1TB recommendation for internal drive

[ldc]

HI,
This question might seem lame but I have spent hours reading online and still feel a need for direct answer.

After realising that my replacement 500GB 7200RPM Seagate drive is failing also after just a year's usage, I want to get a new 1TB internal drive and remove the IDE and SATA drives I have. Basically I want one drive that will be reliable. Of course I know you will tell me to backup my data. I will do that. But I still need suggestions for an internal drive brand that is trustable (I hear WD could be the way). My budget is around 3500 INR.

I am wondering if it's worth going for 5400RPM as it's cheaper and is said to be more reliable. I am planning on having a 50 or 60GB partition for windows 7 ultimate with a HUGE partition for media files and one or two more for possible Linux Ubuntu. All this on one drive with regular daily usage and beginner 3D and 2D graphics designing. Not much into gaming though once in a while I would like to...

PLEASE help me... The pricing on eBay.in seems to be good and your suggestions mostly should be available there.

Specs:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
Biostar A785GE
Kingston 2x2GB RAM DDR2 800MHz
Corsair 450VX

ps: Any Linux gurus would know if using Ubuntu guarantees better HDD life over using Windows?

 

[drevin]

According to the little information available on HDD failure rates, the WD 1TB drives, especially blacks, seem to be among the most reliable. Below you can find statistics from 3 different time periods:

http://www.behardware.com/articles/773-6/components-returns-rates.html

http://www.behardware.com/articles/788-6/components-returns-rates.html

http://www.behardware.com/articles/810-6/components-returns-rates.html

In each case, the WD1001FALS Caviar Black gets the 1st or 2nd spot among 1TB drives, its return rates from the 3 different periods being 0%, 0.7% and 1.35%.

I've been using one for about a year, no problems yet. In comparison, my Spinpoint F1 started developing bad sectors after about 6 months of use.

 

[ldc]

Thanks for the reply. finding it difficult to find a good online source in India to buy this one. Saw it as SATA II on Amazon. Hope this won't be a problem for my MoBo? (Not looking forward to a BIOS update)

The Caviar Green WD10EARS is more easily available. What do you think about that?

 

[d1rtyju1c3]

The Samsung Spinpoint F3 has faster read and write speeds than the WD black and WD green HDDs and is cheaper.

Here is a link to toms HDD charts.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/benchmarks,50.html

 

[ldc]

The Samsung Spinpoint F3 has faster read and write speeds than the WD black and WD green HDDs and is cheaper.

Here is a link to toms HDD charts.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2009-3.5-desktop-hard-drive-charts/benchmarks,50.html

Thanks for the reply. But I just don't want ONLY performance. I want long term reliability too. As per Drevin it's WD Black (or Green?) that's more reliable for long life. What do you think?

 

[d1rtyju1c3]

When it comes to reliability you are going to get mixed feelings. I have had Seagate, WD, and Samsung and I have never had a problem with any of them.

I have had luck with all of them but anything is prone to failure. You will hear people say they had a Samsung that lasted longer than their WD and vice versa. So it is really up to you, What do you feel comfortable with?

 

[deathbydoubleG]

I have WD because, in my opinion, they are more reliable.

the caviar green uses less power and has less performance, and will probably last longer, though, both will last a very long time if you are not unlucky.
black is a higher performance drive, but it also uses more power. you know, if you really want extra hard drive protection, get an uninterrupted power supply (UPS).
any hard drive, as stated earlier, is a possible candidate for failure; luck will be the true decider of the hard drives longevity. when you first receive your HDD, i recommend that you run a few hard drive tests, and if it fails them, send it back for a replacement.

I hope that you are lucky!

 

[ldc]

Thanks guys!!