Seagate: 'new' hard drives used for tens of thousands of hours

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Reports from Germany indicate that Seagate hard drives sold as “new” — often 16TB Exos models — were in fact heavily used units with tens of thousands of prior power‑on hours, allegedly masked by resetting SMART data but still visible in Seagate’s FARM logs. Commenters debate whether the fault lies with Seagate, distributors, or retailers such as Amazon, highlight similar past controversies with other HDD vendors, and share practical guidance on avoiding gray‑market or refurbished drives misrepresented as new, including warranty checks and using advanced diagnostics.

Alleged source of the problem (Seagate vs. distributors)

  • Some readers assume Seagate is directly at fault; others note the article suggests a shady but “approved” distributor or reseller chain, not necessarily Seagate corporate.
  • Multiple German retailers (including official Seagate partners) are implicated, suggesting a distributor- or wholesaler-level issue rather than a single rogue shop.
  • Explanations range from honest warehouse mix‑ups to gray‑market sourcing and deliberate relabeling; commenters stress that wiping SMART hours looks intentional, not accidental.

Marketplace and retailer behavior

  • Many report Amazon (and, to a lesser extent, other big retailers) shipping obviously used or damaged items as “new,” including HDDs, SSDs, audio gear, and other electronics.
  • Amazon’s inventory commingling is highlighted: “sold by Seagate” doesn’t guarantee the item actually came from Seagate’s stock.
  • Some users have received outright counterfeit drives with fake anti‑counterfeit labels, especially via marketplace sellers.
  • This leads many to avoid buying HDDs from Amazon and prefer specialty dealers or direct manufacturer channels.

HDD vendor reputations and prior scandals

  • Seagate is seen by many as chronically unreliable (e.g., infamous 3TB models like ST3000DM001, Maxtor-era issues). Others counter that recent Backblaze data shows Seagate mostly comparable to peers except for a few bad SKUs.
  • Western Digital is criticized for the WD Red SMR debacle and for mixing SMR/CMR under one product line without clear labeling; some users boycotted WD over this.
  • HGST/Ultrastar and Toshiba enterprise lines are frequently praised as more reliable, though most admit personal anecdotes are statistically weak.

Used/“new” drives and fraud vs. accepted risk

  • Several commenters routinely buy refurbished/used enterprise drives (often ex‑datacenter) at deep discounts, but only when clearly disclosed.
  • The core outrage here is not that drives are used, but that they’re sold as new and their SMART history is reset—widely characterized as straightforward fraud.
  • Speculation: some of these drives may be retired datacenter or Chia‑mining units with tens of thousands of hours.

Why this matters even if warranty exists

  • Drives have finite life; a “5‑year” drive that’s already 2–5 years into its service reduces effective lifespan.
  • Warranty replaces hardware but not lost data, downtime, or rebuild headaches (especially for RAID/NAS setups that want matched drives).
  • Enterprise/OEM drives entering retail may have warranty start dates years in the past; customers buying “new” don’t expect that.

Technical detection: SMART vs. FARM

  • SMART power‑on hours can be (and are) reset by some refurbishers.
  • Seagate’s FARM (Field Accessible Reliability Metrics) logs are discussed as harder to fake and more detailed (e.g., voltage ranges, real accumulated hours).
  • Users share commands: smartctl -l farm /dev/sdX (requires smartmontools ≥ 7.4) and mention Seagate’s openSeaChest tools. Some struggle to extract logs or find documentation.

Buying strategies and alternatives

  • Many now:
    • Avoid HDDs from Amazon/marketplaces for critical data.
    • Prefer known-good enterprise lines (Ultrastar, Toshiba MG/MN) or clearly labeled refurbs from reputable sellers.
    • Verify warranty status on manufacturer sites and cross‑check DOM vs. reported hours/FARM logs on arrival.

Broader decline in quality and enforcement

  • Several see this as part of a wider pattern: companies quietly lowering quality or relabeling returns to cope with price pressure.
  • Opinions differ on effectiveness of remedies: class actions are seen as a “corporate nightmare” but not very rewarding to consumers; others suggest consumer‑protection agencies, regulators, or small‑claims routes.