2 x 2TB vs 1 x 4TB as storage. No Raid.

[Adrian Ocampo]

Hi All,

Just want to ask. Which is much better?
2 x 2TB WD Caviar Green?
1 x 4TB WD Caviar Green?

For Storage only? No need for mirroring, backups. Just storage of data. Thanks.

 

[ss202sl]

If you lose 1 drive, you only lose 1/2 the data. Other than that, there really isn't much difference.

A better solution might be a 1TB faster drive(WD Black), and a 3TB green. Then put the OS, and applications on the 1TB drive, and all your data on the 3TB drive. Then you would only need to backup the 3TB data drive since there is no data on the 1TB drive.

 

[Guest]

Hi All,

Just want to ask. Which is much better?
2 x 2TB WD Caviar Green?
1 x 4TB WD Caviar Green?

For Storage only? No need for mirroring, backups. Just storage of data. Thanks.

Two drives take more space and generates a bit more heat inside your casing. Also the second drive takes up an extra SATA port on your mobo and an extra power cable from the PSU. But, at the same time, in case of a drive failure you only lose half your data. If the added requirements of a second drive are not a problem then 2x2TB would be a more logical choice over 1x4TB.

 

[geofelt]

A single 4tb drive should cost less than two 2tb drives.

But, I think larger 4tb drives will be slightly less reliable than 2tb drives.

If you will be accessing the drive or both at the same time, there will be less access arm contention with 2.

 

[Adrian Ocampo]

If you lose 1 drive, you only lose 1/2 the data. Other than that, there really isn't much difference.

A better solution might be a 1TB faster drive(WD Black), and a 3TB green. Then put the OS, and applications on the 1TB drive, and all your data on the 3TB drive. Then you would only need to backup the 3TB data drive since there is no data on the 1TB drive.

I have 250gb ssd for my os already. Again just for storage.

 

[Adrian Ocampo]

Hi All,

Just want to ask. Which is much better?
2 x 2TB WD Caviar Green?
1 x 4TB WD Caviar Green?

For Storage only? No need for mirroring, backups. Just storage of data. Thanks.

Two drives take more space and generates a bit more heat inside your casing. Also the second drive takes up an extra SATA port on your mobo and an extra power cable from the PSU. But, at the same time, in case of a drive failure you only lose half your data. If the added requirements of a second drive are not a problem then 2x2TB would be a more logical choice over 1x4TB.

Yeap, i have 4 more spare sata 3 ports and some sata power. So 2 x 2tb right?

 

[Adrian Ocampo]

A single 4tb drive should cost less than two 2tb drives.

But, I think larger 4tb drives will be slightly less reliable than 2tb drives.

If you will be accessing the drive or both at the same time, there will be less access arm contention with 2.

Access arm contention. Please elaborate

 

[geofelt]

A single 4tb drive should cost less than two 2tb drives.

But, I think larger 4tb drives will be slightly less reliable than 2tb drives.

If you will be accessing the drive or both at the same time, there will be less access arm contention with 2.

Access arm contention. Please elaborate

To answer your question, imagine that you are copying or backing up one file to another.
You must read a block from one and then write it to the other.
If both files are on separate drives, the access arm will stay positioned in the same place on each drive.

If both files are on the same drive, the access arm must be constantly repositioned from one to another section of the same hard drive. This motion takes a relatively long time and will easily double the time to do the job.

 

[Hawkeye22]

Without a backup plan, I'd prefer not to keep all my eggs in one basket, so 2 x 2TB.

 

[JPNpower]

Yes, all is down to security and price as all the above people have said.

What is your backup solution if any?
BTW, external hard drives are sometimes cheaper than internal hard drives, and if you are only using it for data storage, that may be the better choice. Also, external drives won't die if something explodes inside your computer, like a PSU voltage shock or GPU cap explosion IDK. Anyway, if it is for backup and/or data, it is recommended that you go external.

 

[popatim]

your motherbd may not support 4tb drives so dual 2TB drives get my vote as well.

 

[Adrian Ocampo]

Yes, all is down to security and price as all the above people have said.

What is your backup solution if any?
BTW, external hard drives are sometimes cheaper than internal hard drives, and if you are only using it for data storage, that may be the better choice. Also, external drives won't die if something explodes inside your computer, like a PSU voltage shock or GPU cap explosion IDK. Anyway, if it is for backup and/or data, it is recommended that you go external.

Wouldnt external hard drive be more prone to shaking and or damage than internal ones?

 

[Adrian Ocampo]

your motherbd may not support 4tb drives so dual 2TB drives get my vote as well.

Im using Asus Crosshair V Formula Z 990FX. Does that support 4tb?

 

[Adrian Ocampo]

Without a backup plan, I'd prefer not to keep all my eggs in one basket, so 2 x 2TB.

I see where you are going with that.

Quick question.
Is power consumption of 2x2tb same with 1x4tb? or obviously no?

 

[JPNpower]

Would externals be more prone to shaking and shock? Depends. First off, the drives are secured rather well inside their enclosures that they are sold in. Second, the drives may be spinning disks, but they aren't going to break from a few shakes. Third, if you keep the drive securely placed on a solid flat surface or put away in a secure location, there won't be shocks that you'll need to be careful for. By the way, if a computer virus or a power disaster wipes out your PC's data, all your data on the 2X2/4 TB drives are gone as well. So much for backups eh?

Also, in terms of risk, consider this simplified explanation. The numbers are selected purely for simple mathematical explanations, and do not reflect any reality.

Consider the probability of a drive failure to be 30% for 2TB drives and 40% for 4TB drives.

The Probability (P) of losing all data in the 4TB setup is 40%
The P of losing all data in the 2TB setup is 9%
Thus, the guys above recommended the 2TB setup.
However, the P of losing ANY data in the 2TB setup is 51%
While the P of losing ANY data in the 4TB setup is still 40%

In other words, both setups have their own strong points and their drawbacks.

 

[Adrian Ocampo]

Would externals be more prone to shaking and shock? Depends. First off, the drives are secured rather well inside their enclosures that they are sold in. Second, the drives may be spinning disks, but they aren't going to break from a few shakes. Third, if you keep the drive securely placed on a solid flat surface or put away in a secure location, there won't be shocks that you'll need to be careful for. By the way, if a computer virus or a power disaster wipes out your PC's data, all your data on the 2X2/4 TB drives are gone as well. So much for backups eh?

Also, in terms of risk, consider this simplified explanation. The numbers are selected purely for simple mathematical explanations, and do not reflect any reality.

Consider the probability of a drive failure to be 30% for 2TB drives and 40% for 4TB drives.

The Probability (P) of losing all data in the 4TB setup is 40%
The P of losing all data in the 2TB setup is 9%
Thus, the guys above recommended the 2TB setup.
However, the P of losing ANY data in the 2TB setup is 51%
While the P of losing ANY data in the 4TB setup is still 40%

In other words, both setups have their own strong points and their drawbacks.

Still dont knwo what to chooose =)))).

 

[JPNpower]

Alright then lets start from the beginning. Please answer all these questions carfully.

1) What do you want it for? what kind of data?
2) Do you have a backup solution?
3) If not, do you even want a backup solution?
4) What other internal drives do you have, and for what?

 

[popatim]

Im using Asus Crosshair V Formula Z 990FX. Does that support 4tb?

It Does, yes.

Quick question.
Is power consumption of 2x2tb same with 1x4tb? or obviously no?

Nope, its approxiately double the power usage for having dual drives though that should not be of great concern. If you left a spinning HDD running it would take about 400hrs before it would use about 1kw of power (ie - about 15 cents of power). A green drive uses about 3w and a regular 7200 rpm about 5w.

Lastly, important data should never be stored on just 1 device. Having more than 1 copy is the only way to survive drive failure and all drives die sooner or later. Having these extra copies stored on an unpowered device is the recommended way to have it backed up. That a way a nearby power surge cant destroy it like it would if it were in your pc.