Hard disk shortage

Mark · December 15, 2011, 02:47:04 PM

Quote from: Bloody Jack Kidd on December 15, 2011, 02:23:40 PM
my WD Black Ed. 500GB is behaving badly - and only a few months old.

Warranty replacement? I bought WD OEM's from newegg that had 3 year warranty replacements. That's whats in my Synology and I had NO CLUE it even had a 3 year warranty (they were CHEAP drives!) until one failed and I looked it up on WD's site.

Bloody Jack Kidd · December 15, 2011, 02:51:39 PM

I imagine it's still under warranty... damn well better be!

Mark · December 15, 2011, 03:09:57 PM

Quote from: Bloody Jack Kidd on December 15, 2011, 02:51:39 PM
I imagine it's still under warranty... damn well better be!

The first computer that I ever built from scratch had a WD drive in it. That thing lasted a while, as in years but I don't remember how many, before it failed. When it did fail, it chirped like a bird! If you've had this happen, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If not, listen outside a window during spring and you'll hear exactly what I heard!

I kinda freaked out because I built the computer as our "family computer" when I was a teenager still living at home with siblings in college. This thing HAD TO WORK but mom & dad paid for it and already didn't like how much money they had spent on it. Don't remember how much hard drives were back then, but was sure mom & dad wouldn't jump on replacing it. I decided to play dumb and call WD (ok, I wasn't "playing" dumb, I was a kid!) got a tech on the phone, let him listen to the chirp and he sent out a new one on the spot! The new one even had another 3 year warranty on it! THAT was the moment I became a Western Digital customer for life. Sure, I've had drives fail since then, but only one of them have been WD and all failures have been handled impressively in my opinion.

Also, my younger brother has started a habit of buying a new WD hard drive at the same time he buys a new computer and will replace the OEM drive prior to first boot. Might sound stupid, but he started this on his own after being burned a few times (almost literally since heat kills everything). Kinda nice thing about this is that if he ever has to send it in to have somethign replaced, he pops out his drive and puts in the OEM drive which was of course stored in the static bag the new drive came in. Dell never gets his data, never knows he's not using their drive, whatever.

Bloody Jack Kidd · December 15, 2011, 03:49:23 PM

yeah, for a while 3-5 yr. warranties were not uncommon, I swear they were better made back then.

the WDLG tools were running on the drive when I left this morning, so I'll soon know if it's fubar.

it's really cutting into my CoD: Modern Warfare 2 time though...

Jim Jensen · December 15, 2011, 04:38:06 PM

The funny thing is that all of the HDs are plenty big, so I just took the one in their standard profile - one would assume that if there are problems getting it, they default to a different one. They still suggest the same one, too. My order is delayed enough that I had to affirm with them to continue it because there's an FTC trigger that would automatically cancel the order. I checked to see if that might be in my best interest price-wise (it's not) and they still defaulted to the same HD.

Mark · December 15, 2011, 04:52:13 PM

Jim, can you share which HD?

Jim Jensen · December 16, 2011, 08:39:24 AM

250GB SATA 7200 rpm

Jim Jensen · December 16, 2011, 01:16:02 PM

I think there's a conspiracy - I was annoyed that the new workstation is delayed enough to likely arrive while I'm on vacation, delaying it's implementation more. I just found out that an employee can't return to work as expected and I now have to cancel said vacation time off. That's not a convenient resolution.

Mark · December 16, 2011, 02:33:31 PM

Quote from: Jim Jensen on December 16, 2011, 01:16:02 PM
I think there's a conspiracy - I was annoyed that the new workstation is delayed enough to likely arrive while I'm on vacation, delaying it's implementation more. I just found out that an employee can't return to work as expected and I now have to cancel said vacation time off. That's not a convenient resolution.

Doh!

Use http://www.wahve.com/ and continue with vacation as planned?

Jeff Zylstra · December 21, 2011, 10:24:55 AM

Just saw this on Slashdot and thought I would post it. Looks like Gene's prediction is coming true! +1 for the group prognosticator. Hence forth, he shall be known as "the oracle of Ohio"!

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/12/21/0443248/hard-drive-prices-slide-as-thai-flood-aftermath-subsides

Gene Foraker · December 21, 2011, 10:54:52 AM

Thank you, thank you.

I'll further bet that by March 1, you will be able once again to buy a 1tb drive for under $60. The flood caused market disruption was real, but hyped a bit and of course, at a bad time. Production will probably be back up to near normal in the next month and maybe fill the backlog a month after that. Maybe sooner.

I am a free market kind of person, but you have to understand markets. Many competitive markets with small margins are quick to go up on bad news or a real shortage, but are "sticky" on the way back down so they can make at least a little profit. Gasoline prices are this way. Gas prices will quickly shoot up 10 or 20 cents on "possible" bad news in the Mid East or world or storm heading to the gulf, but when it turns out OK they will slowly come back down to normal. That is where they make their margin in a very competitive field.

Jim Jensen · December 21, 2011, 02:21:01 PM

OfficeMax still has their 1 HD per purchase limit in effect.

On pricing - yes, certainly gas - stations were beating each other down the last few days - down to $3.02 and a couple under $3. This morning, $3.39. It will edge down a penny or two at a time then shoot up again. Seems to be weekly, rather than news-based anymore. I think they usually are just trying to beat the consumers at the timing game.

Quote from: Gene Foraker on December 21, 2011, 10:54:52 AM
Thank you, thank you.

I'll further bet that by March 1, you will be able once again to buy a 1tb drive for under $60. The flood caused market disruption was real, but hyped a bit and of course, at a bad time. Production will probably be back up to near normal in the next month and maybe fill the backlog a month after that. Maybe sooner.

I am a free market kind of person, but you have to understand markets. Many competitive markets with small margins are quick to go up on bad news or a real shortage, but are "sticky" on the way back down so they can make at least a little profit. Gasoline prices are this way. Gas prices will quickly shoot up 10 or 20 cents on "possible" bad news in the Mid East or world or storm heading to the gulf, but when it turns out OK they will slowly come back down to normal. That is where they make their margin in a very competitive field.

Gene Foraker · December 21, 2011, 02:28:56 PM

Yes, I definitely think that the oil companies are just #@*%ing with us. Just came back from lunch and the price of gas just went up 25 cents while I was at lunch. I turned around and nabbed it from the other nearby station which had not yet raised their price. Did war break out? Did a refinery catch fire? It used to take something big to change the price that big a jump in one day, not anymore. It will go back down maybe 10 cents tomorrow and a few more by Monday. Back to where it was after New Year.

Coral · December 21, 2011, 02:39:43 PM

For once, I am glad I filled up both cars yesterday. I try not to pay attention to the price. That drives me crazy.

DebAmstutz · December 22, 2011, 08:20:12 AM

The price of gas shot up due to travelling for the Christmas holiday weekend. For whatever reason, the "gas gods" were kind at Thanksgiving and didn't do the same then. And gasoline is usually cheaper in Indy than up here, even though we are closer to the refineries in the Lake Michigan area. It's pretty well-known that the wholesaler in this area jacks the price up and the stations have no choice but to price accordingly if they want to make their 1 to 3 cents per gallon. There are times when I travel to Indy that the price is 10 cents per gallon less than here.