The Hitachi/IBM brand of HDD is one of the most reliable brands of HDD out there in the market today.
So far, my other computer HDDs are Western Digital and Hitachi in various sizes. For over 6 years now, the drives have not crashed at all. That's how reliable they are.
As at today's date (7th Mar 2011), the Hitachi Deskstar 7k3000 64mb Cache SATA 3 7200rpm model is one of the fastest 3.5" HDD out in the market. This is due to its 64MB cache. According to other reviewers who have conducted extensive tests, the 64MB cache makes it significantly faster than its predecessor, the Hitachi 7k2000 SATA 2 32MB cache 7200 rpm model.
This drive is very quiet, cool and fast. Using the esata interface, my actual data transfers were about 1.5GB/Min for sata to sata transfers and about 1.2GB/Min for USB (HDD) to this SATA HDD.
I bought this 2TB version because I wanted to add an external HDD to my overall computer setup.
I managed to pair up this HDD with the following HDD enclosure, the Vantec NexStar CX NST-300SU (ASIN: B001TQ2PSO, Item model number: NST-300SU-BK ).
Vantec NexStar CX NST-300SU-BK 3.5-Inch SATA to USB 2.0 and eSATA External Hard Drive Enclosure (Black)
Using this combination, the 2TB is completely and natively recognised by my BIOs and by Windows 7 using the eSata port on my laptop.
There is currently a 2TB technology barrier when it comes to HDDs. So for those who want to play safe, it is better to stick to 2TB for now.
There is a 3TB version of this HDD out there.
However, there is no concrete confirmation that 3TB HDDs can work with the current existing line of HDD enclosures out there, so that is the reason why I chose to get the 2 TB instead.
For those users who are thinking of jumping onto the 3TB HDD bandwagon, there are a few caveats you should be aware of.
Basically, your O/S, Bios and HDD enclosure have to support 3TB HDDs, otherwise you won't see the entire 3TB.
For more details, please Google "hitachi hi capacity tech brief".
The PDF file is very well written and contains all the information you require.
Hope you find this information useful. :)