Best Operating System SATA HDD

[pvrbulls]

Assuming that the VelociRaptor is the "best" all around SATA drive on which to install a Windows OS, what would be the next best choice(s)?

I just ordered the components for a new Q9550 + P5Q deluxe system(be here Friday...I hope ) and would like to get a new drive to start fresh with Vista Home Premium. I would love to get the VelociRaptor but, with everything else, the budget just won't seem to allow it.

Right now, along with several smaller/older drives used for storage, I have Win2K on an Hitachi 7K1000 750 GB; also, I have a spare, unused Samsung Spinpoint F1 750 GB that I picked up a couple of months ago on a Newegg special.

What are are your thoughts about a "second best" OS drive?

Thanks,

pvrbulls

 

[Cheex]

Easy question, easy answer...

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS

I own this drive and it is very fast. I give it :thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[supremelaw]

When we had to RMA an aging WD4000YR,
Western Digital was kind enough to send us a
new WD7500AYYS:

WD7500AYYS at Newegg

WD7500AYYS on eSATA


We generally pay the small premium on Western Digital's
RE2 HDDs, because it buys a 5-year factory warranty
(which came in handy when we had to RMA the WD4000YR).

One calculation we do is (Retail Price) / (Warranty Years):
on that dimension, RE2 HDDs are very close to WD's
HDDs with only 3-year warranty.


GOOD LUCK!



Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell, Inventor and
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library

All Rights Reserved without Prejudice

 

[supremelaw]

Quick calculations:

$85 / 3 warranty years = $28.33 per year

$160 / 5 warranty years = $32.00 per year (for slightly more capacity)


Normalize to storage capacity:

2833 / 640 = 4.43

3200 / 750 = 4.27 (smaller is better)


Summary: 5-year warranty can be justified as above.


Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell, Inventor and
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library

All Rights Reserved without Prejudice

 

[mooseracing]

Any of the newer SATA drives with less platters are all close to equal.

The Seagate 250's if going for a small raid setup are great. If you just want a single drive to throw crap on and still be somewhat fast get the 640 or a Samsung F1.

 

[supremelaw]

And, because retail sales personnel may not really appreciate the
real differences between perpendicular and horizontal recording,
HDDs with PMR (perpendicular magnetic recording) are generally
better performers, simply because the data density on each track
is higher per force.

So, be sure to check if the HDD you are considering uses PMR or not:
horizontal magnetic recording is technically obsolete, as of now.

PMR also has a derivative benefit because higher platter densities
can also mean fewer platters to spin, and hence lower energy consumption.


As mooseracing wrote:
"The Seagate 250's if going for a small raid setup are great"
I agree with that statement entirely.

Just remember that the throughput of all HDDs peels off
as the armature reaches closer to the spindle axis; so,
all HDDs will necessarily slow down as they fill up,
assuming that all stored data are equally likely
to be read or written.

On the other hand ...
... if you know a LOT about your working sets,
a powerful third-party defragger should permit you
to prioritize frequently accessed files and folders
at the outermost cylinders, where seek times are
minimal.


I hope this helps.


Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell, Inventor and
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library

All Rights Reserved without Prejudice

 

[pvrbulls]

Thanks everybody.

I think I will order the SE16 WD6400AAKS tomorrow morning. The more I read about the VelociRaptor, the more I want it, so I had better get this over with before I succumb...

 

[solog]

I will be building a new computer soon and think I will go with Western Digital's 1600AAJS. Its cheap (low $40 range most places), very quick and quiet. Nice size for a boot drive also.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136075

 

[supremelaw]

Good choice, solog:

http://www.wdc.com/en/products...riveid=254&language=en

We have eight (8) of the prior version, and they've all been running fine
for several years now, while wired to a HighPoint RocketRAID controller.



Sincerely yours,
/s/ Paul Andrew Mitchell, Inventor and
Webmaster, Supreme Law Library

All Rights Reserved without Prejudice