Better to upgrade internal drive or get esata drive?

[bevansmd]

I have a series 3 that is just over 2 years old. The original drive has failed and I have shipped it to Weaknees under extended warranty to be repaired. I can get a refurbed original size drive at no charge or upgrade to a 1TB internal drive for extra money. I was using an esata drive for the last year and a half without problems (Seagate Freeagent Pro 750gb) that has been known to cause problems so I don't plan to hook this up again.

So, is it better to buy an officially supported Tivo esata My Book Expander and keep original size drive or just upgrade to bigger internal drive? My DVR Expander for $120 (total 750gb capacity with original drive ) or 1TB internal for $199? Which will be more reliable in the future? I've read all of the FAQ on both but am still not certain which to go with. Thanks for your help.

[ciper]

I'd personally go for the upgraded internal drive. It reduces clutter.

* 200 for a 1tb drive? Thats quite a gouge considering you have a "warranty" on the unit. I would imagine that Weaknees bought their 1TB drives for well under 100$. Shoot for 150$ I'd gladly install a 1tb drive for you! (if you were local)

[Fofer]

I'd personally go for the upgraded internal drive. It reduces clutter.

One less variable (and point of failure to worry about) too.

[westside_guy]

Since it's in for repair already, I'd concur - get the upgraded internal drive.

If this was a Tivo that was working just fine, I'd say the opposite.

[richsadams]

Agree with others here...an internal upgrade is your best bet. Keep in mind that if you eventually want to add an expansion drive that you won't be able to do it via Plug and Play. Upgraded internal drives require eSATA drives to be "married" to them.

That said, a visit to the Official eSATA Drive Expansion: FAQ + Discussion (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5616160#post5616160) sticky thread is in order. Even though it started out as an eSATA drive thread, it has everything you need to know about upgrading your TiVo including recommended hard drives and Section III, #30 covers internal upgrades.

Also, just to clarify, the Western Digital "My Book" (quoted by the OP) external hard drive line does NOT work with TiVo's. The "approved" WD My DVR Expander does...along with many others as listed on the sticky linked thread above. Just a little mistake I know, but someone's bound to read it and, well...;)

[Adam1115]

I don't know why, but it seems like every time I upgrade a stock TiVo the drive has a very short life.

I put a brand new 500 Gig Western Digital in my Series 3 the day I got it, it lasted 2 years.

[V7Goose]

If you can get the capacity you desire in one drive, that is the better choice. Less things to fail and MUCH easier to troubleshoot if problems do start.

But I wouldn't pay their outlandish price for the upgrade. Have them put stock drive back in for free, then upgrade it yourself for half their price and have a good stock drive on the shelf for troubleshooting and emergency backup. Less money and much better solution. Good luck.

[lew]

I'd personally go for the upgraded internal drive. It reduces clutter.

* 200 for a 1tb drive? Thats quite a gouge considering you have a "warranty" on the unit. I would imagine that Weaknees bought their 1TB drives for well under 100$. Shoot for 150$ I'd gladly install a 1tb drive for you! (if you were local)

Weaknees is charging $250 for a 1T drive, I guess a $50 discount is about right.

I agree many (most?) of us would rather shop for a great deal on a drive, do it ourselves and save the $$$. I suspect most people either have a suitable computer, or know someone who can do it.

Some people don't have a suitable computer. Most of us look and grab the best deal. Places like Weaknees have a relationship with a dealer/distributor and are probably paying as much (maybe even a few dollars more) then what we're paying.

[aaronwt]

Weaknees is charging $250 for a 1T drive, I guess a $50 discount is about right.

I agree many (most?) of us would rather shop for a great deal on a drive, do it ourselves and save the $$$. I suspect most people either have a suitable computer, or know someone who can do it.

Some people don't have a suitable computer. Most of us look and grab the best deal. Places like Weaknees have a relationship with a dealer/distributor and are probably paying as much (maybe even a few dollars more) then what we're paying.

Any PC running windows is suitable. You only need to get WinMFS and a SATA to USB adapter . The adapter is slower than a SATA connection but it accomplishes the task just as easily.

[lew]

Any PC running windows is suitable. You only need to get WinMFS and a SATA to USB adapter . The adapter is slower than a SATA connection but it accomplishes the task just as easily.

Not always. The SATA-USB adapter I bought wouldn't work properly with one PC but did with a different PC. Some combinations won't work with a drive over 500 Gig. I reviewed my procedure on the winMFS forums, the problem was hardware related and was solved by using a different computer.

Some people use Macs.

My point is some customers may not want to be bothered doing it themselves.

[dmbpj]

Internal. I did an internal drive swap over the weekend and it was very easy.

[aaronwt]

Not always. The SATA-USB adapter I bought wouldn't work properly with one PC but did with a different PC. Some combinations won't work with a drive over 500 Gig. I reviewed my procedure on the winMFS forums, the problem was hardware related and was solved by using a different computer.

Some people use Macs.

My point is some customers may not want to be bothered doing it themselves.

The USB to SATA adapters I got work with Vista and XP and at least 1TB drives. I used them a few times but now I just use the external USB/eSATA docking stations like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-BlacX-eSATA-Docking-Station/dp/B001A4HAFS/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1231178547&sr=8-1

And of course some people won't want to do it themselves. That is what Weaknees or DVR upgrade is for.
My first few TiVos 8 years ago I used one of those companies to expand my capacity. they are definitely an excellent solution.

[convergent]

I bought a new Tivo HD and the official MyDVR Expander 500G external eSata drive. I got the Tivo HD for $227 and the drive for $119 at Amazon. Installation simply involved plugging the drive in and rebooting the Tivo. I still have my warranty in place and the extra drive is a drop in the bucket of clutter associated with my AV stuff, so that doesn't bother me. I currently have it just sitting on top of the Tivo, but its kind of ugly so I will eventually move it down behind the rack out of sight since I don't really need to have access to it.

[Aflat]

Personally I would go internal, and would do it myself. But I can't criticize WeakKnees too much, they are buying quiet media drives, not just your typical cheapo drive. The media drives tend to have better read/write speeds, and perform many more read/writes before dying, and have much longer warranties. So you pay for all of that. $200 installed isn't a ripoff.

[CharlesH]

Personally I would go internal, and would do it myself. But I can't criticize WeakKnees too much, they are buying quiet media drives, not just your typical cheapo drive. The media drives tend to have better read/write speeds, and perform many more read/writes before dying, and have much longer warranties. So you pay for all of that. $200 installed isn't a ripoff.I am a software developer, but a lot of times, I just want to turn off the "computer stuff" in my mind, so paying extra for a pre-loaded hard drive so I don't have to think about it is worth the surcharge for the service, even though I am perfectly capable of using the tools. And I dare say that there are a LOT of non-techies who can follow the Weaknees installation instructions, but there is no way they would hook up hard drives to their PC and run tools like WinMFS, no matter how straightforward it is.