# Seagate 1TB or WD 1TB for eSATA?



## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

Which eSATA should I go with for my HR21 to expand it? Pros? Cons?


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

Put it in a good case and I don't think it matters in the least.
Got 2 WDs in Antec cases for the DVRs, but have a Seagate in the desktop.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

After much research and reading and asking questions, I just got a 1TB WD drive to put in the Antec case.
http://westerndigital.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=388

This drive can be had for $171 online. I've not used it yet as the install at my new house is next weekend and my account is suspended right now during my move.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

I was just going to get this: 
http://www.buy.com/prod/seagate-fre...-external-hard-drive/q/loc/101/205986351.html

or this:
http://www.buy.com/prod/western-dig...le-interface-usb-2-0/q/loc/101/205761522.html


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

Capmeister said:


> I was just going to get this:
> http://www.buy.com/prod/seagate-fre...-external-hard-drive/q/loc/101/205986351.html
> 
> or this:
> http://www.buy.com/prod/western-dig...le-interface-usb-2-0/q/loc/101/205761522.html


Got to be careful with the WD My Books, at least some models (maybe all) have format compatibility problems and do not work.

I also hear lots of reports of reliability problems with the FAPs. I vote no on both.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

Wow... Really? So... um.... okay, who wants to hook me up with what I should buy?


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Capmeister said:


> Wow... Really? So... um.... okay, who wants to hook me up with what I should buy?


Antec MX-1 is best case. Several drives to pick from.


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

Capmeister said:


> Wow... Really? So... um.... okay, who wants to hook me up with what I should buy?


Antec MX-1 enclosure and whatever eSATA hard drive that you can find at a good price. The WD green drives are popular.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

Does the Antec only support up to 750GB for some reason?


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Capmeister said:


> Does the Antec only support up to 750GB for some reason?


"Note: The MX-1 supports 1 TB hard drives. MX-1 was released before 1TB hard drives were available, so early reviews of the MX-1 mention it supporting up to 750GB drives simply because those were the largest hard drives available at the time. "

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=77150


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

Look at my sig, I'm running 2 Antec MX-1s with 1TB WD drives and never a hint of a problem.


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

dettxw said:


> Look at my sig, I'm running 2 Antec MX-1s with 1TB WD drives and never a hint of a problem.


3 mx-1's here. same. with db35's.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

Okay, I am convinced.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

Ordered.


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## finaldiet (Jun 13, 2006)

Capmeister said:


> I was just going to get this:
> http://www.buy.com/prod/seagate-fre...-external-hard-drive/q/loc/101/205986351.html
> 
> or this:
> http://www.buy.com/prod/western-dig...le-interface-usb-2-0/q/loc/101/205761522.html


I saw that also. Looks like a good deal. Have a seagate 750 now and no problems at all. Had about 6-7 months now. Thinking of buying this one also.


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## finaldiet (Jun 13, 2006)

My seagate sets on top of console and no problems with heat.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

2 antec mx1's here with WD GP 1TB drives, i also have a seagate 750gb FAP


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## STEVEN-H (Jan 19, 2007)

I am using a FAP on my HR20 for 9 months with no problem.

I have just got a HR21 and have this one on order for it:
http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?querytype=home&qu=206805237&qxt=home&display=col

for $160.00 it is hard to beat.


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

Indiana627 said:


> After much research and reading and asking questions, I just got a 1TB WD drive to put in the Antec case.
> http://westerndigital.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=388
> 
> This drive can be had for $171 online. I've not used it yet as the install at my new house is next weekend and my account is suspended right now during my move.


Actually $139 at New Egg right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...le-_-Hard+Drives-_-Western+Digital-_-22136151


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

dettxw said:


> Look at my sig, I'm running 2 Antec MX-1s with 1TB WD drives and never a hint of a problem.


I've got 8, soon to be 9.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

Sirshagg said:


> Actually $139 at New Egg right now.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...le-_-Hard+Drives-_-Western+Digital-_-22136151


i just bought 2 more at that price. hard to believe 3 months ago they were $219:lol:


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## t_h (Mar 7, 2008)

Two MX-1's. One with a WD 1TB drive I scavenged from a Cavalry external because it ran too warm for my tastes. One is a plain old Seagate standard (not DB) drive. Both work fine, run cool.


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## the_dudeman (Jun 19, 2008)

Read somwhere that WD Green drives run cool, but are slow because they are only 5400rpm. They are supposed to scale up speed when needed, but the scale thing doesn't work well.

All the WD my book stuff seems to work good, from what I hear. I have 2 WD Raptor 10,000 rpm drives in my gaming rig and they work good. They are loud, but I need the speed for gaming. DVR probably doesn't need speedy drives...but don't really know.

But besides those 2 raptors, I wouldn't put a WD in anything. They die and are loud.

Seagate is the only drive I will use besides those raptors. 

Seagate drives are quiet and have never had one die on me.....ever.


dudeman


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## shaneman (Sep 16, 2006)

Does the eSATA cable the comes with the Antec MX-1 work OK with the HR20-700?


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

shaneman said:


> Does the eSATA cable the comes with the Antec MX-1 work OK with the HR20-700?


It works very well, fits exactly. No worries.


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## Indiana627 (Nov 18, 2005)

Sirshagg said:


> Actually $139 at New Egg right now.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...le-_-Hard+Drives-_-Western+Digital-_-22136151


That's a slightly different model (WD10E*A*CS vs. WD10E*V*CS). I bought the WD10EVCS since it's designed for 24x7 use in DVR type environment.


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

Indiana627 said:


> ... my account is suspended right now during my move.


Going to have to change your name? :eek2:


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

Indiana627 said:


> That's a slightly different model (WD10E*A*CS vs. WD10E*V*CS). I bought the WD10EVCS since it's designed for 24x7 use in DVR type environment.


That's what I purchased, for $161.

http://www.provantage.com/western-digital-wd10evcs~7WNDO005.htm

"Long-Term Reliability - These drives are designed to last in high temperature always-on streaming digital audio/video environments such as PVR/DVR, DVR recorders and surveillance video recorders."

The other they said was ideal for PCs, but it didn't say it was for DVRs, so....


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

Question, by the way--since this is my first time... will I need to redo all my Season Passes and such? I believe I will, yes?


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## t_h (Mar 7, 2008)

In case nobody has picked up on it, the differences between standard and "24x7 dvr" models is either nothing or a slight firmware difference that you'll never detect in actual use. And the price.

Directv uses bog standard western digital disks in their units. Tivo also used plain vanilla drives in all their products. No 24x7's, no dvr drives, and definitely no "enterprise" drives...you really dont want the latter...they drop bad sector retries in presumption that the raid controller will pick up the error and solve it.


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## tonyd0308 (Jan 13, 2008)

I originally bought a Seagate Free Agent Pro (FAP) 750 GB enclosure for my HR21-700. It worked briefly, but would lock up frequently. I bought the Antec MX-1 enclosure and broke the drive out of the FAP to put in the Antec. That combo works fine. In the discussion regarding this, it sounded like the FAP would work OK with an HR20 but not an HR21.


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## kikkenit2 (Oct 26, 2006)

STEVEN-H said:


> I am using a FAP on my HR20 for 9 months with no problem.
> 
> I have just got a HR21 and have this one on order for it:
> http://www.buy.com/retail/usersearchresults.asp?querytype=home&qu=206805237&qxt=home&display=col
> ...


The Cavalry drives are cheap but absolute junk and run way too hot even with a built-in fan. The Free Agent Pro runs almost as hot but doesn't have a noisy fan. The Antec enclosure runs very cool but is expensive at around $55 minimum. I just bought some Rosewill (Newegg's house brand) enclosures with a 3" fan on sale for $25. Hopefully a workable solution. I haven't had a drive fail but when they get too hot the playback will stutter, then freeze up and the cavalry even erased all my shows. One cavalry enclosure hits the garbage can.


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## capegator (Sep 14, 2007)

kikkenit2 said:


> The Cavalry drives are cheap but absolute junk and run way too hot even with a built-in fan. The Free Agent Pro runs almost as hot but doesn't have a noisy fan. The Antec enclosure runs very cool but is expensive at around $55 minimum. I just bought some Rosewill (Newegg's house brand) enclosures with a 3" fan on sale for $25. Hopefully a workable solution. I haven't had a drive fail but when they get too hot the playback will stutter, then freeze up and the cavalry even erased all my shows. One cavalry enclosure hits the garbage can.


Bought an Antec MX1 at Frys last week for $29.99.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

I got an ok deal from Provantage.com:

1TB AV-GP SATA II 3.5in Hard Drive
- WD10EVCS	1	161.36	
MX-1 Actively Cooled Hard Drive Enclosure
- MX-1 1 46.28


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## finaldiet (Jun 13, 2006)

Capmeister said:


> Question, by the way--since this is my first time... will I need to redo all my Season Passes and such? I believe I will, yes?


I know you will lose any recordings you have, but not sure about season passes. You will know if you have it set up right when you have no recordings listed. Be sure to power off receiver( pull plug). Turn on new esata drive first and then power on receiver. Should have no problems. I believe I wrote down my season passes just in case.


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## finaldiet (Jun 13, 2006)

Forgot capmeister, you can always go back and watch recordings on receiver by shutting off external hard-drive. Have a great day. Hope this helps.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

If only runs off the new drive, which I believe is the case, then I need to redo everything--prefs, season passes, etc.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

finaldiet said:


> Forgot capmeister, you can always go back and watch recordings on receiver by shutting off external hard-drive. Have a great day. Hope this helps.


Yes...the drive contains some of the DVR setup data...so a new drive install (or eSata) will result in some of the drive space being reserved for the DVR configuration data.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

Capmeister said:


> If only runs off the new drive, which I believe is the case, then I need to redo everything--prefs, season passes, etc.


yes, you need to enter all of your info


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## rmplatt (Aug 24, 2008)

I too got in on the Fry's mx-1 deal, and got a seagate NCQ Barracuda 7200 rpm 1TB drive (for $110 from Dell).

I hooked up the drive via eSata to my HR21-100, but I'm having a couple of issues.

1st- The DVR becomes a bit quirky. The picture will freeze occasionally, the sound will continue, and the unit becomes unresponsive to any button presses. It will release itself and pick up the video after about a minute.

2- After hooking it up, I recorded a movie on it, then later did a complete shutdown and switched back to my internal drive, I copied some settings and watched a few shows, and dubbed some to DVD. But when I switched back to the eSata drive, it did a total reformat again, even though it already did a reformat when I initially installed it. Needless to say the recorded movie wasn't there, nor were any shows and settings I had already put in.

3- The guide is painfully slow to update. Is there a way to force a guide download, I don't even have a full day at this point an hour later.

I see that some of the Seagate FAP drives are unsuitable for this use, but the Barracuda drive is different, right? It is a ST31000340AS and seagate dot com states the specs as; 
* 105 MB/s sustained data rate
* 32-MB cache buffer

Will this continue to happen, and what is the cause, is it the cable? I used the one that came with the Antec enclosure. Is it the drive itself? And why the re-formatting, how can I avoid this so I can switch back and forth to my internal.

Thanks to anyone


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## t_h (Mar 7, 2008)

Could be either a bad drive or a bad enclosure. Try sticking it on a PC and formatting it and writing some files to it.


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## kikkenit2 (Oct 26, 2006)

capegator said:


> Bought an Antec MX1 at Frys last week for $29.99.


Wow, that's a good deal. I check Fry's ads every week and I hadn't seen that. Website now says $30 and sold out. You got the last one.  Newegg has it for $50 now so prices have dropped some since I checked a month ago.


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## Git (Jul 12, 2008)

Indiana627 said:


> That's a slightly different model (WD10E*A*CS vs. WD10E*V*CS). I bought the WD10EVCS since it's designed for 24x7 use in DVR type environment.


Indiana, info only, but I just bought two of these drives (the WD10EVCS) along with two of the MX-1 enclosures from Amazon. I am having problems with the first drive - My HR21-100 has locked up a couple of times now and I have had to restart the receiver. I am hoping it is just a problem with the one drive - I would think the EVCS version would be better suited for this use, but we will see. I am now trying the second setup. Anyways, that is one of the reasons I like to buy from Amazon - they have a great return policy. Just a heads up.


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## schneid (Aug 14, 2007)

I didn't pay attention to the jumper settings on my WD10EACS as I removed it from my crappo Cavalry case and put it in an Antec MX-1 where it has performed flawlessly for two months now.

I don't how Cavalry set the jumpers and don't know if I want to fix something that ain't broke, but here is the link to the WD page that has the jumper settings:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1679&p_created=#jumper


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## R8ders2K (Sep 11, 2006)

schneid said:


> I didn't pay attention to the jumper settings on my WD10EACS as I removed it from my crappo Cavalry case and put it in an Antec MX-1 where it has performed flawlessly for two months now.
> 
> I don't how Cavalry set the jumpers and don't know if I want to fix something that ain't broke, but here is the link to the WD page that has the jumper settings:
> 
> http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1679&p_created=#jumper


I'll stand corrected, but isn't most everything is supposed to be Cable Select now...?


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## R8ders2K (Sep 11, 2006)

kikkenit2 said:


> Wow, that's a good deal. I check Fry's ads every week and I hadn't seen that. Website now says $30 and sold out. You got the last one.  Newegg has it for $50 now so prices have dropped some since I checked a month ago.


Checking Google, I found Comp-U-Plus has the MX-1 for $34.50.


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## HDinVT (Dec 14, 2006)

I could not get my HR20 to recognize the eSATA drive, and with catastrophic fallout. The HR20 reformats the internal drive every time I try this. Did I do something wrong or could this be a bug????

Issues Thread Post for details: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1760655&postcount=178


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## schneid (Aug 14, 2007)

R8ders2K said:


> I'll stand corrected, but isn't most everything is supposed to be Cable Select now...?


That's old school where you had a master and slave on one cable. SATA are one drive one cable.


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## schneid (Aug 14, 2007)

HDinVT said:



> I could not get my HR20 to recognize the eSATA drive, and with catastrophic fallout. The HR20 reformats the internal drive every time I try this. Did I do something wrong or could this be a bug????
> 
> Issues Thread Post for details: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1760655&postcount=178


What drive/enclosure combo did you try to use?


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## HDinVT (Dec 14, 2006)

schneid said:


> What drive/enclosure combo did you try to use?


Antec MX1 and the WD WD10EVCS.


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## BruceS (Sep 23, 2006)

I am using a FAP-750 on my HR20-700 with no problems.

Since I also have cable, I am using a Hitachi Deskstar 1TB in an Antec MX-1 enclosure on my Tivo S3.

As far as what drive and enclosures combinations would work, I would suggest checking http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=370784 for which ones have been found to work with the S3. No guarantees, but it seems to be a good starting point.


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## jmathey (Jul 31, 2008)

Hi everyone, 

Anyone have any issues with the Thermaltake MAX 4 enclosures? I have one with a Maxtor 1 TB drive and I'm having freeze ups while watching recordings. I'm not sure if it's the drive or the enclosure. I had this drive in a "bad" enclosure which heated up and I'm wondering if the drive got partially fried? 

Thanks
John


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## netkas (Oct 16, 2007)

I just installed the 1tb FAP from Buy.com and it works great. Can't beat the price... I'm told that if you connect it to your computer first, you have the option of turning off the Orange light, if you think that might bother you. It is kinda bright, but I left it on.


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## Git (Jul 12, 2008)

I am happy to report that I have received my replacement WD10EVCS drive and enclosure from Amazon and all is well.


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## R8ders2K (Sep 11, 2006)

Anyone using the WD10EVCS with a HR20-700? As, I'm about to take the plunge, but most of the posts I've seen are with the HR21 and the WD10EVCS.

And some don't indicate which HR2x they've got in their sig...


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## MountainMan10 (Jan 31, 2008)

The general theme of all the threads are that most drives work with the HR20, and only a few work with the HR21. I am sure there are many posts about this drive and the HR20. Just do a search.

I am using this drive in an Antec-Mx1 with my HR21-700. I am sure it works with an HR20-700 also.


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## R8ders2K (Sep 11, 2006)

MountainMan10,

*Thanks!* It's appreciated. Yeah, I've tried, but there are *SO* many eSATA threads to wade through...

You'd think by now we'd have an addition to the FAQ that's a little more concise is listing out enclosure(s) and/or drive(s) for specific HR2x that we can point everyone to...

Or did I miss that memo...


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## cjever19 (Jun 2, 2007)

I'm also in for a Western Digital, WD10EVCS and an Antec MX-1 for my HR20-700. Got the drive from amazon for just over $160 (since it has gone up to $168) and the MX-1 from my local Staples for $40. I also picked up an APC UPS BE550G from Circuit City after some wisdom here.

Hopefully this will be a winning set up.

I don't know if it is just me but the DVR already seems to be quieter since I've hooked it to the UPS.


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## HDinVT (Dec 14, 2006)

HDinVT said:


> I could not get my HR20 to recognize the eSATA drive, and with catastrophic fallout. The HR20 reformats the internal drive every time I try this. Did I do something wrong or could this be a bug????
> 
> Issues Thread Post for details: http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1760655&postcount=178





 schneid said:


> What drive/enclosure combo did you try to use?





HDinVT said:


> Antec MX1 and the WD WD10EVCS.


Well after a frustratingly long turn around of a replacement drive with buy.com,  I recieved the WD10EVCS yesterday. It's up and running now. :up:


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## GhostHeel (Sep 26, 2008)

Has anyone tried the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB drive with an Antec MX-1?


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## rchiang (May 11, 2006)

GhostHeel said:


> Has anyone tried the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB drive with an Antec MX-1?


Yes, I just installed mine a week ago.  It works fine. I did have to go back through the forums to figure out that powering down didn't get my HR21-700 to recognize the new drive, but resetting the receiver did the trick.

As far as SATA is concerned, one controller supports LBA48, which translates to 2 Petabytes (2000 TB or 2000000 GB). I have no idea what the filesystem limit is on the HR21 operating system, but I've heard 2 GB bandied about.


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## GhostHeel (Sep 26, 2008)

Did you use an Antec MX-1?


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## rchiang (May 11, 2006)

GhostHeel said:


> Did you use an Antec MX-1?


Yes.


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## CT_Wiebe (Oct 7, 2007)

Capmeister -- On my 1st MX-1 case, the (included) eSATA cable didn't work the first time, I reversed the cable and it worked just fine. Apparently, my HR20-700 is sensitive to the amount of plastic on the end of the plugs, and the 2 ends weren't the same. So if it doesn't work, just reverse the cable. And remember to unplug the DVR before you connect the external drive.

Note: I've filled 3 WD10EACS drives and I'm on my 4th. each one is in its own MX-1 case. The MX-1 cases are expensive (relatively), but they can't be beat and they sure run cool and quiet.


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## 1999cobra (Jan 21, 2007)

MX 1 $29.99

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-MX-1-e-SATA-3-5-Inch-Enclosure/dp/B000NZVR3Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222875849&sr=8-1

your welcome ...


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## cjever19 (Jun 2, 2007)

CT_Wiebe said:


> Note: I've filled 3 WD10EACS drives and I'm on my 4th. each one is in its own MX-1 case. The MX-1 cases are expensive (relatively), but they can't be beat and they sure run cool and quiet.


Holy !**! What do you plan to do with all this TV? Do you have it cataloged?


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