It’s external data storage replacement time.

[Ponzio]

Well my 3 redundant 2TB external hard drives are ¾ fill …. 80% is music (MP3 & FLAC files) … and one of them is acting up, so I figure it’s time to replace them all before the other 2 go south too. I realize this is an audio forum but I figure why not find out what my other fellow AH members are using for music storage. I’ve done some superficial research so far and I’m looking at the 4TB Western Digital My Book units …
Amazon.com: WD My Book 4 TB USB 3.0 Hard Drive with Backup: Computers & Accessories

… or the more expensive Drobo. Advantage is that it’s pseudo-RAID unit but the disadvantage is that there is another outlay for the hard drives.
Amazon.com: Drobo USB 3.0 4-Bay Storage Array (DDR3A21): Computers & Accessories

Any and all opinions appreciated.

 

[Lulimet]

Get a two-bay NAS and use RAID1. I use a WD like this one Amazon.com: WD My Cloud EX2 4 TB: Pre-configured Network Attached Storage featuring WD Red Drives: Computers & Accessories

 

[Ponzio]

Get a two-bay NAS and use RAID1. I use a WD like this one Amazon.com: WD My Cloud EX2 4 TB: Pre-configured Network Attached Storage featuring WD Red Drives: Computers & Accessories

Looks impressive but my NAS/RAID days are over; previously owned a Buffalo NAS station in the late 90's to the mid-2000's and found it cumbersome to manage and when it finally wet the bed, the price of the single failed drive ($350) was exorbitant. I can network using a hardwire DNLA setup throughout my house, so that's not an issue. I'm happy just to run 3 redundant external HD's using SyncBack Free ... SyncBack Free - freeware version of the ultimate data backup software ... connected to my PC; it's not network dependent and I can replace 1 of the 3 units anytime if a failure occurs. BTW I've used SyncBack for the last 10 years and highly recommend it. I've also found the cost of replacing RAID hard drives to be a bit pricey from whatever brand you buy. That's why the Drobo unit intrigues me, since I can buy any off the shelf 3.5 HD's and just slot them in but its that initial investment that gives me pause. The price of 3.5 HD's nowadays is so affordable that it's a non-factor in my eyes.

thanks

 

[jinjuku]

What are you currently using for your storage setup? Is it located away from your listening environment? I don't want to float any ideas that may be too loud.

Check out this ASRock Atom based server mainboard with 12 SATA ports.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157419&cm_re=Atom-_-13-157-419-_-Product

$279

Potentially run this with FreeNAS

 

[Ponzio]

I've got three Fantom 2TB units, connected, via USB 3.0, to my PC and yes there in my office/sound room but they're so quiet I rarely notice them. My PC makes way more noise than the Fantom's ... that's going to be replaced in the next 6 months too. I know Fantom's aren't highly regarded but they've been up for the last 9 years before yesterdays hiccup to the single unit.

 

[Ponzio]

I'll be stepping away for a little while but I'll be back this afternoon.

 

[jinjuku]

Just crack open the Fantom Enclosures. If they are SATA drives just put in some larger capacity drives.

 

[Ponzio]

Just crack open the Fantom Enclosures. If they are SATA drives just put in some larger capacity drives.

Clever boy. that's a great idea ... give the man a hand.

 

[Ponzio]

Hold the applause a quick search for 3.5 4 TB SATA hard drives came back with prices no more economical than the brand new 4 TB USB 3.0 WD My Book at Amazon that I linked above. It's still a good idea though for a spare 2 TB drive, that I see pop up on sale once in a while on newegg. The more I do the math, the more three 4 TB WD My Book's make sense, compared to the Drobo unit.

I was wondering, is there a maximum amount of external data storage that Windows 7 (64-bit) will recognize? I know on Windows XP there was a 2 TB volume limitation.

 

[Adam]

I was wondering, is there a maximum amount of external data storage that Windows 7 (64-bit) will recognize? I know on Windows XP there was a 2 TB volume limitation.

There is indeed a limit. Depending on the full build of your PC (because the BIOS can play a role, I believe), you'll probably have to be content with a measly 9.4 ZB (that's zettabytes, or 9.4 billion TBs).

I'd expect a number of reviews to make mention that they couldn't access the full drive space if it was a prevalent issue.

 

[Ponzio]

There is indeed a limit. Depending on the full build of your PC (because the BIOS can play a role, I believe), you'll probably have to be content with a measly 9.4 ZB (that's zettabytes, or 9.4 billion TBs).

I'd expect a number of reviews to make mention that they couldn't access the full drive space if it was a prevalent issue.

9.4 ZB (that's zettabytes, or 9.4 billion TBs) uh, I should be OK with 6 or 10 TB's

My custom build PC was done by the head of the IT department at a local university, so I wasn't worried about the BIOS. It was the Windows 7 64 bit OS I wasn't sure about. The intergoogle is a tough place at times to suss such information out. I would love a 10 TB volume but my budget is set to $500, so doubt I'll go beyond 4 TB with redundancy. Thanks for verifying that.

 

[D'prived]

I have a QNAP TS-421 with four 3TB WD Red drives. Use it for music and back up critical data.

 

[Ponzio]

Decided to purchase one 4 TB WD My Book 3.0 USB external desktop HDD last week for evaluation purposes based on the sale price of $130 (including shipping) at NewEgg and in a worst case scenario, I could use it to portably transport my data to another PC, if needed.

PROS:
Price … extremely quiet, even during massive file transfers (1.7 TB) … 2 year warranty … good air-flow design, felt cool to the touch even after transferring 1.7 TB of data, in a continuous 12 hour period … WD reliability, based on past ownership of WD HDD’s for PC’s and installation in external desktop enclosures … fast read/write functions, as compared to my existing 3.0 USB Fantom units … averaged about 48 MB's a second transfer speed.

CONS:
Glossy black plastic exterior is a fingerprint magnet … no power button, which totally baffles me (power is handled by connecting/disconnecting the power adaptor). You can enable the sleep function, thru the provided WD software suite, which I’ve opted not to install, for various reasons … subjectively the unit doesn’t feel too sturdy (plastic vs. metal enclosures of the Fantom’s) and I doubt it could handle a fall beyond 3 inches and I’m not about to test it to find out.

I have no regrets whatsoever about purchasing the My Book, since I feel you always need a backup to all your data which is independent of your PC/network but it has crystalized how I will handle data storage/backup in the future. I’m in the middle of having a custom PC built and I plan on installing two 4 TB eSATA HDD’s in the drive bays, besides the main two 1 TB RAID 0 (mirror) HDD’s for the OS and programs, dedicated to storage/backup for faster read/write abilities and to save space on my desk. A single spare HDD would suffice but my paranoia runs deep after my first HDD failure in the mid-90’s, which still haunts me to this day, and I haven’t been caught flat-footed since. I’ve probably jinxed myself. All it would take is one massive lightning strike to wipe all of them out ... must remember to disconnect the My Book when not in use... I told you my paranoia runs deep.

I want to thank everyone for their input and advice ... take care.