Seems to be the best price on Amazon since September https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/162678
CamelCamelCamel.
The new firmware in the STBV4000100s turns off or otherwise severely reduces APM (Advanced Power Management) by default, which kept parking the R/W heads excessively.
Whereas the previous generation of Seagate Expansion drives (STx000DM000) had APM aggressively spinning down and parking every few minutes.
Mechanically they are identical otherwise, but this newer firmware may prolong the lifespan of these things.
You can also download Seagate Drive Settings to change sleep time-outs and even toggle the LED on or off.
Also, Seagate's current 3.5" external enclosure is a hard drive oven. Highly recommend using these internally.
Can crack open and use internal?
Sure can. I have two of the previous generation 4TB externals internally connected right now.
Be aware though, if you want to use a 2TB or larger HDD internally on a PC without a UEFI and a non-GPT formatted OS disk, you will need to install a device driver from Seagate (a very painless procedure, but just make sure you do it before moving any data to the new disk).
I'm having trouble selling the 5Tb edition brand new for $200
Under $40 per TB. Good deal.
Was 119 a few says ago…. Only 4 bux us cheaper though…
was 119, now 124
Gone up again to USD 129.93 plus shipping
Approx AU$156.28 at todays rate