Seagate Skyhawk AI 18 Tb, 256 MB Cache, 3.5 Inch Hard Disk Drive

Authentic and sealed. The only problem was how it was packed. I also thought this was from Seagate but turns out it's from PCWorx. Buying HDD directly from Seagate usually comes in a very big box so I was shocked when it arrived because they just wrapped it in thin bubble wrap and a single layer of carton. But it's working and has no damage so it's very lucky.

Does the job, bought on sale

Bought a few of these hard drives for a NVR system to replace a couple of Western Digital purple. We bought these instead of more Western Digital because they were on sale. We have been happy with both Seagate and Western Digital, usually purchasing whatever is on sale or cheaper in the capacity we require at the time. We haven't had issue or pre-mature problems with either.

Excellent improvement

I only had 1 TB hard drive in my 4K home security system and would only get about a day worth of replay.With this new additional 10 TB I have 9 days and counting since I installed.This Seagate Skyhawk is the perfect solution.I just plugged it in and off I went.Very Happy.Fast delivery and well packaged.

I bought this to replace a failing drive in my Tivo (Roamio Plus). I've always had good longevity...

I bought this to replace a failing drive in my Tivo (Roamio Plus). I've always had good longevity with Seagate drives, and perhaps this one would last. However, I could hear this drive head seeking even while watching TV, and I could even hear the comparatively loud noise of its platter rotation with the TV off. Got a replacement from Home Essentials Direct, thinking the drive was faulty. How could a drive be this obnoxious? Well, the replacement was just as bad. I purchased a WD purple instead, and it is as quiet as the old WD DVR drive in the Tivo--which lasted six years. I still like Seagate for the desktop, but forget buying this class of drive from them for your Tivo.

I purchased the 4 TB drive. I was slightly concerned having a lower spin rate as well as a 64 MB ...

I purchased the 4 TB drive. I was slightly concerned having a lower spin rate as well as a 64 MB cache. I am running eight cameras in a Samsung/Wisenet system. This system came with 1 TB and four cameras. But after I added four more to the system the 1 TB was no longer sufficient. I purchased this for terabyte drive, because it was the exact model of my 1 TB. This Is a 3.5 drive, so be sure that it will fit your console or whatever you are placing it in. It's important that people know this is not a standard drive and is made for surveillance cameras, or something that is access to an overridden on a regular basis. Unlike a standard hard drive in your PC that has correction control most of these drives for the surveillance systems do not have correction. Meaning ... MoreI purchased the 4 TB drive. I was slightly concerned having a lower spin rate as well as a 64 MB cache. I am running eight cameras in a Samsung/Wisenet system. This system came with 1 TB and four cameras. But after I added four more to the system the 1 TB was no longer sufficient. I purchased this for terabyte drive, because it was the exact model of my 1 TB. This Is a 3.5 drive, so be sure that it will fit your console or whatever you are placing it in. It's important that people know this is not a standard drive and is made for surveillance cameras, or something that is access to an overridden on a regular basis. Unlike a standard hard drive in your PC that has correction control most of these drives for the surveillance systems do not have correction. Meaning once it copies the data there is no verification that the data was copied correctly. Why this is not usually a problem on a system is a good hard drive and a smooth running operating system it could result in data loss. That is why it is advised to buy a surveillance hard drive, something that is specifically made to run off and and to keep copying the files without correction. I found a hard drive to be very efficient, and for some reason works faster than my 1 TB of the same maker and brand. It is also quieter than the 1 TB that my system came with. In fact the fan on my DVR makes more noise than a hard drive does and I have a quiet fan. Keep in mind why this may fit the majority of DVR's that are out there formats do vary from Linux, Windows or their own proprietary software. And formatting the drive may vary. Generally speaking most surveillance hard drives are compatible with buried systems but keep in mind that your hard drive may need to be formatted either by the DVR system, or possibly externally done to make it compatible with your DVR. I have seen more people have problems with DVR hard drives when they do not realize that the system they are installing in a have a proprietary format system and may not be compatible with the drive you purchased. That is why it's important to find a hard drive that has a wide range of compatibility as well is something that's been around for a while. Your surveillance cameras are expensive investment for most people. And the data that we have on these hard drives is why they are valuable. Anybody can purchase DVR, and cameras are pretty similar across the board improving with each year. But hard drives are the core operating systems bread-and-butter of you will. When you need the hard drive to work you need to work, this is barely second two cameras being of high quality because you have a high-quality camera but if your hard drive is a standard drive or of a low quality you may have issues. So if you've invested the camera system it's wise to buy a compatible high-quality hard drive that is built for surveillance systems and has a decent warranty. Overview: I highly recommend the drive. At this time it installed quickly, was able to format on my DVR with no issues. Is extremely quiet and accessing data to copy to another hard drive, or to use for fast search was extremely fast with no issues whatsoever. Check on Home Essentials Direct as the the prices vary from size to size. The 4 TB seemed to be about the best deal because it was slightly more than the 1 2 and 3 TB, but considerably less than the 6 TB, making this the best choice and value. Running at 4K, my cameras have enough room to record for approximately 2 1/2 to 3 weeks. Depending on whether you have motion or straight recording this can vary and your quality of cameras. I am guessing if you have a 1080 P camera system this may last you up to a month possibly depending on your settings.

It's a hard drive... quieter than expected.

If you need space for video recording these seem to be designed well for that purpose.My drive came in just an anti-static bag (no retail packaging). I have no idea if this is intended as the person on duty for live chat was unable to tell me. If this is important to you, I'd confirm it before ordering. That being said... It's a hard drive. If it is intended to come in bulk style packaging, it's not really that big a deal.I've been sitting about a foot from this drive. I can hear it, but I don't notice it unless I'm thinking about it. I didn't expect it to be that quite under load. So, that's good. This is a drive bay serving only one drive..... So, If you're doing an entire array of drives, your milage may vary.The only reasons I didn't give it 5 stars is ... MoreIf you need space for video recording these seem to be designed well for that purpose.My drive came in just an anti-static bag (no retail packaging). I have no idea if this is intended as the person on duty for live chat was unable to tell me. If this is important to you, I'd confirm it before ordering. That being said... It's a hard drive. If it is intended to come in bulk style packaging, it's not really that big a deal.I've been sitting about a foot from this drive. I can hear it, but I don't notice it unless I'm thinking about it. I didn't expect it to be that quite under load. So, that's good. This is a drive bay serving only one drive..... So, If you're doing an entire array of drives, your milage may vary.The only reasons I didn't give it 5 stars is because:a.) Uncertainty of packagingb.) The true test of a HD is longevity & it hasn't been that long yet.

R D's review of SKYHAWK 2TB SURVEILLANCE 3.5IN 6GB/S SATA 64MB

Pros: NAS seems faster to me than previous 5TB Red (but then again maybe I'm just wishing it to be faster). Its fast, huge and should be reliable. Oh and it's a disk drive, what else do you want ?Cons: 10TB still too expensive for an amateur but 8TB coming down in price as these things always do (early 2017). Had to doctor my Synology NAS disk tray to accommodate the drive - the central screw hole + certain indentations required by the disk tray are missing on this (super high capacity) disk design. After removal of the tray lugs there are now just 4 screw mounting points albeit they have high quality rubber shock absorbers. All seems secure but disk mounting is important in a high capacity NAS. Easy enough to fix but if you're less mechanically minded then this ... MorePros: NAS seems faster to me than previous 5TB Red (but then again maybe I'm just wishing it to be faster). Its fast, huge and should be reliable. Oh and it's a disk drive, what else do you want ?Cons: 10TB still too expensive for an amateur but 8TB coming down in price as these things always do (early 2017). Had to doctor my Synology NAS disk tray to accommodate the drive - the central screw hole + certain indentations required by the disk tray are missing on this (super high capacity) disk design. After removal of the tray lugs there are now just 4 screw mounting points albeit they have high quality rubber shock absorbers. All seems secure but disk mounting is important in a high capacity NAS. Easy enough to fix but if you're less mechanically minded then this might tax your grey matter.

This is an excellent surveillance camera drive. As an IT technician, I cannot count how many time...

This is an excellent surveillance camera drive. As an IT technician, I cannot count how many times surveillance systems fail, right when you need them, just because you're not using the right drive. Also, using a desktop hard drive or NAS for surveillance will waste the cop's precious time. Have you ever tried scrubbing through days of video while simultaneously recording? I have, and I will tell you it's not fun! Unfortunately, this drive failed after just a couple months of use, but Home Essentials Direct (and Seagate) are good on sticking by the warranty. So 5 stars on that end. I've had good success overall with these Skyhawks in surveillance applications and would use them again.

good but be sure to test your drives before production use

got 4 of these drives and 2 are dead on arrival. RMA process with Adorama was pretty easy however i feel as though the replacements that were sent were just the drives I sent in - the boxes and packaging were already open and when plugging in the drives make the same ticking noise and fail to load. The two that do work though not seeing any issues