New HDD Advice

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  1. Posts : 291
    Vista/Windows 7
       #1

    New HDD Advice


    As my order of windows 7 will arrive at the end of October I was thinking of getting a new HDD as the one I currently have is quite a few years old now and recently has been making strange noises...it almost sounds like its vibrating and screeching

    Anyway I have never bought an internal HDD before so I am wondering what do I need to look out for? I don't want to spend a fortune and was looking at anything around 250gb -500gb storage size. As long as the performance and reliability is good I don't mind paying a little extra :)

    Can anyone give me a little advice please?

    Thanks all :)
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  2. Posts : 166
    Windows Se7en Ultimate x64
       #2

    Ahhh the question of the moment


    Ahhh, the question of the moment, Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive (SSD)? Prices on HDD will be dropping over the next 6 month to a year as more and more people transfer to SSD.

    If you are an early adopter with technology then SSD would be your choice, as I don't have mucho deniro at the moment haven't invesitagted these yet but as far as HDDs go you can't go far wrong with one of Samsung's SpinPoint Series of HDDs. I have a 500GB F1, they have just released and F3 version. Samsung SpinPoint HDD's have received good reviews.

    Providing your system will take it you should be looking at a SATA drive as opposed to an IDE drive. You ideally want a SATA II HDD as this is the newish standard.

    If you want speed and don't want silence, I understand the drives make a bit of noise, then you could go for a Western Digital Raptor or Western Digital VelociRaptor HDD. These spin at 10000rpm as opposed to 7500rpm which most new HDD's which spin at, making there seek and write times quicker.

    Hope this helps.
    Last edited by Bellerophon; 04 Oct 2009 at 06:31. Reason: upd
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  3. Posts : 4,925
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #3

    You really want to get one with 32mb buffer. Also are you a gamer? If so avoid the green ones, if not go for them!
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  4. Posts : 166
    Windows Se7en Ultimate x64
       #4

    Green


    swarfega said:
    You really want to get one with 32mb buffer. Also are you a gamer? If so avoid the green ones, if not go for them!
    These are good but slower than conventional drives, and gaming is not the only reason to have a speedy drive, graphic design, programming etc

    It it were me I would get a Samsung SpinPoint F3 Desktop Class 500 GB Internal hard drive - 300 MBps - 7200 rpm, it's just come out, only has a 16MB cache but one hell of a good price @ £35-40 assuming you are in the UK (couldn't tell as you id doesn't have your location)
    Last edited by Bellerophon; 04 Oct 2009 at 06:39. Reason: add info
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  5. Posts : 79
    Win7 RTM, XP Pro, Arch Linux, Puppy (Quad boot)
       #5

    Just get a WD Caviar Black (640GB, 750GB or 1TB) and be done with it. My 1TB Caviar Black data drive almost outperforms my Velociraptor 10K RPM drive, it's that good!
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  6. Posts : 2,036
    Windows 7 Professional x64
       #6

    It all depends on $$. I have two Western Digital Blue 640GB drives and love them. These are only $55-70 depending on where you get them. They are fine drives.

    I also have a Patriot 128GB SSD. These are $350-400 and they are extremely nice. If you get one you have to do some research but they are worth the $$ in my opinion. I have used an SSD for about 3-4 months it spoils you. You will never want to go back.

    That said, it's a hard time for SSDs with the regular HD being so inexpensive. These WD 640GB drive are pretty nice for $65 (that's what I paid for mine)
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  7. Posts : 4,925
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #7

    Bellerophon said:
    swarfega said:
    You really want to get one with 32mb buffer. Also are you a gamer? If so avoid the green ones, if not go for them!
    These are good but slower than conventional drives, and gaming is not the only reason to have a speedy drive, graphic design, programming etc

    It it were me I would get a Samsung SpinPoint F3 Desktop Class 500 GB Internal hard drive - 300 MBps - 7200 rpm, it's just come out, only has a 16MB cache but one hell of a good price @ £35-40 assuming you are in the UK (couldn't tell as you id doesn't have your location)
    The Samsung SpinPoint F1 1Tb is only £10 more
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  8. Posts : 166
    Windows Se7en Ultimate x64
       #8

    PC Pro WD Caviar Black Review


    I also have a WD Caviar 500GB but decided to go with the SpinPoint after reading the reviews for it when I added a new drive.

    gforce23 said:
    Just get a WD Caviar Black (640GB, 750GB or 1TB) and be done with it. My 1TB Caviar Black data drive almost outperforms my Velociraptor 10K RPM drive, it's that good!

    PC Pro WD Caviar Black Review
    Caviar Black is Western Digital's new high-end brand, and the company clearly believes its new 1TB 3.5in hard disk is a killer drive. With three 334GB platters and a large 32MB cache, it promises a full terabyte of storage and super-fast data transfer.
    Regular readers may be experiencing a certain sensation of déją vu, because the Samsung Spinpoint F DT, already sitting pretty on our A List, offers precisely the same specifications. So if you're in the market for a drive like this, the question boils down to what the Western Digital offers that the Samsung doesn't.
    Our tests revealed that the answer isn't speed. That's not to say the WD is a slouch: its peak read speed of 115MB/sec at the outer edge of the platter is among the fastest we've seen. But the Samsung still nudges ahead, with a maximum rate of 124MB/sec.
    It's the same story with burst speed: against most drives, the WD's 225MB/sec would make it a winner. But the Samsung once again pips it to the post, managing 236MB/sec.
    In terms of power, there was nothing to choose between the drives - both added a pleasingly low average of 7W to our system's total power consumption when idle.
    And acoustically we're bound to say we preferred the Samsung. The Western Digital may have been no louder when idle, but while the Samsung's seek noise was almost imperceptible, the Western Digital made an audible metallic clicking, like a spider scuttling across the platter.
    There is one area where the Caviar Black convincingly bests the Spinpoint: it comes with a five-year warranty, as opposed to the three-year deal offered by Samsung. If you're looking for maximum reliability, that could be a reason to pick the Western Digital.
    But that lone advantage doesn't come cheaply. While the Spinpoint can be had online for £76 exc VAT, right now the Caviar Black will set you back at least £100.
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  9. Posts : 166
    Windows Se7en Ultimate x64
       #9

    swarfega said:

    The Samsung SpinPoint F1 1Tb is only £10 more
    Yep that's usually the case for what seems a lot more bang for your buck. The F3 is about £10-15 extra looking at google shopping.
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  10. Posts : 12,177
    Windows 7 Ult x64 - SP1/ Windows 8 Pro x64
       #10

    burtie said:
    As my order of windows 7 will arrive at the end of October I was thinking of getting a new HDD as the one I currently have is quite a few years old now and recently has been making strange noises...it almost sounds like its vibrating and screeching

    Anyway I have never bought an internal HDD before so I am wondering what do I need to look out for? I don't want to spend a fortune and was looking at anything around 250gb -500gb storage size. As long as the performance and reliability is good I don't mind paying a little extra :)

    Can anyone give me a little advice please?

    Thanks all :)
    If you could fill out your specs, we could give you a better answer rather than a guess :)

    Find out if you have an IDE or SATA HDD, this will be where to start.
    Depending on what you use your computer for, 250 - 500GB can be found for very reasonable prices.

    As mentioned get SATA II if your computer allows, a 32mb buffer, unless you have a laptop then at least 16 mb, haven't seen any 2 1/2" laptop HD with 32mb buffer.

    If you have an OEM computer, go to their website and put in your computer details and they will recommend a hard drive for you. Use these specs to shop around and get the best price.

    Seagate, Western Digital, Samsung are good brands. For better speed get at least 7200 RPM.
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