tranquility

The author began using personal computers in the early 2000s, starting with a 4.3 GB hard drive and upgrading to larger capacities over time, including a 20 GB, 80 GB, and a 320 GB drive in 2007. By 2009, they acquired a 1 TB Western Digital Caviar Green drive and subsequently added more drives. Data loss incidents, including one involving a 3 TB Western Digital Red drive, emphasized the importance of backing up critical information. Managing multiple hard drives in a gaming PC introduced challenges such as noise, vibration, and cable management, particularly with a maximum of seven hard drives and an SSD. Heat generation from multiple drives raised concerns about optimal operating temperatures, leading the author to prefer lower RPM models for long-term storage. The market for reliable hard drives has become complicated due to rebranded drives, making replacements harder to find. Attempts to transition to a dedicated file server faced difficulties due to rapid drive failures in a standard case without proper dampening.