I need help choosing a hard drive

jblorenz

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Oct 23, 2011
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My new build includes:

i5 3570k
asrock z77 extreme 4
psu 750 corsair
8g ram
gtx 570

I am trying to choose between hard drives, but I need some advice on which one is the best overall:


Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB 2.5 Inch Solid State Hybrid Drive ST95005620AS going from 75.00-85.00

Western Digital Caviar Black WD7502AAEX 750GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 90.00 on newegg

Seagate Momentus ST9750420AS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive 75.00 on newegg

Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB IntelliPower 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 79.00 on newegg


any input would be great. this computer will be used for some gaming, but overall I'm looking for speed and storage capacity.
 
Caviar Black 750. Great reliability and 5-yr warranty. I use two 500GB WD Blacks in my system. Solid performers. As fast as a 7200 RPM drive can be.

Green drives give higher capacity/dollar, but run slower because they're saving power.

I wouldn't run with a hybrid drive as they really haven't caught on and you'll be one of the few customers using this type of drive. This means support will be minimal if you need it.
 

jblorenz

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Yeah I didn't think about those. I prob will go with the black just because its on sale right now and its closer to my budget for a hd. The WD RE4 looks great but is about $20-30 than I want to spend
 
How much space do you need, at least for now?

Considering the current high price of hard drives due to the Thailand floods,
I suggest you consider spending a bit more, and buying a 120gb SSD up front. It will hold the os and 6-10 games.
Unless you will be storing large video files, 120gb may be all you ever need.
A SSD makes everything you do feel so much quicker.
It is 50x faster in random i/o which is what the os does mostly, and 2-3x faster in sequential.

Plan on $1-$1.5 per gb, and prices are dropping. Look for sales.
My preference for reliability would be Samsung 830 or any intel SSD.

Later, if you need more space, hard drive prices will be lower, and you can add a large hard drive for expansion and storage.

If you buy a hard drive, look for a 1tb model. They are a bit faster because they are denser.
Read this report on component return rates.
http://www.behardware.com/articles/843-6/components-returns-rates-5.html
 

jblorenz

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what about this one from newegg

OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
 

eXistenZ

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Where is the Black on sale? How much?

Thanks.


SSD?
First: Reliability
Second: What's on sale
Third: Specs
 
G

Guest

Guest
The ASrock Z77 does support SSD caching. WD Black series with a cheap 64 GB SSD = Goodness!

Check it out if you haven`t already - Intel Rapid Storage Technology
 
The ASrock Z77 does support SSD caching. WD Black series with a cheap 64 GB SSD = Goodness!

Check it out if you haven`t already - Intel Rapid Storage Technology

Better to use that 64gb as a os drive. You then get the faster writes.



You made an unfortunate choice in OCZ for a SSD.
Intel and crucial are more reliable. Both are more reliable than a good hard drive.
I think Samsung may be good too, but I have no hard stats on that.

Also, 1tb hard drives are more reliable than 2tb drives.

Read this somewhat dated article, look at the HDD and SSD sections:
http://www.behardware.com/articles/843-7/components-returns-rates-5.html
 

jblorenz

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Ok so Im trying to follow along in all of this debate and am a bit lost...so should I just get a regular hdd and maybe get 64 bit for the caching or even just get the hdd and wait for some of the ssd prices to drop or a sale to go on a get one for cheap?
 


Forget the 32 or 64 size cache. It matters not.

What you want is a storage solution that meets your needs, at least initially, that also meets your budget.

Storage for an OS and 6-10 games will be about 90gb. If you need more, like for video files, then there is no upper limit.
Let us know if that is the case, and how much you need right away.
A minimal sized 250gb hard drive will cost you about $70.

A 60gb SSD will hold the os and a few games. That is the bare minimum. 80gb or 120gb would be better.
A Samsung 64gb ssd will be $90:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147133
A INtel 330 series 60gb ssd will be the same $90.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167120

They both will have the same amount of useable space, the difference between 60 and 64gb is how they account for space, and how much performance space is allocated.

I suggest Intel or Samsung because they manufacture their own nand chips, and have the ability to control quality and do more extensive testing.
------------------bottom line-----------------
You can buy either in the 120gb size for about $150, and that is what I recommend if your budget permits.
Be alert for sales promotions.
I have never regretted paying a bit more for something good; and sometimes regretted buying cheap.


 

jblorenz

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thanks that helps. My budget is $100; I really don't want to go over that or at stay close to it. I play a couple of strategy games, which actually can eat up some space. I have some pics and music files that I would like to transfer over.

Right now my computer is over five years old and the hdd is only an 80 gb, which actually holds most of my stuff (and a good bit of that stuff is staying on the old build)

but i definitely want a bigger drive than 80 gb and something thats close to hundred