 01:42:42 UTC

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-stats-for-2017/
Fun reading for anyone buying consumer HDDs in the 4T-12T size.

Good timing, the project later this year was to get some drives and
build up a NAS. I was planning on some WDC Reds which appear to do
reasonably well.

When I looked at the data, I saw that WD-Reds were not so great and the
HTSG 4TB were the best for failures. There are a number of different
charts in the article. Best to carefully check the captions.
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Alex Carver via Ale

2018-02-02 05:36:21 UTC

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-stats-for-2017/
Fun reading for anyone buying consumer HDDs in the 4T-12T size.

Good timing, the project later this year was to get some drives and
build up a NAS. I was planning on some WDC Reds which appear to do
reasonably well.

The HGST are helium filled drives and cost significantly more than the
WDC Reds. The others that are on the same price point seem to also have
the same longevity.

One person did the life expectancy calculations for the drives here:

https://medium.com/@simonerni/dissecting-backblaze-hard-drive-stats-2017-17a90089a2e8

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Derek Atkins via Ale

2018-02-02 14:49:57 UTC

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
When I looked at the data, I saw that WD-Reds were not so great and the
HTSG 4TB were the best for failures. There are a number of different
charts in the article. Best to carefully check the captions.

The HGST are helium filled drives and cost significantly more than the
WDC Reds. The others that are on the same price point seem to also have
the same longevity.

I happen to love HGST drives, and I'm willing to spend a LITTLE more to
get them. The 4TB drives are ~$130 each on newegg. I wish there were
more data on the HGST 6TB drives, as they are under $200 each and
currently the best $/TB of the HGST series.

I currently have 6 4G HGST drives in my FreeNAS server (RAIDZ2). I'm
due to add new space soon. ;)

-derek
--
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Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board (SIPB)
URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/ PP-ASEL-IA N1NWH
***@MIT.EDU PGP key available
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James Sumners via Ale

2018-02-02 14:52:14 UTC

I concur. I have two 4TB HGST drives in my HTPC since the 2015 Backblaze
report. Haven't had a single issue. I will definitely be buying more of
them when I'm able.

The HGST are helium filled drives and cost significantly more than the
WDC Reds. The others that are on the same price point seem to also have
the same longevity.

drive-stats-2017-17a90089a2e8
I happen to love HGST drives, and I'm willing to spend a LITTLE more to
get them. The 4TB drives are ~$130 each on newegg. I wish there were
more data on the HGST 6TB drives, as they are under $200 each and
currently the best $/TB of the HGST series.
I currently have 6 4G HGST drives in my FreeNAS server (RAIDZ2). I'm
due to add new space soon. ;)
-derek
--
Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board (SIPB)
URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/ PP-ASEL-IA N1NWH
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DJ-Pfulio via Ale

2018-02-02 16:44:44 UTC

I have a mix of HGST and WD-Red drives in my storage server. Had 1 HGST
fail after 3+ yrs, replaced it with a WD-8T disk ($160!!!) and split it
into 2 partitions. I use 4T partitions and don't want to force backups
to be larger than that.

The 8T WD-Red drives were in an external WD USB3 enclosure. ;) Gotta
watch those model numbers carefully.

Also have some 320G Seagate disks still spinning after all these years.
Zero issues on them. SMART data on them shows ZERO issues still, after
all this time. Remember when Seagate made really good drives? Ah ...
the good-ole-days.

Post by James Sumners via Ale
I concur. I have two 4TB HGST drives in my HTPC since the 2015 Backblaze
report. Haven't had a single issue. I will definitely be buying more of
them when I'm able.

The HGST are helium filled drives and cost significantly more than the
WDC Reds. The others that are on the same price point seem to also have
the same longevity.

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James Sumners via Ale

2018-02-02 17:17:13 UTC

I will not touch Seagate after the last experience I had with them around
2003. I had a drive that died shortly after purchase. RMA took weeks to get
me a replacement and the one the send was the wrong size (less not more).
Another few weeks to get the correct size. Put it in and it was immediately
making chirping noises like some sort of bird. Never again.

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
I have a mix of HGST and WD-Red drives in my storage server. Had 1 HGST
fail after 3+ yrs, replaced it with a WD-8T disk ($160!!!) and split it
into 2 partitions. I use 4T partitions and don't want to force backups
to be larger than that.
The 8T WD-Red drives were in an external WD USB3 enclosure. ;) Gotta
watch those model numbers carefully.
Also have some 320G Seagate disks still spinning after all these years.
Zero issues on them. SMART data on them shows ZERO issues still, after
all this time. Remember when Seagate made really good drives? Ah ...
the good-ole-days.

Post by James Sumners via Ale
I concur. I have two 4TB HGST drives in my HTPC since the 2015 Backblaze
report. Haven't had a single issue. I will definitely be buying more of
them when I'm able.

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
When I looked at the data, I saw that WD-Reds were not so great

and the

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
HTSG 4TB were the best for failures. There are a number of

different

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
charts in the article. Best to carefully check the captions.

The HGST are helium filled drives and cost significantly more than

the

Post by Alex Carver via Ale
WDC Reds. The others that are on the same price point seem to

also have

Post by Alex Carver via Ale
the same longevity.
One person did the life expectancy calculations for the drives

drive-stats-2017-17a90089a2e8
backblaze-hard-drive-stats-2017-17a90089a2e8>

Post by James Sumners via Ale
I happen to love HGST drives, and I'm willing to spend a LITTLE more

Post by James Sumners via Ale
get them. The 4TB drives are ~$130 each on newegg. I wish there

were

Post by James Sumners via Ale
more data on the HGST 6TB drives, as they are under $200 each and
currently the best $/TB of the HGST series.
I currently have 6 4G HGST drives in my FreeNAS server (RAIDZ2). I'm
due to add new space soon. ;)

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Solomon Peachy via Ale

2018-02-02 17:55:33 UTC

Post by DJ-Pfulio via Ale
Also have some 320G Seagate disks still spinning after all these years.
Zero issues on them. SMART data on them shows ZERO issues still, after
all this time. Remember when Seagate made really good drives? Ah ...
the good-ole-days.

I have a set of 9-year-old Samsung 1TB drives that are still going
strong. The youngest reports 75,834 poweron hours.

However, all but two of the newer 1.5TB models from the same family have
died before the 4-year mark. Only one is still going.

After that, I switched to Toshiba -- the oldest still in service have
38,535 poweron hours. One failed just before the warranty expired.

- Solomon

--
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Coconut Creek, FL ^^ (email/xmpp) ^^
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

Alex Carver via Ale

2018-02-02 17:25:51 UTC

Post by Derek Atkins via Ale

The HGST are helium filled drives and cost significantly more than the
WDC Reds. The others that are on the same price point seem to also have
the same longevity.

The problem with helium drives is that helium leaks out (which is why
helium is used for leak testing vacuum chambers). The drive is relying
on the helium for cooling (transferring heat from the platters to the
case) and to keep the heads above the platter at a gap smaller than a
typical non-helium drive. When the helium finally leaks out you're left
with a drive that is overheating and not far away from a full head crash.[1]

No matter what anyone says about their drives having "solved" the helium
leak problem, I will guarantee you that *nobody* has fully solved the
helium leak problem because helium *will* leak out. I have vacuum
chambers at work that are supposed to reach pressures equivalent of
interstellar space and I can *still* find helium inside the chamber when
I spray it with helium from the outside.

[1] The loss of cooling will cause the platters to expand, narrowing the
already narrow gap between the platter and the head. The loss of helium
also means there's not enough gas to get under the heads. Nitrogen and
oxygen are too big to fit under the head reliably to provide the air
bearing so the head will crash.
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Alex Carver via Ale

2018-02-02 17:28:26 UTC

Post by Derek Atkins via Ale

The HGST are helium filled drives and cost significantly more than the
WDC Reds. The others that are on the same price point seem to also have
the same longevity.

Also, just a fun tidbit: HGST is Western Digital. ;)
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James Sumners via Ale

2018-02-02 17:31:09 UTC

Was bought by them, but HGST seems to still be operating as they were prior
to acquisition based on the continued findings of Backblaze.

Post by Derek Atkins via Ale

The HGST are helium filled drives and cost significantly more than the
WDC Reds. The others that are on the same price point seem to also have
the same longevity.

drive-stats-2017-17a90089a2e8

Post by Derek Atkins via Ale
I happen to love HGST drives, and I'm willing to spend a LITTLE more to
get them. The 4TB drives are ~$130 each on newegg. I wish there were
more data on the HGST 6TB drives, as they are under $200 each and
currently the best $/TB of the HGST series.
I currently have 6 4G HGST drives in my FreeNAS server (RAIDZ2). I'm
due to add new space soon. ;)
-derek

Also, just a fun tidbit: HGST is Western Digital. ;)
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Alex Carver via Ale

2018-02-02 17:34:52 UTC