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Seagate ST3750640AS Size Question (and yes, I did read the FAQ first)
I have read this forum's FAQ on hard drive size and the information there did not resolve my questions.
Following advice of the FAQ, I did look in my computer's CMOS setup screens but the only detail there as to size of my drive was 750 GB - no info on exact number of bytes or sectors or tracks or anything.
XP System Information states the Seagate ST3750640AS drive included in my Dell Inspiron Desktop 530 computer has 1, 465, 144, 065 sectors.
( I assume XP System Information sees the whole drive, all sectors, including " hidden" sectors and partitions.)
The manufacturer's specifications for this drive state the number of " Guaranteed Sectors" is 1, 465, 149, 168.
So the drive Dell installed in my new Insprion Desktop 530 has 5, 103 sectors fewer, or 2, 612, 736 bytes fewer, than the size " guaranteed" by the manufacturer for its retail drives.
Admittedly being 2, 612, 736 bytes short of specs is a small percentage of the total expected size of the drive. And admittedly the remaining good sectors still provide a bit more than the 750, 000, 000, 000 bytes promised to me by Dell when I bought the computer.
But I would not have expected Dell to install a drive that doesn't meet Seagate's own published specs for that model.
Does this mean that drives that don't meet Seagate's standards for retail sale are being supplied to Dell?
Put another way, is Dell using Seagate " factory seconds" in its computers sold to retail customers such as myself?
Or is there some other explanation, ( I found no applicable explanation in this forum's FAQ), to explain things?
Following advice of the FAQ, I did look in my computer's CMOS setup screens but the only detail there as to size of my drive was 750 GB - no info on exact number of bytes or sectors or tracks or anything.
XP System Information states the Seagate ST3750640AS drive included in my Dell Inspiron Desktop 530 computer has 1, 465, 144, 065 sectors.
( I assume XP System Information sees the whole drive, all sectors, including " hidden" sectors and partitions.)
The manufacturer's specifications for this drive state the number of " Guaranteed Sectors" is 1, 465, 149, 168.
So the drive Dell installed in my new Insprion Desktop 530 has 5, 103 sectors fewer, or 2, 612, 736 bytes fewer, than the size " guaranteed" by the manufacturer for its retail drives.
Admittedly being 2, 612, 736 bytes short of specs is a small percentage of the total expected size of the drive. And admittedly the remaining good sectors still provide a bit more than the 750, 000, 000, 000 bytes promised to me by Dell when I bought the computer.
But I would not have expected Dell to install a drive that doesn't meet Seagate's own published specs for that model.
Does this mean that drives that don't meet Seagate's standards for retail sale are being supplied to Dell?
Put another way, is Dell using Seagate " factory seconds" in its computers sold to retail customers such as myself?
Or is there some other explanation, ( I found no applicable explanation in this forum's FAQ), to explain things?
regdor
4 Posts
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March 20th, 2008 15:00
This is a topic that is often raised but i admit i cannot recall all the answer but i know hard drive formating is a science in its own right, i think there is a link to the goodells web site that goes into mind boggling detail, another post does reference it ,try a search of the forum. I do not think XP does see the hidden stuff for a start and byte calculation accounts for the rest i.e. is a kb 1000 or 1024 bytes.
Anyway i am sure these drives are not some "seconds". Seagate would not allow them out the factory gate and Dell would not want them. Drives are now such cheap items it is not worth either of them doing such a thing.
bloort
5 Posts
0
December 6th, 2011 11:00
Just and FYI, i have three of these drives for 5 years, 2 are still perfect, and one has 2 reallocated sectors now for 2 years.
They've been great drives, no complaints.