Maxtor & Quantum Merge to Annoy Me

Slackmaster2K

Slackmaster2K

Gone
Let it be known that Maxtor is now shipping Quantum drives in Maxtor boxes, with no indication on the outside of the box. With the drive I just purchased, there was a little note inside the box stating that Quantum was now Maxtor, and if the drive in the box wasn't a Maxtor, than the Maxtor software wouldn't work with it (not that I'd ever use it anyways).

Now, I've always respected Quantum, but recently Maxtors have been faster than Quantums. I'll have to do some testing on this drive. It's certainly not simply a Maxtor drive with Quantum sticker, and just because Quantum IS Maxtor doesn't mean that a Quantum drive is the same as a Maxtor drive. Very irritating to those of us who buy specific drives for specific reasons, and not just "oh I need any old hard drive".

This one was for my work computer so I'm not concerned, but if I had bought it for my DAW I would certainly be irritated.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Darn, I just ordered a Maxtor 60 Gig drive 7200 rpm, I hope it is maxtor and not Quantum. I also picked the drive for specific reasons.

MIKE
 
Slack I know that you really like Maxtor drives. What other HD brands do you fancy.

I know I am setting myself up for dissapointment since I recently purchased a Western Digital (got a great deal though.) After I purchased my HD I read a review on Tom's Hardware stating that the drive was noisier than most newer drives (60 DB). I Installed my drive and it's quiet as a dead bird though I haven't tried recording with it yet. I was also wondering when drives make the most noise. i.e. has anyone noticed that recording and playing back tracks makes more or less noise than loading a large file.

Is HD noise realisitically a problem as far as recording is concerned? Do power/cpu fans generally put out more DBs than even a noisy HD? Can you hear the cranking away in the background if you are say recording vocals or acoustic guitar with a condenser?
 
Yeah, noise is a big problem with computers. I've been working on a way of reducing the noise for the past few years.... heh. Not working hard enough. I put in a quieter power supply. That helped out a bit. My CPU fan is noisy, but that's a simple fix.

You can hear hard drives grinding away in the background, it's a big drag. Outside of isolating your computer in another room, I'm not sure what the ideal solution is. My plan is to build a box and put that on top of the computer, that may cut it down a few more dB's. Never had this problem with the good old TSR-8.

I don't know why they sent you a Quantum Slack. Are you dealing direct with Maxtor/Quantum, a distributer or through a retailer? I order from a distributer's, and I can specify Quantum or Maxtor and always get exactly what I order. Maybe this is changing, but it hasn't hit the great white north yet.
 
No Emeric, I'm saying that the Quantum was INSIDE a Maxtor RETAIL box...the big red maxtor boxes. I bought it right at Staples. I rarely order drives because they're just as cheap locally (considering that there's no shipping). I know that the Quantum being in the box was not a mistake because of the little note inside. In fact, the note even went so far as to say that the Maxtor software (that overlay/setup shit they ship with their drives) would not work if the drive in the box was a Quantum....which is pretty lame IMHO, even if I hadn't planned on using it.

Hard drive noise varies. One Maxtor that I've got is kinda noisy, another that I bought about 6 months later is noisy in a completely different way, and one that I bought just a month or so ago is super quiet.

I think that isolation is the best solution right now. I'm planning on buying some long cables soon.

Virtualsamana, I'm very partial to Maxtor right now, but it's not like I go through thousands of drives or anything. I like them because they're cheap, they're super fast, they have few incompatibility problems, I can buy them locally, and I've yet to have one fail. But that could all change, who knows. Brand loyalty is dangerous in this game because things change so quickly. I've also been a fan of Quantum drives, which are now Maxtor of course. The only drives I truely dislike are WD, but maybe I'm just cursed with them. :) I also don't exactly have a warm spot for IBM.

I will give kudos to all hard drive manufactures, as I've never had a problem getting a warranty replacement from any of them...and it's always been an easy process. In fact, you can even get a WD RMA# right on their website....but I don't really think that's too comforting. :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top