by 4 reviews.
Toshiba MQ01ABD100 1TB 2.5" Internal Hard Drive Review: Affordable Storage with Mixed Results
When it comes to upgrading or replacing a hard drive, the Toshiba MQ01ABD100 1TB 2.5" Internal Hard Drive is a popular choice for those seeking a balance of affordability, reliability, and performance. Designed for desktops and compatible with laptops, this mechanical hard drive offers a 1TB capacity, 5400 RPM rotational speed, and 8MB cache, making it suitable for everyday computing tasks. But how does it hold up in real-world use? Let’s dive into the pros and cons based on customer experiences.
Pros and Cons of the Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Affordability and Value
One of the standout features of this hard drive is its price. Many customers praised its affordability, especially when compared to other drives with similar capacity.
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Pros
- "The price was a no-brainer. I don’t need 1TB of capacity, but for the price, it’s hard to pass up."
- "Really affordable and works well. Perfect fit for my Xbox One after its old hard drive died."
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Cons
- While the price is attractive, some users noted that cheaper drives might come with trade-offs in durability or performance.
Performance and Usability
The Toshiba MQ01ABD100 is designed for everyday tasks, and most users found it to be reliable for their needs.
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Pros
- "Works great in my MacBook Pro. It’s faster than my old 500GB OEM drive, and the 1TB capacity is a huge upgrade."
- "Easy to install and works perfectly in my old HP laptop. It’s quiet and does exactly what I need for my 3D printer setup."
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Cons
- Some users reported that the drive is slower compared to SSDs, which is expected given its mechanical nature.
- "It’s slow, but I didn’t expect anything special. It does the job for basic tasks."
Durability and Longevity
Durability is a mixed bag for this hard drive. While many users had positive experiences, others faced issues with premature failure.
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Pros
- "It’s been reliable and functioning splendidly since I installed it in my old laptop. Great value for the price."
- "No issues so far. It’s quiet and works as expected."
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Cons
- "The drive died after 105 days. Completely unacceptable, even for the cheap price."
- "I suspect the manufacturing date (January 2018) might have contributed to its short lifespan. I’m testing a second one now."
Ease of Installation
For those comfortable with DIY upgrades, the Toshiba MQ01ABD100 is straightforward to install.
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Pros
- "Fit exactly in my HP laptop. Easy to install, and it works great."
- "The swap took less than 10 minutes. Don’t pay someone else to do it—it’s simple!"
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Cons
- No significant complaints here, though beginners might need to watch a few tutorials to feel confident.
Final Verdict
The Toshiba MQ01ABD100 1TB 2.5" Internal Hard Drive is a solid choice for budget-conscious users looking to upgrade or replace their storage. Its affordability, quiet operation, and compatibility with a wide range of devices make it a popular option. However, its durability is a point of concern, as some users experienced premature failures.
If you’re looking for a reliable and cost-effective solution for basic storage needs, this drive is worth considering. However, if durability is a top priority, you might want to explore other options or invest in a backup solution.
Overall, the Toshiba MQ01ABD100 delivers excellent value for its price, but it’s essential to weigh the potential trade-offs before making a purchase.
Specification Toshiba MQ01ABD 1 TB 2.5" Internal Hard Drive MQ01ABD100:
Comments from Amazon:
My xbox one hard drive died after 9 years so I got this one and it works well no issues, perfect fit. Really affordable too,quiet ,everything as expected
I had an old laptop that wasn't getting used anymore, I wanted to use it as something dedicated for my 3d printer set up. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on anything, especially since I already had an old computer. I powered it on and of course it wouldn't give me anything. I did a little troubleshooting and watched some YouTube videos and found the easy fix was a new hard drive. I ordered this, it came fast, and it was a great price, now my computer works again. Of course, it is slow, but I didn't want anything special, and this hard drive does exactly what I wanted from it. I would buy another one if needed in the future.
Used it to replace my old hard drive in my HP. Fit exactly, easy to install, and works good.
Pros: - Worked at install time. - Item received matched description. Cons: - Died after 105 days. I give it 1 star for being a working drive when received. 105 day runtime is completely unacceptable regardless of the cheap price. Drive was installed in stable environment. Not subject to excessive vibration. Operating temperatures average 40 degrees. Clean steady power from good quality UPS. No excuse for the incredibly short lifespan of this drive. Could be that I just had bad luck and got a rare bad one. I did order another of the same as a backup which is running now. Time will tell if this second one performs better. I do think it is suspect that I purchased this drive in December of 2023 and the manufacture date on the drive is January 2018.
This HDD works great in my MacBook Pro. While most people covet SSDs, I want the large capacity of SATA drives and this 1TB 2.5" HDD fits the bill (it's a true 1TB drive with 999.86GB of usable space AFTER formatting ... in the past I've bought 500GB drives that barely gave me 470GB of space and other 1TB drives that gave me 975GB or less of space). The process: (1) I used the cloning software SuperDuper! to make a [bootable] copy of the HDD on a Mercury Firewire Drive. That's the longest part of the operation. (2) I rebooted the Firewire as the start-up disk to make sure it was bootable - and indeed it was. (3) I shutdown the MacBook Pro, removed the bottom screws (a couple of minutes), and once the cover is off there are only two screws to remove (a retaining bar) that allows you to remove the HDD. A quick swap, screw the bottom enclosure back on, boot-up and you're good-to-go. (4) Next thing: just copy your bootable backup to this new Toshiba (much quicker, about 33% of the time, than the initial back-up). Once completed, just shutdown and reboot without the Firewire Drive connected. The actual swapping of the HDD took less than 10-minutes (don't be afraid to do it yourself - don't pay someone else over $100 to do it for you). My old HDD was about 63% full - so maybe that's the reason - but this drive operates a bit faster than the OEM 500GB that I took out of it (no, I did not benchmark it but the speed increase is obvious). In summary, this SATA works great, was an easy replacement in my MacBook Pro, and the cost-vs.-capacity makes this a great "value" purchase.
I really don't need 1 tb of capacity, but the price was a no brainer. In that regard, it makes a lot of sense to me. There are offers for hard drives of less than half the capacity of this one, selling for much more. I'm pleased with this purchase and has been working flawlessly since I installed it. Again, the price is right!
I ordered this product to replace a failed hard drive in my old HP 14t-j000 Envy laptop from like 2013. I could have just scrapped the old laptop for cash and got a new one but I wanted to fix it because it held a special place in my autistic heart and love for inanimate objects. So I bought this cheap harddrive instead because I like a good deal. So far, it's been reliable and functioning splendidly. I'm impressed with the price range as well, very affordable. So far so good!