Which drive to buy for monthly back up? (Is shucking an option?)

[Supersonicwolfe]

My current backup drives are quite full now (1x 4TB ST4000DM004 and 1x 4TB WD40NMZW WD external drive sent from BackBlaze as a data recovery drive)  Both have some 600 GB free space left.

 

My particular use case is: I usually back up my files once a month, after copy and pasting, I leave the drives connected to the computer for a few days so BackBlaze can sync up. After that I discoonect the external HD and turn off SATA power to the internal desktop drive, completing my 3-2-1 data backup scheme.

 

I have no plans to switch to a NAS since Backblaze won't back up NAS devices (but PC + external drives totaling 7TB of data is fine to them...)

 

Now, I am wondering if I should go buy an external hard drive or, go for a desktop hard drive or IronWolf. I might not shuck the external drive right away, unless advised to do so. (I do have a hard drive dock, but no SATA to spare on my Aorus elite... I can make room by remove the BD-Burner which burns super important data and old photos to M-disc.

 

Right now I am considering buying a Seagate Expansion Desktop and Shuck it. Interestingly it appear Seagate will not honor warranty if the hard drive was shuck, while WD might. I think I can wait until next year too.

 

Here are few external drives I am considering shucking...

Seagate Expansion Desktop, 8 TB (STEB8000402) is only 108.20 EUR (1-year warranty in US?, 2-year in EU?) and appears have a Seagate desktop drive in it, so it probably can be just "plug and play" in a PC

WD Elements Desktop, 8TB (WDBWLG0080HBK-EESN) is 118.55 EUR (2-year warranty) and likely a WD80EMAZ, it appears needs 3.3 v power mod (aka cover the 3.3 SATA pin) if I shuck it

 

Other external options:

Seagate Backup Plus Hub is at 139.99 (2-year warranty), not sure Seagate will use higher quality drive in the more premium external hard drive models...

Seagate Desktop Drive is 137.90 EUR (2-year warranty); WD My Book Desktop 8TB is 142.8

 

The cheaper external hard drives are really enticing compare to:

Toshiba N300 8TB NAS HDD HDWG180UZSVA at 179.95 EUR (3-year)

Seagate Barracuda ST8000DM004 at 172.71 EUR (2-year warranty)

Seagate IronWolf ST8000VNZ04 at 222 EUR

WD Red Plus WD80EFAX at 211.54 EUR

 

*6 TB drives are an option... but they are not that much cheaper:

WD Blue WD60EZAZ 6TB are 119.90 

Seagate Barracuda is 139.00

WD RED (not pro so, SMR) 155.90 3-YEAR

 

P.S, I do know rumors that drive makers sell inferiors drives as external drives... but I doubt it since in Seagate's perspective, all their external drives need to have 2-year warranty (3 years if in Asia) just like the internal drives, there is little incentive do that for a large capacity 8TB drive. And for WD's case... well no one want their SMR WD Red eh?