Yes. $30-$50 each. Multiply that by 60 or 90 and multiply that by (however many you put in a rack).
That adds up to five figure premiums on drives we're going to burn in anyway.
We know how to read an HCL - it's not rocket science.
Even if reading hcl were rocket science a more validating vendor would preserve buyer self determination
Ok 60X50 is 3K even with extra 3K Supermicro is still a lot cheeper
When drives are never replaced, yes. In the case where the chassis lasts longer than the drives (which I'd imagine is often), extra cost in drives adds up.