VIAHardware's lowdown of IBM GXP hard disk 333 hours of use per month restriction

Arris · Mar 18, 2002

From www.viahardware.com/ibm120gxp.shtm :
The revelation that IBM’s 120GXP line of drives was only rated for 333 hours of usage per month kicked off a storm of controversy and discussion both here at VH and at other websites as well. With little actual data to go on, however, speculation has run rampant and official response has been scarce. VH launched its own investigation into the issue with the goal of examining IBM’s claims regarding the 120GXP’s optimum usage, whether such claims were sufficiently documented, and how consumers may wish to respond to the situation. We’ve organized this article in a question-and-answer format to allow for simpler organization and easier reading, with the questions themselves designed to walk a reader through the situation.

IBM, unfortunately, would not provide additional information or official comment on the 120GXP situation, despite repeated phone calls and requests for data.

I have heard lots about reliability problems with the GXP series of drives but also lots of 3ds members use them and have no problems. This article makes for quite an interesting read and details some of the possible problems.

Several websites (including Tweaktown) have published articles indicating that the 75 (and possibly even the 60 GXP) drives are failing because of excess heat.

Most interestingly they investigated IBM's claim that the information about 333 hours use per month was stated for the whole GXP line...

Has IBM properly disclosed the operating conditions of the GXP line of drives?

The one comment I DID get from IBM when I brought up the 333 hours-per-month operating time restriction on the 120GXP is that this stipulation has, in fact, been present on ALL of the GXP lines. We investigated their claim and found the following:

The restriction is not noted on any of the GXP drives itself.

No documentation was included that mentioned this monthly restriction to purchasers of the GXP line at either the consumer or business level.

No information mentioning the GXP’s recommended hourly rate is discussed in any press release related to any GXP product. Furthermore, the drives are expressly and explicitly targeted to high-end enterprise buyers.

No data about the restriction is present on IBM’s Deskstar homepage.

There IS, in fact, information about the various restrictions present on the specific pages for the drives themselves, but the information is in different places for each drive.

For the 120GXP, the restriction is noted in the two-page “Data Sheet and Specification” document under the “Reliability” section.

Neither the 75GXP nor the 60GXP have the 333 hour-per-month specification mentioned in their own versions of that document, however. The 60GXP lists this setting only in its “Functional Specifications” document—a hefty 195 page engineering-level PDF. The specification in question is located ‘prominently’ on page 50 in a relatively small section. The 75GXP, on the other hand, does not have a “Functional Specification” link and does not mention the limitation on its data sheet either. I was unable, in fact, to even FIND mention of such a limitation for this particular model.

Source from : www.viahardware.com

MrGaribaldi · Mar 18, 2002

Just zap this post, as we should keep the discussion here instead!

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VIAHardware's lowdown of IBM GXP hard disk 333 hours of use per month restriction

Arris TechSpot Evangelist

MrGaribaldi TechSpot Ambassador