Question 1

How quiet is the Hard Drive? Is it a noticeable noise or just something that can be barely be heard?

Accepted Answer

I think I hear myself thinking more than I hear this hard drive. I use this in my server which is running 24/7, but not really processing data. However, if I am just starting up the drive to transfer files I can hear it spool up in rpm's, but when it's running I hear it less than anything else in the room. It's about 5 feet from my bed and it's completely silent. I wouldn't worry about noise unless you're constantly transferring files.

Question 2

Trying to format with USB external device.  Disk Management (XP) won't see it.  Device manager sees it - but offers no solution to format it.  How do I make it work?

Accepted Answer

Hello Eric W:
How To Use 3TB Hard Drives On Windows XP
By Martin Brinkmann on November 4, 2010 in Software, Windows - Last Update: November 4, 2010 33
All hard drive manufacturers have announced the first wave of 3TB (that's 3 Terabytes) hard drives in the first half of 2010, and first 3TB hard drives like the Western Digital Caviar Green WD30EZRSDTL 3TB are now available.
These high capacity hard drives will work fine for users running Windows Vista, Windows 7 or a Windows Server 2008 operating system. Windows XP users will however notice that they cannot use all of the space of the hard drive. Why? Because the operating system cannot address disk space beyond the 2 Terabyte limit. That's roughly one third of space that cannot be used.

I can't post the website address here but, if you look the article you can find more information. I have the web site address. Windows XP cannot use a drive larger than 2 TB as a boot drive. You can get away with using a larger harddrive as a secondary drive.

I am currently using 4 and 6 Terabyte harddrives along with a few R.A.I.D. setups.

Question 3

IS THIS COMPATABLE FOR WINDOW TEN PC ? JC

Accepted Answer

yes this will work with windows 10 but it has to be formatted a little different than a 1 or 2 TB so that windows will see the whole drive,
You cant just slap it in and windows see it correctly.

Question 4

It says combined with an SSD. Is this a hybrid drive or just a suggestion?

Accepted Answer

Just a suggestion

Question 5

Will this be a straight swap with my existing 500gb caviar blue drive mount in a dell inspiron 2320 all-in-one computer?

Accepted Answer

Yes!!  I would certainly think so.  The physical size will be the same and your existing hard drive is probably connected to your motherboard with a SATA cable also.  So......it should be a simple thing as pulling out the old HD (or leaving it in if you wanted to keep it) and just sticking the new drive into another slot if you have one.  If not then you will need to pull out the old one and just switch it with the new one.

Question 6

Do I need a hard drive caddy to install this device in a dell precision T1650?

Accepted Answer

That is a question for someone with a Dell Precision T1650. I installed my WD Blue 3TB drive into a Coolermaster case. Really, the case is key to whether you need a caddy or not. Did you check with Dell or go to their website support section?

Question 7

Would this drive work in a PS4?

Accepted Answer

It's a 3.5" drive, so won't physically fit. You want a 2.5" size (the size a laptop typically uses).  I would do a Google search and read reviews about others' experiences. I know I've seen that the 1TB Seagate hybrid drive works in a PS4, but don't have any personal experience using any drives other than what comes with the Ps4.

Question 8

What is the recording technology of this drive?  Is it a Shingled magnetic recording or Conventional recording?  Every new HD owner should know this....

Accepted Answer

The drive uses NoTouch Ramp Load Technology which safely positions the recording head off the disk surface to protect your data.

Question 9

Will this work as a Time Machine backup drive with a Mac (inserted in a OWC external drive case)?  Running Mac OS 10.12.2 on a 27" iMac

Accepted Answer

I do not know, I use this drive in the Windows machine.

Question 10

Does anyone know what the default timeout for head parking is on this drive?

Accepted Answer

The default is 0x80. I ran idle3-tools/idle3-ctl and disable it - I am using this in a DIY NAS build.

Questions & Answers