Maxtor M3 STSHX-M401TCBM

[kyrcy]

My external 3.5" HDD is running out of space and I am thinking this time to buy a 2.5" instead. It seems that Maxtor M3 STSHX-M401TCBM is the cheapest I can find, but is this really a Maxtor or a Seagate drive?

https://maxtor.seagate.com/files/maxtor-content/homepage/content/pdf/DS1879_1_1512US_M3Portable.pdf

Is anyone currently using it to confirm what is inside the enclosure?

[lingyi]

It's a Seagate drive branded under the Maxtor name: https://www.anandtech.com/show/10869/seagate-revives-maxtor-brand-for-external-storage

[kyrcy]

Am I reading correctly the information on the link above, that inside it's a Maxtor M3 model which is based on the Samsung Spinpoint M10P 5400 RPM 16MB?

[lingyi]

The way the article reads is a bit confusing, but no, Maxtor stopped manufacturing drives in 2005. The M3 contains Seagate manufactured drives under the Maxtor name.

[kyrcy]

I know that new products sold under Maxtor or Samsung are made by Seagate, but the above article states: "The Maxtor M3 external drive offers 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB capacities via a USB 3.0 interface. The top of the range Maxtor M3 model is based on the Spinpoint M10P 2.5”/15 mm HDD with five 800 GB platters featuring shingled magnetic recording technology at 5400 RPM spindle speed as well as 16 MB of cache." Doesn't this mean that this is a Samsung drive made by Seagate?

[lingyi]

I posted this almost exactly 2 years ago in your thread here: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/381724-2-5-USB-3-0-HDDs#post2470583 that IMO, no external drive is a good buy unless you're willing to remove the drive from the case at some point, hopefully before the cheap USB interface fails and possibly corrupts your data.

My opinion since than has been reinforced by the numerous posts about people having problems with their external drives that are apparently solved (they often don't return to the thread) by removing the drive from the case and either connecting it internally, by SATA to USB cable, by using a dock or using a good third party case with a dual USB plug cable. I've also taken to suggesting that you never connect / disconnect the drive on the case end (physically weakens and electrically shocks the cheap USB interface). Only connect the drive by the plug on the other end of the cable.

Also, having gone through dozens (at least over a hundred) hard drives over the years, many of them externals, I've found that with rare exceptions of bad electronic or mechanical design which affects tens of thousands of drives of particular model and becomes a known problem quickly, brand matters far less than proper care of your drives, especially portables. As much as possible, don't move them while they're spinning up or spinning down, protect them from physical shock (use a carry case if possible), give them enough space around to keep them cool, and as stated above, don't connect and disconnect on the drive end.

[lingyi]

I know that new products sold under Maxtor or Samsung are made by Seagate, but the above article states: "The Maxtor M3 external drive offers 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB capacities via a USB 3.0 interface. The top of the range Maxtor M3 model is based on the Spinpoint M10P 2.5”/15 mm HDD with five 800 GB platters featuring shingled magnetic recording technology at 5400 RPM spindle speed as well as 16 MB of cache." Doesn't this mean that this is a Samsung drive made by Seagate?

No. Samsung stopped making hard drives in 2011 when Seagate acquired Samsung's hard drive division. Samsung is just a brand name as stated in the article.

"In fact, it is surprising to see that Seagate still uses the Samsung brand for hard drive products about five years after the acquisition of Samsung’s HDD business. Under the initial agreement, Seagate had rights to use the Samsung trademark for hard drives for 12 months following the buyout. Apparently, the two companies have amended the initial agreement as Seagate currently offers four Samsung-branded products for consumers."

The use of the Samsung and Maxtor brand names, just as Western Digital uses HGST as a brand name is just marketing. It's possible that the drives may differ slightly in quality from their Seagate or Western Digital equivalents, but as I stated above, I haven't heard of any truly bad drives (i.e. very prone to failure in large (thousands or tens of thousand or more) in years.

[kyrcy]

I own several 3.5" hard drives (Samsung, Seagate, Toshiba) in external enclosures used for backups. So far, I had zero failures from Toshiba, while drives from Samsung and Seagate fail one after the other. I own only one 2.5" hard drive (Toshiba) which has been used heavily for the last 5 years, survived a few drops and still goes strong. Maybe I should a get another Toshiba?

[lingyi]

Buy whatever brand you feel most confident in. As i stated above. Your experience, my experience and any one else's experience who may post here are too small a sample compared to the billions of hard drives in use today. Everything I've posted is my opinion and there is no definitive answer what is best for you in your situation. I wish you good luck and long life in whatever you choose to buy.

[kyrcy]

I found the following review:

https://goughlui.com/2016/09/28/review-maxtor-m3-portable-4tb-usb-3-0-external-hard-dr...-hx-m401tcbgm/

With a of price around 100 Euro it's tempting, even if I don't need the extra storage now.

Still, I am not very confident about buying after reading some reviews (in German) below:

https://www.amazon.de/Maxtor-Portable-4000-Externe-Festplatte/product-reviews/B01AJWNWWQ/

[lingyi]

I forgot that I even sent it off for replacement, but I just had my Transcend 1TB external for the second, possibly third time under their 3 year warranty. The first time I sent it in was because I dropped it and this time, it just clicked after I hadn't used it in months. According the CrystalDiskInfo, it's a WD drive inside.

It's unlikely I'll ever buy another portable external drive again, but if I do, it will be a Transcend since the 3 year warranty is outstanding!

Edit: BTW, they sent me a brand new drive, not a refurb.