I'm putting together a storage-focused PC using a spare case, motherboard, and some RAM. I'd like to add a disc drive and SD card reader, but new 2 TB drives are more expensive than expected. Would buying preowned hard drives or M.2 SSDs be reasonably safe, and what should I check before using them?
4 Answers
The main concern is reliability rather than malware. As a precaution, completely wipe and reformat a used drive before putting important files on it, and don’t boot an unknown drive directly. For hard drives, check the SMART data and scan for bad sectors. They can last a long time if they have been treated well, but there’s no guarantee.
For either type of drive, the discount should match the risk. A used drive with excellent health might be fine at a modest discount, while one showing heavy use or warning signs should be dramatically cheaper—or skipped entirely.
I’m more cautious with used SSDs because flash storage has a limited write lifespan, and a drive can look fine right up until it fails or switches to read-only mode. Used hard drives are usually easier to evaluate with SMART data and surface scans. Either way, don’t rely on a single preowned drive for anything irreplaceable; parity or a separate backup makes the gamble much safer.
Used SSDs can be worthwhile if the price is low and the drive’s health information looks good in CrystalDiskInfo. Check the total amount of data written, remaining life, power-on hours, and any warning indicators before buying.
That makes sense. I’d mainly be storing replaceable files, so I’ll make sure anything important is backed up elsewhere.