# Hard Drives



## darrenforward (Jul 12, 2005)

What does the forum consider to be a reliable drive to purchase these days around the 250gb Mark.


Thanks

df


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## RWILTS (Apr 21, 2006)

I bought Samsung SP2514N, happy with it so far.


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

The best drive for TiVo use is the Samsung HA250JC - 250gb, 5400rpm, the quietest drive around and runs cool as a cucumber with virtually zero vibration :up:

Unfortunately they're discontinued now, so only available pre-configured at a somewhat higher price than other 250gb drives. However, a good alternative at 250gb would be the Samsung SP2514N which, although 7200rpm, is also very quiet and runs pretty cool. There is a German website with, apparently, some stock of the 200gb variant of the HA250JC (the HA200JC), but I have never purchased anything from them. Nevertheless, all Samsung drives have a 3 year warranty with a swift no-quibble RMA service via www.rexo.co.uk

If you want a longer warranty, then consider a Seagate drive, but be aware that they're not as quiet (even the DB35 series 'PVR' drives), all run at 7200rpm and won't work in pairs in a UK TiVo.

I'm sure Pete77 will be along shortly to tell you that you should really go for a 400gb Samsung HD400LD as it's better value on a £ per gb basis, but although they're excellent drives (and I sell lots of them), with that much storage you will very likely need to augment it with a cachecard + RAM to ensure you don't suffer slowdown of the TiVo menus. So unless you need the cachecard for networking, that will pretty much double the cost of the drive, making it less of a bargain than it initially seems.


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## SJC (Mar 21, 2004)

I have regular IDE drives in my Tivo and would go along with the above comments but what should be made of this?

http://www.weaknees.com/seagate-db35-hard-drives.php


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Weaknees get a discount on Quickview/DB35 drives 

Seriously, the so-called 'PVR functions' of the DB35 series are of no use to any TiVo older than the drive series as the OS will not have the extra logic required to take advantage of them. In the case of our UK TiVos, the software was frozen in 2002 - about 4 years before the DB35s became available.

I've tested and supplied a number of DB35 drives and, TBH, I haven't been especially impressed. They _are _quieter (seek noise) than Seagate's standard desktop drives, but no quieter IMHO than a Samsung drive with acoustic management set to "quiet". They are all 7200rpm and are, as far as I can tell, physically identical to the 7200.9 and 7200.10 series drives with which they share the inability to co-exist in pairs in a Series 1 TiVo. They also run pretty hot, especially the bigger ones - hotter than the equivalent sized Samsung drives - so no advantage there either. And they seemed, how shall I put it, a bit more 'delicate' than Samsung drives. The return rate on the ones I supplied was alarmingly high even after I tested them thoroughly, leading me to think that they aren't as robust as Samsung drives when exposed to the perils of shipping followed by a few weeks thrashing in a TiVo.

I've now stopped supplying them as they are more expensive than Samsung drives and not any better for TiVo use, IMHO.


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## PaulWilkinsUK (Mar 20, 2006)

blindlemon said:


> I'm sure Pete77 will be along shortly to tell you that you should really go for a 400gb Samsung HD400LD as it's better value on a £ per gb basis


Wow... its been at least 5 minutes... perhaps he's on the lavvie


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

blindlemon said:


> I'm sure Pete77 will be along shortly to tell you that you should really go for a 400gb Samsung HD400LD as it's better value on a £ per gb basis, but although they're excellent drives (and I sell lots of them), with that much storage you will very likely need to augment it with a cachecard + RAM to ensure you don't suffer slowdown of the TiVo menus. So unless you need the cachecard for networking, that will pretty much double the cost of the drive, making it less of a bargain than it initially seems.


Many thanks to blindlemon for saving me the need to make out the main case in favour of the 400Gb Samsung drive. 

He is right in saying that as one of these drives equates to around 140 hours of recording even at Best it is getting very close to or possibly above the level where you need a Cachecard and 512MB of RAM (that rather depends though on whether you mainly record 30 minute Sitcoms or only 3 hour blockbuster movies and Formula 1 Grand Prix races) but then that brings with it all the advantages of TivoWeb including things like the Highlights module and being able to set recordings on your Tivo remotely over the internet. I would agree thought that getting a Cachecard and 512MB of RAM costs at least 140% more than just the 400Gb Samsung hard drive, even if you buy the Cachecard and RAM from the very cheapest sources at the cheapest prices (which sadly although for the good reason that is called strong after sales customer support are not to be found at TivoHeaven).

Perhaps the only answer is to buy two of these 400Gb Samsung drives thus providing 280 hours at Best so meaning the Cachecard and RAM cost less than the hard drives thus also better vindicating the decision to buy the Cachecard and RAM.  :up:


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## darrenforward (Jul 12, 2005)

Would Pete77 also know a good place to buy a Samsung HD400LD..


thanks

df


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

If you're looking for a bare drive then I'd recommend www.tekheads.co.uk, otherwise I couldn't possibly say 

Edit: Darn! They just went down in price a couple of days after I bought a load of them


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> even if you buy the Cachecard and RAM from the very cheapest sources at the cheapest prices (which sadly although for the good reason that is called strong after sales customer support are not to be found at TivoHeaven).


Um, thanks.... I think


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

blindlemon said:


> Um, thanks.... I think


perhaps its what they call a back handed complement.  

We all appreciate that you run a BA 1st Class Tivo Upgrading service but there are always the cheapskates out there with a budget that only runs to trying out the Ryanair Tivo upgrade route.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

blindlemon said:


> If you're looking for a bare drive then I'd recommend www.tekheads.co.uk, otherwise I couldn't possibly say
> 
> Edit: Darn! They just went down in price a couple of days after I bought a load of them


In the circumstances I think one would be just as well off with:-

www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=312836

They seemed to offer good service when I used them and seem to have the same price as tekheads including delivery.


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Yes, komplett are very good and I've bought many drives from them, but they are out of stock of HD400LD until 27th Feb as the link you've posted shows.

I have no preference really, but a supplier with stock does seem like the better bet if you're in a hurry


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

CCL Computers have 3 in stock and more being delivered on Monday but it will cost you 77 quid rather than 75 quid with them.

See:-

www.cclonline.com/basket/mycurrentbasket.asp?refresh=39137.0554050926&track=7168Q1

However they are PC Pro Retailer of the Year and having bought from them personally can say that their customer service is absolutely fantastic and highly personalised in total contrast to Dabs or Ebuyer where its more or less non existent, especially by phone.

Are we expecting Samsung to come out with a 500Gb size in the IDE version any time soon, having already got there with the SATA version? Surely that means they have perfected the platter design issues to their satisfaction and so nothing serious can be standing in the way of an IDE variant?


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

blindlemon said:


> Yes, komplett are very good and I've bought many drives from them, but they are out of stock of HD400LD until 27th Feb as the link you've posted shows.


27th Feb being Tuesday rather than Monday. I suppose you are implying they still might not turn up then though and so a customer could be in for a wait?


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

I'm not implying anything. 

Tekheads have them in stock now; komplett say they will have them on the 27th. If I was in a hurry I'd order from the supplier with stock.


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## PaulWilkinsUK (Mar 20, 2006)

Pete77... Why dont you start a TiVo Upgrade Service to go in competition with TiVoHeaven? Perhaps then you might appreciate why they charge a little extra because of all of the time and effort it takes to run such a business. 

If you run your own company you are free to charge what you like, because at the end of the day the objective is to MAKE A PROFIT ! Its not a charity. 

Give the man a break for heavens sake (excuse the pun). If you personally want to buy your stuff from elsewhere then do so, the choice is up to the consumer. 

Am I p**sed off? Damn right I am...


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

PaulWilkinsUK said:


> If you run your own company you are free to charge what you like, because at the end of the day the objective is to MAKE A PROFIT ! Its not a charity.
> 
> Give the man a break for heavens sake (excuse the pun). If you personally want to buy your stuff from elsewhere then do so, the choice is up to the consumer.
> 
> Am I p**sed off? Damn right I am...


blindlemon himself doesn't seem too fussed on the matter so I don't know why exactly you seem to be so stirred up about it.

Upgrading Tivos is not his main source of income but merely a little sideline he has. Also clearly he is not desperate to get every single last Tivo upgrade sale he can or he wouldn't freely proffer advice to those who feel capable of doing so on how to upgrade their own Tivos.

As best I understand it blindlemon's philosophy is to provide a quality upgrade service to those too busy or too DIY phobic to do the upgrade themselves and to incorporate a suitable margin not only for the time taken to do the upgrade but also for the subsequent questions and warranty issues that may arise from the customer. blindlemon has previously indicated that there are plenty of people who are extremely time poor but not down to their last penny who don't mind paying a few quid extra to have all the work done for them in a professional manner.

However there are plenty of other people in the forum who haven't upgraded their Tivo with a big hard drive and a Cachecard and 512MB of RAM precisely because it would set them back more than they feel they can afford. Many of these people are those who did not feel they could even afford the £200 Lifetime Sub due to their cashflow situation.

Therefore my objective is to encourage those capable of doing upgrades themselves to do so while accepting that blindlemon provides an extremely valuable service for those too time poor or too technophobic to do the work themselves.

I have made as many posts in the forum with a link to www.tivoheaven.co.uk as I have made references to Tivoheaven not being the cheapest place to buy a Cachecard for those who are self upgrading. So I don't think I am damaging the business of TivoHeaven, which in any case is only a hobby business and not the main business or source of income of the said person.


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## PaulWilkinsUK (Mar 20, 2006)

Pete77 said:


> Therefore my objective is to encourage those capable of doing upgrades themselves to do so while accepting that blindlemon provides an extremely valuable service for those too time poor of too technophobic to do the work themselves.


Don't you think that people can make up their own minds with you jumping on TiVoHeavens case every time he offers a piece of advice? 
Lets say you're a car salesman, you're working the punter and you're about to close a deal, then this guy pulls into your showroom, taps your punter on the shoulder and says "'ere mate, you can buy this car a grand cheaper down the road, you wont get a warranty or any aftersales advice but its still cheaper". Wouldn't that get on your t*ts after a while ?


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

PaulWilkinsUK said:


> Don't you think that people can make up their own minds with you jumping on TiVoHeavens case every time he offers a piece of advice?
> Lets say you're a car salesman, you're working the punter and you're about to close a deal, then this guy pulls into your showroom, taps your punter on the shoulder and says "'ere mate, you can buy this car a grand cheaper down the road, you wont get a warranty or any aftersales advice but its still cheaper". Wouldn't that get on your t*ts after a while ?


Sounds like a free market to me and the customer should be able to make a sensible choice between the various options on offer depending on their own needs and circumstances.

And actually if I hear a customer at a Dixons group store being especially misled by one of their sales people over the features of a product or the necessity of buying a warranty I am inclined to give the customer in question my view once the salesman himself has cleared off.


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

What a pity that the UK forum hasn't got its own Chit-Chat (slag off) forum then this forum could be devoted to real Tivo issues.

I don't want to point to deliberately at one individual but his name P*******7 did lend itself to us being raided by needless posts from the US.


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## PaulWilkinsUK (Mar 20, 2006)

Pete77 said:


> And actually if I hear a customer at a Dixons group store being especially misled by one of their sales people over the features of a product or the necessity of buying a warranty I am inclined to give the customer in question my view once the salesman himself has cleared off.


Whilst your intentions may be honourable it still doesnt detract from the fact that... oh why the f*** am I wasting my breath??


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

RichardJH said:


> What a pity that the UK forum hasn't got its own Chit-Chat (slag off) forum then this forum could be devoted to real Tivo issues.
> 
> I don't want to point to deliberately at one individual but his name P*******7 did lend itself to us being raided by needless posts from the US.


There is in fact a UK General Chit-Chat forum section of Tivocommunity that I would have thought you would have been familiar with:-

www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=15

However the issues being discussed here relate directly to Tivo Upgrading and hard drive choice and therefore do not seem to come under the heading of UK General Chit-Chat. This forum section relates to discussion of non Tivo topics.

It seems disingenuous of you to claim you don't want to point to one individual only then to immediately name me in the next sentence. And as to the hordes of US posters temporarily joining a thread in the Tivo UK forum that was led by one of their members in the US forum sections rather than by anyone here. In any event I rather had the impression that almost everyone, apart obviously from you, seems to have rather enjoyed the recent discussions that took place with our US Tivo owning cousins.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

PaulWilkinsUK said:


> Whilst your intentions may be honourable it still doesnt detract from the fact that... oh why the f*** am I wasting my breath??


I wouldn't attempt to advise you on the wisdom or otherwise of your chosen atire in your forum avatar picture (which would not be my personal dress sense for such a photo) so why do you attempt to advise me on the correct way to conduct myself in the forum?


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

> There is in fact a UK General Chit-Chat forum section of Tivocommunity that I would have thought you would have been familiar with:-


I for one missed that so thankyou. Maybe you might want to put some of your non technical replies there and just provide a link from the original thread that usually has been started for technical help requests.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

RichardJH said:


> I for one missed that so thankyou. Maybe you might want to put some of your non technical replies there and just provide a link from the original thread that usually has been started for technical help requests.


I thought the only requirement about discussion in this section was that it in some way relates to Tivo use or upgrading and not that it had to be technical in nature? Presumably if that was the intention the section would instead be called "Tivo UK Technical Discussion"?


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## PaulWilkinsUK (Mar 20, 2006)

Pete77 said:


> I wouldn't attempt to advise you on the wisdom or otherwise of your chosen atire in your forum avatar picture (which would not be my personal dress sense for such a photo) so why do you attempt to advise me on the correct way to conduct myself in the forum?


Obviously you're trying to provoke me, so I wont disappoint you...

Obviously you have issues.. so instead of hiding them lets hear 'em. Personally I dont give a flying f*** what your personal dress sense is.

However, my posts simply ask you to stop being such a fat-head, thinking that you know everything about everything when in fact all you do is berate others when they are trying to help.

Quite what someone is wearing is hardly a connection to how someone behaves in a forum. If I wore a bra and panties would that please you more?? For christs sake get a life.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

PaulWilkinsUK said:


> Obviously you're trying to provoke me, so I wont disappoint you...


No clearly it is you who is trying to do that.

Quite a few other forum members have thanked me lately for encouraging them to go ahead with upgrading their Tivos which proves that I do make posts helpful to some other forum members.

You have consistently tried to find grounds for conflict between us therefore the only logical manner to avoid this escalating out of control is to ignore your future posts about my posts as these only seem to have one intent.


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## darrenforward (Jul 12, 2005)

Thanks for the advice.
df


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

No worries - and sorry about the deviations 

I do try to keep them apart ...most of the time, really


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

blindlemon said:


> No worries - and sorry about the deviations
> 
> I do try to keep them apart ...most of the time, really


Yes I appreciate you are just someone who likes helping people out with technical problems anyway.

Its just that inevitably when they hit a problem they can't fix themselves or via our online forum assistance one thing then usually leads to another in terms of where they soften source their next upgrade drive from etc................


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## davidshack (Aug 17, 2002)

Hi
Have been scanning the forum for recommendations for large hard drives.

Have been unable to find stock of the Samsung 400Gb HD400LD recommended here (well I guess it was six months ago). And the mooted 500Gb IDE Samsung doesn't seem to have appeared.

I am looking to upgrade to a single drive installation, with one large hard drive - about 500Gb though I could live with 400Gb or 750Gb.

Any suggestions for a suitable drive (my main priority is reliability, followed by noise level) would be much appreciated.
Thanks
david


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

davidshack said:


> Hi
> Have been scanning the forum for recommendations for large hard drives.
> 
> Have been unable to find stock of the Samsung 400Gb HD400LD recommended here (well I guess it was six months ago). And the mooted 500Gb IDE Samsung doesn't seem to have appeared.
> ...


www.pricerunner.co.uk is your friend in these matters. 

At present these guys seems to be the cheapest for the 400Gb IDE HDLD Samsung drive:-

www.lambdatek.co.uk/componentshop/index.pl?searchString=samsung+400gb&level1_uid=0&go=go


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## davidshack (Aug 17, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> At present these guys seems to be the cheapest for the 400Gb IDE HDLD Samsung drive:-
> 
> www.lambdatek.co.uk/componentshop/index.pl?searchString=samsung+400gb&level1_uid=0&go=go


Thanks!
David


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## davidshack (Aug 17, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> At present these guys seems to be the cheapest for the 400Gb IDE HDLD Samsung drive:-
> 
> www.lambdatek.co.uk/componentshop/index.pl?searchString=samsung+400gb&level1_uid=0&go=go


Bit of feedback for you all . . .

Ordered 3 Samsung drives from these guys, they were delivered the next day. Good price, helpful people.

Bought "Hooch" off Steve (TiVoheaven). Wow, it certainly makes setting up a big drive so easy! Used to take me all evening & even then not be guaranteed.

Life is looking better!

(all I need now is to get the MFSlive CD to work! I'll get there.)

David


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

davidshack said:


> Bit of feedback for you all . . .
> 
> Ordered 3 Samsung drives from these guys, they were delivered the next day. Good price, helpful people.


That's good to hear but how do you get 3 of these drives in one Tivo? 

Or do you mean you own three Tivos all of which you are now planning to upgrade to 400Gb


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