Barracuda XT, Barracuda, Barracuda Green, DiamondMax and other desktop SATA and IDE drives

[VeganFanatic]

I have the ST2000DL003 drive and so far it has not been a problem as bulk storage on my server

mind you i do run checks on the server disks frequently to be sure they are ok

reducing the warranty to 1 year simply tells me that the quality of the product has gone down the crapper

not what I want in a storage product, I hope for 100,000 power on hour service life, mind you i tend to retire disks long before that

rebadging seems to be a common practice in the computer sector

[Hammey]

Hi I sure hope that the ocz ssd's dont go like that, not a good track record.

[Stabilo]

I agree with steve. If this model is in fact a genuine Samung HD204UI why in godsname mark it as "Barracuda green, ST2000Dl004". That makes no sense whatsoever. Any thoughts?

Let's say it is the genuine HD204UI by Samsung, why would seagate label it as Barracuda and even give it a barracuda like Model number?

[fzabkar]

If it isn't a genuine Samsung, then why would it have a Samsung-like part number and Samsung-like serial number? Why would it have the same physical appearance and the same PCB as the Samsung? I'm betting that the drive also has Samsung-like firmware, eg 2AR10002.

I see it simply as a case of badge engineering. AFAICT, it's just a case of Seagate trying to make another company's product look like their own. In that respect they are no different than most other companies.

For example, my sister used to drive a Ford which was really a Kia. I used to have an AWA TV which was really a Mitsubishi. I'm now staring at a Mitsubishi monitor which is really an Acer. My previous monitor was an Osborne which was really a Philips. My Philips microwave and VCR are both Sharps. The first Sony VCRs used Sanyo's VHS mechanisms. HP's laser printers often used Canon engines. Canon photocopiers were made by Selex. Etcetera, etcetera ...

Closer to home, Seagate's DiscWizard is really Acronis True Image, and Seagate's data recovery software is really R-Studio (AFAIK).

Here is a smartmontools database:
http://fossies.org/dox/smartmontools-5.43/drivedb_8h_source.html

The following entries show that Seagate and Samsung model numbers use identical firmware version identifiers.

985 { "SAMSUNG SpinPoint M8 (AFT)", // tested with HN-M101MBB/2AR10001
989 { "Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 (AFT)", // tested with
990 // "ST750LM022 HN-M750MBB"/2AR10001
994 { "SAMSUNG SpinPoint M8U (USB)", // tested with HN-M500XBB/2AR10001

Here are three labels:
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/SAMSUNG-ST500LM012-HN-M500MBB-500GB-P-N-C7672-G12A-A9E6F-SEAGATE-/00/s/ODAwWD...
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Samsung-HN-M500MBB-500Gb-SATA-p-n-C7262G12AA5V8E-HN-M500MBB-JP2-/00/s/MTAyNFg...
http://ec4.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zJ8UgUJaL._SS500_.jpg (ST1000LM024)

Notice that a drive manufactured in January 2012 bears a Seagate logo and Samsung firmware version whereas a drive manufactured later that same year, in May, bears a Samsung logo.

It appears that Seagate flirted with a logo change but then decided against it.

[VeganFanatic]

Seems that rebadging is spreading from the video card sector to the disk sector more

[Stabilo]

@fzabkar:

I might have overjumped the conclusion a bit. It should indeed make more sense for Seagate wanting to put their own brand and model-like numbering scheme on samsung models. You are also right the P/N: on my drive shows as "HD204UI" and the model is called ST2000DL004. Even the drive firmware came up as the original F4 Ecogreen by samsung used

"{0} EST2000DL004 HD204UI (1AQ10001)"

Then again read only the first three pages of this reseller site (newegg):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152245&Tpk=SAMSUNG%20EcoGreen%20F4%20ST2000...

Even the Barracuda ST2000Dl003 2TB drive seems to have big problems of DOA's and prompt failures. This won't do well with bloodpressure bc personal data is invaluable. That is why I'm sending my HD204u/ST2000Dl004 back to store for a refund. So I'm currently looking for another brand and model to buy. Sorry Seagate.

If positive and satisfied customers would also like to comment go ahead. Any other suggestions to help me see if I could test this drive for it's future dependibility, Be my guest.

[VeganFanatic]

buy some additional USB disks and backup your primary disks

i use lots of them in my shop to in case the my rig dies, it has before many times before.

last disaster was the PSU failing.

[fzabkar]

@Stabilo, your "Newegg" URL is incorrect.

[Stabilo]

@fzabkar

I corrected the URL.

[fzabkar]

Thanks.

ISTM that a lot of people have been confused by the badge engineering. However, there is one individual (RedmondBill) who has about half a dozen of each of the "genuine" Samsung and the Seagate rebranded versions. He notices no differences at all. Many of the other purchasers appear to have coloured their observations because of their anti-Seagate bias.

Personally, I'm always wary of reviews, whether by end users or by professional reviewers. I prefer to see verifiable facts or data. Also it's hard to know whether the products have been abused or subjected to shipping mishaps, or perhaps they have been damaged by an errant PSU, or a high temperature environment.

Many reviewers are under the misconception that Samsung was making these drives solely in Korea whereas in fact they were being manufactured in China long before Seagate's acquisition. Perhaps there is/was a QC issue in China but not in Korea ???