EXPIRED:4TB External ("internal") Seagate Barracuda XT drives at Costco for $159


sheppp

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Noticed this on another thread:

"Went to costco to see if I can see a differece in packaging or case. Low and behold it was right there staring at me.

 

The DX (7200rpm) drives have the case that says "Windows 7 Compatible" with additional sticker that says "Windows 8 Compatible" kinda stuck on top.

 

The DM (5900rpm) drives just say "Windows 8 Compatible"...

 

Hope this helps somebody "

 

Link:

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=57509122&postcount=45

 

Can you check the boxes you have between the DX and DM drives and see if the Windows compatibility sticker is any different, or one printed and one stuck on the box?  Thanks!

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Noticed this on another thread:

"Went to costco to see if I can see a differece in packaging or case. Low and behold it was right there staring at me.

 

The DX (7200rpm) drives have the case that says "Windows 7 Compatible" with additional sticker that says "Windows 8 Compatible" kinda stuck on top.

 

The DM (5900rpm) drives just say "Windows 8 Compatible"...

 

Hope this helps somebody "

 

Link:

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=57509122&postcount=45

 

Can you check the boxes you have between the DX and DM drives and see if the Windows compatibility sticker is any different, or one printed and one stuck on the box?  Thanks!

 

Well, I have nine boxes from five different stores.

 

Only one box has a Windows 8 sticker on it and it was a DX drive.

 

The other box has a Windows 8 logo printed right on the box and it was also a DX drive.

 

Both of these boxes were purchased from the store in Fountain Valley, CA.

 

The other seven boxes had no Windows 8 notation on the boxes anywhere.  All the drives I have now are DX drives.

 

The two DM (5900rpm) drives were returned a few days ago, so I can't check them.

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I just picked up a couple of Seagate Backup Plus external 4TB drives at Costco for $159 each. The promotion ends on 2/24/13. There is a video on Youtube (

) re how to disassemble them to get the drives out. The video is strangely cropped, but it give a decent flavor re how to take them apart.

 

Is this promo still going on?  I was just at my local Costco in Moreno Valley, CA today and I have a picture of a sign that tells me its 179 instead of 159.

 

SKU 695080

Seagate 4TB Backup plus Dektop Hard Drive. 

$179.99

 

--Sideband Samurai

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The coupon book goes until 2/24. Typically items on coupon aren't noted on the item signs in the stores. I can't recall if this is the case with these drives. Nonetheless, my bet is that they are still $159. As of today, you can still get the drive online for the same price - but, you will have to pay an extra $10 to ship it to you. For whatever it's worth, I've been running a couple in my server for the better part of the past two weeks with no issues. Then again, two weeks isn't two years ...

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Yes, the promo is still going on.  I was at Costco in Roseville, CA last night and picked up another drive.  Turned out to be a DM!  Yay  :)  NA5JVN## I went back and bought several more today.

 

So, right now I have 9 DX drives and 6 DM drives.  My observations:

  • I see the same performance, as noted by ufopinball above.  DX drives are about 25% faster.
  • DM drives are running about 6C cooler for me, or about 20%. YMMV
  • On all my DX packages, there is a "Compatible with" sticker on the side of the box (must look closely to see it's a sticker).  On all my DM drives there is no sticker and the same exact text/images are printed directly on the box.  (Win 8, MAC compatible, etc.)
  • According to the Seagate website, Warranty for internal drive (if Seagate honors it) is DX=12/15 or 1/16, DM=4/15.  There's always Costco's return policy if Seagate won't provide warranty service.
  • Firmware - All my DM's are running CC43, all my DX's have CC44 (except one has CC43).  According to the Seagate website, no newer firmware is available.  I didn't see any download to upgrade from CC43 to CC44 for either DM or DX drives.

 

I'm happy to have found some DM drives.  To me, I'll give up 25% in performance for 20% cooler drives.  To each is own.  ;D

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Yes, the promo is still going on.  I was at Costco in Roseville, CA last night and picked up another drive.  Turned out to be a DM!  Yay  :)  NA5JVN## I went back and bought several more today.

 

So, right now I have 9 DX drives and 6 DM drives.  My observations:

  • I see the same performance, as noted by ufopinball above.  DX drives are about 25% faster.
  • DM drives are running about 6C cooler for me, or about 20%. YMMV
  • On all my DX packages, there is a "Compatible with" sticker on the side of the box (must look closely to see it's a sticker).  On all my DM drives there is no sticker and the same exact text/images are printed directly on the box.  (Win 8, MAC compatible, etc.)
  • According to the Seagate website, Warranty for internal drive (if Seagate honors it) is DX=12/15 or 1/16, DM=4/15.  There's always Costco's return policy if Seagate won't provide warranty service.
  • Firmware - All my DM's are running CC43, all my DX's have CC44 (except one has CC43).  According to the Seagate website, no newer firmware is available.  I didn't see any download to upgrade from CC43 to CC44 for either DM or DX drives.

 

I'm happy to have found some DM drives.  To me, I'll give up 25% in performance for 20% cooler drives.  To each is own.  ;D

 

Sounds good ... I'll be interested to know how much the performance of the DX vs DM drives differ once added to the array, and if the temperature delta is really worth it.

 

FWIW, I was able to return the two opened DM drives to my local Costco.  I causally explained how some drives ran faster but hotter, while others were slower but cooler.  They shrugged and gave me my money back, and there was no hassle.

 

Also, I did recopy the Seagate stock data onto any drives that I had blanked, and manually fix the one file that contained the packaging (not drive) serial number.

 

In case you decide you want to lean more in a particular direction (DX or DM).

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Sounds good ... I'll be interested to know how much the performance of the DX vs DM drives differ once added to the array, and if the temperature delta is really worth it.

 

FWIW, I was able to return the two opened DM drives to my local Costco.  I causally explained how some drives ran faster but hotter, while others were slower but cooler.  They shrugged and gave me my money back, and there was no hassle.

 

Also, I did recopy the Seagate stock data onto any drives that I had blanked, and manually fix the one file that contained the packaging (not drive) serial number.

 

In case you decide you want to lean more in a particular direction (DX or DM).

Yea, that's what I was going to do before returning any of the drives too.  I am planning on keeping the DM drives, bought 2 more today.  I was just going to replace several of the drives in my existing array built around a Norco 2020...  but decided yesterday, what's the fun in that?  I'm gonna build a second array instead.  :) 

 

So I picked up a NZXT H2 case from Fry's today, which will be perfect for my new build, which I want to be quiet.  My Norco 2020 is LOUD.  I really don't need 20 drives so looking at having 8 in my new rig.  Ordered the rest of my parts, should have them before this weekend.  Maybe now I'll test DX vs DM drives.  In my old system, I would have been limited in speed by older drives and controllers, hopefully not so in my new rig.  I am pre-clearing my DM drives now, maybe I'll do that to some of the DX drives too and give them a whirl.  Hmmmm......

 

 

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I picked up two of these and just checked them. One was a DM and one was a DX. The DM is showing as 5900 RPM and the DX is showing as 7200 RPM. This was checked with SIW.

 

The DM had Win8 compatible printed on the box and the DX had Win7 compatible printed on the box.

 

I also have some 3 TB versions that show as ST3000DM001 model with 7200 RPM.

 

I've been using these as externals so far and I'd prefer to only use "green" drives in my unRAID server.

 

I'm going to try to get two more of the DM models.

 

BTW, the serials I have are S1F, Z1F, W1F (2) on the 3TB and Z1Z for the DX 4TB and Z30 for the DM 4TB.

 

I wasn't able to find the warranty on the 4TB DM, but the others all show a warranty of about 2 years or a little more.

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The DM had Win8 compatible printed on the box and the DX had Win7 compatible printed on the box.

There are DX's with Win8 compatibility on the box too, but it's a sticker.  The one of the left is a DM, the one on the right with the sticker is a DX.  The printing is the same.

 

Quick question before I head out to Costco...

If I want to 100% assure that I get a DM drive, I should look for one with the Win 8 compatible printed on the box, not a sticker.  Is that right?

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The DM had Win8 compatible printed on the box and the DX had Win7 compatible printed on the box.

There are DX's with Win8 compatibility on the box too, but it's a sticker.  The one of the left is a DM, the one on the right with the sticker is a DX.  The printing is the same.

 

Thanks for posting this! I went yesterday to get two more drives and made sure they said Windows 8 Compatible that wasn't on a sticker.

 

Unfortunately, I was only looking at the exterior packaging. When I got home and saw your post with the picture, I see what you mean about a sticker.

 

I checked the two I got and they did have a sticker on the box which you can see inside the clear plastic packaging. I didn't open those to check but I went and got two more and made sure they didn't have a sticker on the box and Windows 8 Compatible was printed directly on the box in addition to the outside packaging.

 

I've checked those 2 and they were DM's.

 

I did notice that the DX that I've opened has a Warranty that expires in Nov 2015, compared to the DM's that expire in April and May 2015. So that's on plus for the DX, assuming Seagate will honor the warranty for an external that was opened or an internal that was in an external enclosure. If not, Costco has their satisfaction guarantee.

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Thanks for posting this! I went yesterday to get two more drives and made sure they said Windows 8 Compatible that wasn't on a sticker.

 

Unfortunately, I was only looking at the exterior packaging. When I got home and saw your post with the picture, I see what you mean about a sticker.

 

I checked the two I got and they did have a sticker on the box which you can see inside the clear plastic packaging. I didn't open those to check but I went and got two more and made sure they didn't have a sticker on the box and Windows 8 Compatible was printed directly on the box in addition to the outside packaging.

 

I've checked those 2 and they were DM's.

 

I did notice that the DX that I've opened has a Warranty that expires in Nov 2015, compared to the DM's that expire in April and May 2015. So that's on plus for the DX, assuming Seagate will honor the warranty for an external that was opened or an internal that was in an external enclosure. If not, Costco has their satisfaction guarantee.

You're welcome.  Glad it worked out for you to get the DM drives!  :)

 

Gotta love Costco's satisfaction guarantee.  8)

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FYI - I just posted my performance testing results here:

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=26140.0

 

For me, the DM drive is the clear winner!

 

You are DA MAN!!  Fantastic work!!

 

As it is, it's far too late for me to back out now.  I have six Hitachi 7200rpm 4TB drives, and another nine Seagate 7200rpm 4TB (DX) drives.

 

I completed my data migration and parity has been building for the past several hours (56% completed).  Last speed check was 137 MB/s, and drive temperatures range from 36-40c.  At this pace, it should complete in the next four hours, but temps have been stable for a while now.

 

I'll also report back after I see how things look on a parity check as well.

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I'm sure you'll be happy with the DX drives, they are very fast!  Heat makes a difference for me because I want my new system to be silent.  I am about 1/2 way through my 3 preclear cycles on 7 of my DM drives.  Looking good and temps from 33-38C right now, couple more days to go!

 

Just got back from Costco.  I LOVE Costco.  I really do.  I just returned 8 DX drives, all had been opened.  A little casual conversation, checking inside the boxes and I was good to go.  Didn't even need to talk with a manager.  $1400 back on my card!  It's also not too often that you leave Costco with more money than when you walked in the door.  I bought about $100 worth of food, but also had them cut me a $850 check for my American Express annual rebate.  8)  Today is a good day!

 

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I'm sure you'll be happy with the DX drives, they are very fast!  Heat makes a difference for me because I want my new system to be silent.  I am about 1/2 way through my 3 preclear cycles on 7 of my DM drives.  Looking good and temps from 33-38C right now, couple more days to go!

 

Yeah, I would guess I'm not going to get quiet.  The fans aren't especially loud at the moment, but we are 8 hours into the parity build and the system's reporting the following internal temperatures:

 

CPU Temperature:  +24.0 C  (high = +65.0 C, crit = +95.0 C) 

MB Temperature:    +40.0 C  (high = +45.0 C, crit = +95.0 C) 

 

The drive temperatures still range from 36-40c, even after all this time, so I'm pretty happy...

 

Just got back from Costco.  I LOVE Costco.  I really do.  I just returned 8 DX drives, all had been opened.  A little casual conversation, checking inside the boxes and I was good to go.  Didn't even need to talk with a manager.  $1400 back on my card!  It's also not too often that you leave Costco with more money than when you walked in the door.  I bought about $100 worth of food, but also had them cut me a $850 check for my American Express annual rebate.  8)  Today is a good day!

 

Sounds good ... I do still have three drives still in the USB enclosures.  I'll certainly be curious to hear how your experiences compare with the DM drives.

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Just finishing up a preclear on 3 DX drives. Bought them online so didn't get to choose models, I didn't care though, I just need more space.

 

My drives are rarely up and spinning for any long periods of time so extra heat or noise is not a factor. In fact I'm quite surprised with how quiet these drives are.

 

The precelar temps have been just fine. They're in a 5-3 Icydock. Hightemps on the left side went to 38c,  middle 41c,  right 39c.

Now in the final read stage (90%) they are: 35c,  37c,  34c.

 

Incidentally, I bought 2 from Amazon, 2 from Buy.com. They're all DX's but the ones from Buy have a foil anti-tamper tape wrapped around the drive and shield. It get's ruined when you peel it back so they'd know the drive was removed from the external case.

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Incidentally, I bought 2 from Amazon, 2 from Buy.com. They're all DX's but the ones from Buy have a foil anti-tamper tape wrapped around the drive and shield. It get's ruined when you peel it back so they'd know the drive was removed from the external case.

 

None of my DX drives had the foil but all of my DM drives did.  I was able to gently pull it off the drive in case I need to put it back. 

 

The sale is over.

 

Yup, the sale ended yesterday.

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Newegg will start selling the internal version of the DM drive later this week for $210. that's the cheapest everyday price for an  internal 4tb drive i have seen yet. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178338

 

there is no mention of warranty length yet.

 

This might be the start the of price drops for 4tb drive market.. I am assuming the other companies will have to lowwer prices to stay in the same ballpark.

 

 

I guess now it is just a waiting game..

 

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My 3rd preclear cycle just finished on 7 of my DM drives.  All looks good.  One drive has a couple High Fly Writes.  Not sure if I should keep that one or exchange it.  Looks like lots of people have seen a few High Fly Writes on Seagate drives and asked the same question.... "Is this bad?"  I can't find any examples of it actually being a bad thing, so I am just going to keep it. 

 

============================================================================
** Changed attributes in files: /tmp/smart_start_sdc  /tmp/smart_finish_sdc
                ATTRIBUTE   NEW_VAL OLD_VAL FAILURE_THRESHOLD STATUS      RAW_VALUE
      Raw_Read_Error_Rate =   117     119            6        ok          150353568
          Seek_Error_Rate =    62     100           30        ok          1590816
         Spin_Retry_Count =   100     100           97        near_thresh 0
         End-to-End_Error =   100     100           99        near_thresh 0
          High_Fly_Writes =    98     100            0        ok          2
  Airflow_Temperature_Cel =    69      71           45        near_thresh 31
      Temperature_Celsius =    31      29            0        ok          31
No SMART attributes are FAILING_NOW

0 sectors were pending re-allocation before the start of the preclear.
0 sectors were pending re-allocation after pre-read in cycle 1 of 2.
0 sectors were pending re-allocation after zero of disk in cycle 1 of 2.
0 sectors were pending re-allocation after post-read in cycle 1 of 2.
0 sectors were pending re-allocation after zero of disk in cycle 2 of 2.
0 sectors are pending re-allocation at the end of the preclear,
    the number of sectors pending re-allocation did not change.
0 sectors had been re-allocated before the start of the preclear.
0 sectors are re-allocated at the end of the preclear,
    the number of sectors re-allocated did not change.
============================================================================

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My 3rd preclear cycle just finished on 7 of my DM drives.  All looks good.  One drive has a couple High Fly Writes.  Not sure if I should keep that one or exchange it.  Looks like lots of people have seen a few High Fly Writes on Seagate drives and asked the same question.... "Is this bad?"  I can't find any examples of it actually being a bad thing, so I am just going to keep it. 

 

I have six of the Seagate DX drives in service and five of them are reporting high_fly_writes={2,3,5,5,5} ... however, the parity build completed without a hitch, and the subsequent parity check returned 0 errors.  March 1st is around the corner, so after the monthly parity check I'll double-check the S.M.A.R.T. values and see if things are changing.  Oddly enough, the parity drive itself is only reporting high_fly_writes=2, and it's obviously had the most writes of any of the drives.  OTOH, all five of my Hitachi 4TB drives report high_fly_writes=0.

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