Hard Drive choices

[jgalak]

I am looking to upgrade my new series 2 Tivo (I've upgraded my old series 1 before), and am wondering about what HDs work well and which don't

I have a spare 7200rpm 400GB drive lying around, and am wondering if it will work well. I remember in the days of the Series 1, folks were recommending using 5400rpm, drives, as they run cooler. Now I see some retailers recommending drives specifically designed for DVRs.

Does it actually matter? Will a normal modern 7200rpm drive work, or is heat an issue? I am planning on getting one of the kits with a fan, so that should help...

Thanks.

[jeff92k7]

You should be fine. Any decent hard drive will work fine. Some have reported problems with certain brands/models while other people swear that the same brand/models are the best choice for TiVo.

There are certain drives that are manufactured specifically for DVR's but I personally doubt that they are worth anything more than the extra marketing hype.

TiVo can use either a 5400RPM or a 7200RPM drive. Generally, heat will not be an issue with either one unless you are running two in a single case with no fan inside and blankets covering it completely outside.

Jeff

[jgalak]

Generally, heat will not be an ssue with either one unless you are running two in a single case with no fan inside and blankets covering it completely outside.
Jeff

Well, no blankets, but I am planning on having 2 HDs - the original 40Gb that came with the unit, plus the 400 that I am adding. I will have a fan.

[jeff92k7]

As long as you have good airflow around the outside of the unit, you will be fine. You still need that good outside airflow to allow the internal fan(s) to obtain cooler air. You don't want the internal fans just recirculating the same hot air around.

[Pauli]

It will likely be louder as well. Enable AAM before you install it (although, if it is a Seagate, AAM is not supported).

[c3]

Well, no blankets, but I am planning on having 2 HDs - the original 40Gb that came with the unit, plus the 400 that I am adding. I will have a fan.

I would highly recommend using the 400GB alone. 40GB is not worth the increased risk of drive failure, and you don't need to bother with the additional cables, fan, bracket, etc.

[Arcady]

I second the advice to use a single drive. You have double the risk of a failure, with only an extra 10% capacity on that 40gb drive. Now, if you were gonna put in two 400gb drives...

I have used mostly Maxtor drives in my upgraded units, but WD drives have also worked well for me.

[kschauwe]

I wish I had a "spare 400Gb HD" laying around :p
A large, single HD is the only way to go these days.
Make sure your running software ver. 7.x before you start the upgrade, and keep the original HD as a backup.

[jgalak]

I was upgrading my PC, and bought the wrong drive (I wanted a SATA, but got a PATA by accident). The store wanted a restocking fee, so I just kept it for emergencies... :)

I think I'll either keep the 40 as a backup, or throw it as a second drive into the other 40-hour S2, to make it an 80.

[MeStinkBAD]

In my experiance is always best to stick to 5400 RPM drives. They run about 50% cooler than a 7200 RPM drive.As long as the unit is pluged in the disk will always be streaming data to and from the drive. It's not just the higher RPM but the more intensive movement of the read/write heads. And 5400 RPM drives don't aquire as much where and tear as speedier ones.