Explanation of Max HDD size for enclosures

[ginjaninja]

What is it about a 2tb or 3tb or 4 tb+ drive that makes HDD enclosure manufacturers list a max supported size for HDD.
I want to buy an enclosure but not until the limit increases to what HDD size are likely to become in the next few years.
Are manufacturers just playing safe because they cant test disks that do not exist yet or more crucially is there some inherent change at certain disk sizes.
If just playing safe then i will jump in with a manufacturer who typically offers good support/firmware updates; if not then i want to hold off until the next movement happens on HDD sizes. Any ideas when that might be?

 

[Tealc]

As a guess I'd say it's to do with the drive controllers these enclosures use, at least with USB ones anyway.

 

[ginjaninja]

Should have clarified, im looking at 4+ bay esata enclosures.

Why is it necessary to design a controller to stop working after a certain size. Is there not a standard (possibly SATA) which defines how a controller should behave when accessing a sata disk as big as that sata standard is defined for?

i presume sata has a limit way above what is going to actually be used in the forseeable future?

thanks
Nick

 

[DragonQ]

I've never been restricted by the "up to" sizes. I've got 3 externals that were all rated "up to 500 GB" working with 1.5 TB drives.

I'd guess it's just the maximum size they've tested and they quote it so they can't get sued if you try to put a newer, higher-capacity and hotter-running drive in them and then they explode.

 

[ginjaninja]

thanks
decided to go with disks direct to controller/hba without an enclosure in the way, to be sure of no restriction.