Seagate Desktop ST3000DM001 internal hard drive 3TB (8.9 cm (3.5 inch), 7200rpm, 64MB cache, SATA III)

I've had this drive installed for just over a month and there have been no issues whatsoever. It's been a solid performer and quiet too. Just what I would expect.Before buying it I read a lot of reviews on here and one thing that really frustrates are some of the comments about reliability - not just in relation to Seagate but any brand of hard drive. Reading those reviews it's very easy for readers to fall into a false sense of security thinking they've picked a reliable brand/model and nothing will go wrong (or at least it will be very unlikely).REMEMBER All makes of drive and models of drive are prone to issues and you should never ever trust a drive so much that you store the only copy of your valuable videos, photos and documents on it. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Always assume that the worst and that a drive issue is just around the corner. Store a second copy of those valuable files on a separate drive or use some type of RAID etc. Having purchased this drive the next thing I did was to purchase an external Seagate drive for storing a second copy of my priceless holiday videos.Assume the worst and don't listen to the reliability hype of reviews. You are less likely to go wrong.

I have had this item for around a week now but only managed to get access to the full 3TB today.I bought this hard drive to put in a USB enclosure for data backup and I met some issues which I though I should share. On first connecting this hard drive via USB, my Windows 7 was only recognizing ~746GB. At first I was concerned the drive was faulty but being a PC techy I suspected it could be down to software/firmware of the caddy (Icy Box) as I have owned this for the last 6 years now. So I started searching the net.It seems that the limitation in storage can be the result of 2 things:1) In case the hard drive is connected via USB - The caddy is a bit old and with the current firmware, the USB-SATA bridge can only access storage of hard disks with ~2.2TB or less.2) In case the hard drive is connected directly in a PC - The Intel's Rapid Storage Technology Driver needs to upgraded 10.1 or newer. Following this link to see how - [...]Not knowing the above 2 scenarios I first updated the driver (as shown in number 2) thinking it would solve my problem. It didn't. Then I found it was due to the fact that I was connecting via USB and not SATA (as shown in number 1). I scoured the internet to find a firmware or driver update to solve my problem but could not find one.When I thought my only option was to buy a newer caddy which would recognize the full 3TB, I noticed my ICY BOX has also a SATA output at the rear together with the USB. So I thought, what would happen if I had to bypass the USB-SATA bridge and connect via SATA directly? So I ordered a SATA to e-SATA cable from amazon so I could connect my caddy via SATA as I was blessed that my laptop has an e-SATA input.I got the cable today and hey presto! As soon as I connected the cable I could access the full 3TB! I was delighted as I did not need to send the hard drive back!Please note that for this option, one would also need to upgrade the Intel's Rapid Storage Technology Driver since now the laptop is recognizing the drive as being connected via SATA and not USB!Unfortunately, if you have tried to connect the drive via an old USB enclosure, met this limitation and could not find a firmware update for your caddy nor have a SATA output from your caddy, then you would need to buy a new enclosure.Sorry for the lengthy review but tried to go in as much detail as possible. Hope this helps someone ease some headaches I went through!With regards to packaging, it was very well wrapped in bubble wrap and 2 carton boxes and was safe crossing the continent to another country. In the meantime I am really happy with my Seagate (my 3rd one now) on the first day and would say it is extremely silent and fast! Hope it stays that way!

Fast delivery, well packed, nice drive and good value for the size and speed and silent well built drive you get?Brought it for a brand new 64 bit verion AMD gaming version of PC which also will be used for 3D design work and media work?Can't tell you how great it is in the new PC as after receiving the new PC it had somewhere in it a fault which stopped me fro using it with this great 3TB drive which I know work ok as:I tested it in my older 32 bit xp home gaming PC and although it only showed up as a drive of 746.5 Gb because the 32 bit system is not upto reading any drive bigger than a 1.5 TB one so I been told? it still only showed as a 746.5 Gb size drive?But I just have to wait for the company which sent me the new 64 bit based AMD gaming PC to pick it up now I re boxed all the parts as they were when I got them?( note here for you buyers > when you buy a item always if possible take photographs of the unpacking steps of the items you got using a digital camera like I do? that way if you need to send it back if it is faulty, you will be able to re-pack it as it came? )Also another tip I tell you byers of tech, if the item works ok, always if you can carefully scan the user manual pages for it on a flatbed scanner into a folder named for it onto your PC and save a copy onto a usb memory pen too for later use in case you loose or damage the original manual?So just wait now for the replacemnt new 64 bit PC and I can use the 3TB drive at last?I recommend this seller totally as a great seller to use?

I've had some bad experiences with SSD drives and when the C drive, an SSD, suddenly stopped working I replaced it with this drive. I haven't run any tests for speed, but I get the impression that this drives speed is acceptable. This drive gets my thumbs up.22/03/2014 Update, unfortunately this drive died. I requested and received a refund, no problem. In the meantime I have ordered two more which are now installed and so far at least they are working well as a mirrored pair. I dumped around 400 GB of data to them and for a while they seemed quite slow. Today though they are working well. And fairly fast.