Hi,
On 11/02/2012 1:10 PM, James Harper wrote:
"Enterprise" drives don't normally cost that much more, although looking at the prices right now they are quite a bit more expensive at the moment from at least one of our suppliers.
Drive pricing was severely effected by the Thailand floods.
There is enough price differential between standard and enterprise drives, but the standard ones come with lesser warranty -- I think it is better to choose enterprise ALWAYS, just due to the warranty period extension.
If the warranty is longer, then it should follow that the drive is more reliable and can be trusted more easily (aside from the "use" type settings).
On the subject of warranty, the laws in australia have changed for goods purchased since 1/1/2011. The manufactures warranty just represents the point where you can get your money back easily. The product must still function for a reasonable time after purchase and must be repaired or replaced if it fails within that time, although I think that responsibility falls to the party you purchased it off. The "reasonable time" bit isn't clearly defined, but if I bought a disk and it failed within 18 months I'd be contacting the place I'd bought it off, even if it only came with a 12 month warranty. No manufacturer is going to agree that their product isn't expected to last 3 years.
From http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/1023610
"Is there a time limit on when you can use your rights? There are no specific rules about exactly how long a product or service should last. Even after a voluntary or manufacturer's warranty expires you may still be entitled to a repair, replacement or refund. This will depend on what you purchased and the nature of the problem." Disks are a bit tricky though... I'd be reluctant to return a $99 disk for repair/replacement if it was a standalone or part of a RAID1 and had my (or my customers) data easily accessible, even if the chances are it would just be sent for destruction anyway. I guess that's another advantage of RAID[56]. It's all out the window if you imported it direct from an overseas reseller of course, but that's a choice you make. OT but it's also worth noting that the phone situation is much more clearly defined. If you get a phone on a contract from a Telco, your phone is covered at least for the duration of the contract (eg if your phone breaks 18 months into a 24 month contract they have to repair or replace it). Something to keep in mind next time your telco tries to screw you over (as was the case when my mum bought a phone recently). James