HDD replacement(s)

[#1]

I've got a couple of HDDs failing and one failed. So far I have not been able to recover anything from the failed drive but I will soon try the freezer method as discussed elsewhere in this forum.
To be honest the data on each of these discs (each one around 5y3 5 year mark and out of warranty) is not particularly valuable being films, TV and other stuff that, if lost, can be replaced in necessary. The total between the three drives comes to 3TB.
I have always shied away from drives larger than 2TB on the basis that the more storage you have the more you find the fill it and more data to be backed-up/lost. Considering a 4TB drive is not much less than 2 x2TB ones I am now considering 4TB as a viable option which would also mean less drives connected externally. I am considering a internal 4TB  for the purpose, though to be connected via a caddy..
Any thoughts/recommendations.
Thanks.
Having mentioned getting an internal drive this looks interesting and a bargain, to boot (no pun intended).

[#2]

I have a few WD Red 3TB right now, running as a media pool for a Plex server, great drives that last a long time with a 5yr warranty
Can get them in up to 6TB so size isn't an issue, price per GB is pretty good too

[#3]

The freezer method only works for drives that are stuck and refuse to spin-up.  I have not seen a failing drive with that particular problem for some years now.  Modern hard drives seem to develop bad areas that take an eternity to read but that the drive will not give up on.     

[#4]

Quote from: Mav

Having mentioned getting an internal drive this looks interesting and a bargain, to boot (no pun intended).

you'd be better off with one of the two bay units that lets you run in mirroring so if one fails you still have the other one and as soon as you get the replacement it will mirror the data onto it, there's tons of options out there, also make sure whatever you buy has a decent drive like the wd red nas drive fitted (or buy them separately) for that warranty and the piece of mind that should something go wrong your going ot be fine, most of those desktop storage boxes have cheap drives with a 3 month oem warranty on them that's excluded from the case 12 month warranty /

[#5]

Quote from: nanotm

... mirroring so if one fails you still have the other one and as soon as you get the replacement it will mirror the data onto it...

There are two flaws to mirroring that I have encountered in the past.  You are supposed to use matched hard drives but by the time one fails it will be obsolete so you have to replace it with a hard drive that doesn't match.  Then it can be difficult to unambiguously identify which of the two drives has failed.     

[#6]

I'm not into mirroring, raid, etc.
I do all my backups manually as and when required but this data isn't that important if I were to lose it

[#7]

Should you need to get the data from your old drive, take a chance on one of these,  http://www.usbnow.co.uk/p52/USB_2.0_IDE_&_SATA_Cable_(with_Power_Supply)/product_info.html ;
I got one a while back to see if I could recover some stuff from a failed external drive, lo and behold ... IT WORKED ! ! ! I thought for 15 quid it was worth a shot, pennies well spent

[#8]

I got one of the Tosh drives a few weeks ago (a 2Tb one) to replace an internal 2Tb that was having bad block issues (all at the end >1.7tb). No problems so far with it, usb 3 and cheaper than an internal drive.
I moved the stuff from the failing drive to it, and re-partitioned the failing one so it doesn't use more than 1.7Tb, so far so good. When it does fail more I will remove it completely.

[#9]

If a drive is showing increasing bad blocks, its time to replace it - before it fails.
You will need to decide whether to format it as GPT or MBR. 
You could either copy files off of the existing one, or spend a few days doing a reinstall if it is Windows.

[#10]

Since all the bad blocks were appearing at the END of the disk, i.e. the bit just being used now, I took a chance and partitioned it down so the bad area was unused again.
There isn't much on it now and it is a temporary disk stuff is on and off it as it gets downloaded and moved.
Not had any more issues with it since repartitioning it last month. No more bad blocks etc.

[#11]

I'm still mulling over whether to get a 4TB plus another 2TB disc or 3 x 2TB ones. The difference in price isn't that great

[#12]

Space,power and data connections (and of course running cost) are all you need to consider.

[#13]

Space :                    Room for one inside but plenty outside
Power:                      That's covered with a 750 PSU and en external power supply if necessary
Data connections:  More than enough
Running costs is not usually something I consider
Will probably go for 4TB + 2TB

[#14]

Disks use very little power - except at start-up.