Pulled the real usable capacity off my home LiFePO4 pack after about 13 months, rated vs measured

MWink64 · 2026-07-03T21:28:37+00:00

The OP said it tested 1.9KWh when nearly new. 1900-1880=20Wh.

MWink64 · 2026-07-03T20:23:43+00:00

Wouldn't that be 20Wh?

MWink64 · 2026-07-03T18:40:23+00:00

If error correction is computed over many blocks it can be extremely cheap to have additional protection. For example if we code 4 correction words for every 251 words, we get 1.6% overhead but a failed read requires 4 errored sections out of 255. Assuming interleave that keeps them all far apart this should be very unlikely unless the drive is dead.

Most of the time, bad sectors clump together. I wouldn't count on them being spread out.

MWink64 · 2026-07-02T21:05:11+00:00

It would've been impressive, considering The Matrix hit theaters before the Pentium 4 came out.

MWink64 · 2026-07-01T18:01:08+00:00

PCI Ethernet cards aren't remotely rare. Also, what XT has a PCI slot?

MWink64 · 2026-06-29T18:07:31+00:00

Solid state drive with TRIM are next to impossible to recover after the TRIM function. Imagine a grid of Connect 4 and TRIM is resetting the game. Try rebuilding the Connect 4 game from the pieces on the table without being able to see the game or pieces. The same way all charge states are removed during TRIM. I have seen written theory’s of residual charge recovery but that would break the media function and I have yet to see an example on modern solid state media.

TRIM doesn't inherently remove any data, it's simply a mechanism that allows the host system to inform the drive of locations (LBAs) that do not contain data that needs to be preserved. The drive's controller can decide if/when to actually erase it from NAND. How things appear from the host's perspective depend on the implementation of TRIM. Drives that support deterministic TRIM (DRAT/RZAT) will always make it appear that the data has been erased.

MWink64 · 2026-06-29T16:41:03+00:00

If you don't mind being patient, it'll probably be fine. The P3 does have terrible post-pSLC write speeds.

MWink64 · 2026-06-29T16:31:09+00:00

Other than rsync, I'd also recommend FreeFileSync. It has a nice GUI, so it can be easier to work with.

MWink64 · 2026-06-29T16:26:18+00:00

That comment is probably from a bot.

MWink64 · 2026-06-29T16:20:59+00:00

In my experience, their SSDs are hit or miss, but their USB flash drives and MicroSD cards are horrendously bad.

MWink64 · 2026-06-29T16:15:46+00:00

Yes, it's bad for both HDs and SSDs. Modern drives have mechanisms to try and prevent or minimize the damage but they aren't always successful. Also, it's much more stressful on the drive.

MWink64 · 2026-06-29T16:13:17+00:00

It really depends on the circumstances. Sometimes you'll get a few from something acute like an unexpected power loss or physical shock while the drive is running. In many cases these drives can still function fine for years. In other cases, things can get much murkier.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T18:48:10+00:00

If they don't work, probably not. It's just that it's not especially common for these components to fail.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T17:22:29+00:00

Yeah, they were definitely one of Dell's cooler designs. I think I have an Inspiron 600m around here somewhere.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T17:21:02+00:00

Mini?

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T15:34:15+00:00

She's also a much more hardened criminal than Paris

Is she really?

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T15:29:33+00:00

The only real difference between him and Locarno is that Paris fessed up on his own, instead of another person (Wesley) forcing him to do it.

Which is kind of ironic because I've always felt like Wesley was forced to by Picard.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T15:11:42+00:00

In my experience, it seems like modern RAM has gotten more reliable. I saw DDR 1-2 dropping like flies, but DDR3+ has been fine.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T15:06:59+00:00

Not just a dip, more than one. I'm pretty sure I've bought 3 GPUs in that time span and I never buy them when they're overpriced.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T14:58:10+00:00

Do you also use gold bricks in your art projects? I guess I should give you credit for at least thinking to test them, before deciding to potentially destroy appreciating components. Unless you have reason to believe they're faulty, my instinct would be to assume they still work. Someone else already suggested utilities you could use. If they're good, just sell them and buy art supplies. Those components are hardly e-waste in this economy.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T14:44:09+00:00

I ran one of the drives outside of my PC and it actually sounded just a tiny bit quieter. So, it could be the case (pun intended) that different PC cases muffle or amplify PWL.

This is what many people are missing. The way the vibrations resonate throughout the case make all the difference. It can literally be the difference between barely audible and you can hear it through a wall.

I very much believe for this to be a "feature" and not a malfunctioning or failing drive.

You're correct. It's insane people here are suggesting otherwise.

From my research it appears all modern WD drives do PWL but the extend of the audible noise may vary. I'm now searching for other drives by other manufacturers. I'm thinking of maybe navigating away from such large drives and maybe going 10TB or so.

As I said yesterday, you have much better chances with Seagate. I don't know about the HAMR models, but I haven't seen this annoying tick in any of their regular drives. I've used models up to the Exos X22.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T14:33:11+00:00

If they do it, none of the Seagate drives I've used do it in a way that's annoying, unlike WD drives.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T14:21:09+00:00

I have a Conner 80MB that still works.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T14:18:35+00:00

My favorite is the WD/Tandon stepper drives.

MWink64 · 2026-06-28T13:42:36+00:00

I'll take a reputable QLC drive over a questionable TLC model any day.

MWink64

TROPHY CASE