HD choices

Neshi · Dec 23, 2007, 01:50 PM

So I got this 200gb IDE, which is my system disk, so windows and all important stuff (drivers, windows things) are installed here.
I'd like to replace this HD with a sata disk, but I haven't got the faintest idea to which brand i have to turn to to get the best disk possible.
I'm not sure whether i should go for a 10.000 rpm disk or a regular 7.200 rpm either. Can anyone advise my about this?

another question...
I'd like to replace the stock cooler on my x1950xt, as it is making alot of noise when i turn it to full speed. I had a zalman cooler on my old card, but I'm not sure whether that's a good choice on this card, because the zalman doesn't blow the air out of the case. And that's exactly what the stock cooler does. What cooler should i go for, or is the stock good enough?
the card gets ~70-75 when under full load. Is that still acceptable?

cozumel · Dec 23, 2007, 02:15 PM

On the hdd side of things have a look at all the reviews of the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11. Here are a few:
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200.11 Hard Drive :: TweakTown
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 Review - hosted by Neoseeker
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB Hard Disk - HotHardware
Appears to be a good piece of kit.

I can't comment on your temps for the 1950xt as I don't what is good or bad.

Neshi · Dec 23, 2007, 02:22 PM

but isnt 1TB abit too much..
ah well.. it means i'm future proof, storage wise.
But isn't it better to have a separate disk for windows, instead of a separate partition?

cozumel · Dec 23, 2007, 02:27 PM

They do also have a 7200.11 500GB model but these reviewers always review the biggest and best!!!

Edit: And now I have read you posts properly you're asking for a disk purely for windows and drivers yeah? In that case the 7200.10 range come in 160GB & 250GB sizes too and with 16MB cache.

Neshi · Dec 23, 2007, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cozumel

They do also have a 7200.11 500GB model but these reviewers always review the biggest and best!!!

Edit: And now I have read you posts properly you're asking for a disk purely for windows and drivers yeah? In that case the 7200.10 range come in 160GB & 250GB sizes too and with 16MB cache.

I think I'm gonna go for the ST3320620AS. I already got 2 of these in a Raid, and i'm pretty pleased with them. for 70 euro's it's a nice christmas present for myself

cozumel · Dec 23, 2007, 03:05 PM

Get the SATA. 1) Faster speed. 2) Lower voltage for data transfer i think, meaning more efficiency, less drain on the PSU and less overall heat in the system. 3) Also the cabling is better as the cables are smaller and will probably allow better airflow in you case. It's a kinda win-win scenario methinks.

Neshi · Dec 23, 2007, 03:21 PM

isn't the ST3320620AS a sata? i thought it is?
but the things you pointed out were the reasons why i wanted to replace the IDE disk i had.

And i just found out that the 2 disks i have are not in a Raid 0 configuration.
I somehow joined the two of them together in a striped config, but when i check my device manager it isn't mentioned under raid controller.
im confused..

I guess i'll be doing a whole new cleanup this christmas.
order the new disk, format everything.. re-wire my whole pc, as well as fitting in a new fan.
fresh install of windows and setting up the raid. is it wise to do a dualboot with vista? Am i gonna need Vista in the near future?

cozumel · Dec 23, 2007, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neshi

isn't the ST3320620AS a sata?

Yes it is SATA. You edited your post before I finished sending my last one. The model you have chosen is the 320GB 7200.10 SATA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neshi

is it wise to do a dualboot with vista? Am i gonna need Vista in the near future?

Others here will give you a better answer than me. But you need to answer some questions first before they can help. Why do you want RAID (what do you need it for). Why are you dual booting? What do you currently use your system for and with which programs? What are your future plans and potential uses for your rig? Only when you have answered these questions can anyone help with yours.

Neshi · Dec 23, 2007, 04:04 PM

What I understand from RAID is, it's faster, it joins 2 disk to 1.
Atm i have 1 IDE for windows, and 2 sata for all other stuff.. games, documents, music.
I want to replace the IDE with a Sata for windows. So i will get 1 disk for windows, and 2 other disks in a RAID for the rest of the stuff..

I was wondering if it was smart to set up a dual boot. As in the future Vista will become standard (like xp is kinda like now), i could set it up now as i'm busy already.
but at the moment i have no use for vista at all.. so i guess i wont do a dual boot anyway.. as i said, i was just wondering.
I use my system for everyday stuff.. schoolwork, games, music... and it won't really change in the future.

So back to my original question. A Seagate sata disk would be the best choice?

Tipstaff · Dec 23, 2007, 04:17 PM

Just a friendly warning: don't buy any Seagate drives under 250GB in size. Why? The new drives that are under 250GB are not the best drives when compared to their older and bigger siblings. The new drives are thinner, which is not a bad thing, but they don't perform as well as other drives, are loud some times, and don't last as long. If you buy a Seagate drive start your search at 250GB, and go up from there. If you want Seagates best drives, look for their ES line (also known as their Enterprise line).

Others to look at: Western Digitals RE line (these are RAID drives, but the good thing about them is they have a better warranty, and WD has used better components on them, so they last longer.... or so they say), and for cheap drives you might want to consider Hitachi. In my business I've switched from using Seagate for lower end drives (size wise) to using Hitachi. They're quieter, warranty is just as good, and honestly, so far I've yet to return one (going on a year now that I've been selling them).

Stay away from Maxtor (or low end Seagate since these are made in the crappy Maxtor plants) and Samsung.

cozumel · Dec 23, 2007, 04:21 PM

Okay. To clarify. A striped array is RAID 0 whilst a mirrored array is RAID 1 so I'm a bit confused about exactly what you are saying in post #7.

A striped array RAID 0 is where two or more disks are used to write data that is broken into fragments and then written into to two or more drives simultaneously. There is no fault tolerance with this type and I hope that you have a backup drive in case of one HDD failure as otherwise all data will be lost.
A mirrored array RAID 1 is where two or more disks contain a mirrored image of each other. IE When a disk is written to a mirrored copy of the data is written simultaneously to the mirrored drive. This is slower but has higher fault tolerance

And to answer your question, if you only want the seagate for windows and drivers then the 160GB will be more than enough. Edit: but having read Tipstaffs comments above then you should have 250GB

I will let others answer the questions on dual boot...

Neshi · Dec 23, 2007, 04:40 PM

i don't want a seagate per se.
As you mentioned seagate after my first post i assumed that would be the best to get.

As for the raid. I don't know what i did with those two disks. I got them in a striped array, but haven't really set up a raid, as HD Tune doesn't detect them as RAID. he just sees them as 2 separate disks.
I don't have a backup for if one of my disks fails, i just hope they won't.
I will format them and set up a real RAID 0 after I ordered my windows disk..

Just disregard my silly question about the dualboot... I don't like the lay-out in Vista and don't think i'll get it till i really have no other choice.

I will look around a little more for the hard drive, but as there are so many to choose from, I am hesitant of choosing one, afraid to find out later that I have chosen the wrong one..
What hard drive would you choose if you had to choose one for Windows, and could spend about $150?

cozumel · Dec 23, 2007, 04:49 PM

The one that I have lol...

...which is the Seagate 7200.10 lol!!

Coincidence huh? I really like it though. Is quiet and fast compared to my old drive.

Here is a review of the Caviar 160GB from Anandtech:
AnandTech: Western Digital WD1600AAJS: 160GB Served on Single Platter

Judas · Dec 23, 2007, 05:50 PM

The Seagate 320gb 7200.10's are excellent.

the segate 500gb 7200.11's are excellent as well.

I'm using 6 of the 500gb 7200.11's in raid 0 right now.... performance is well... insane.....

I definitely wouldn't get anything smaller then the 320gb 7200.11's

Programs are starting to get massive, everything is being crammed onto the compressed DVD image... and expanded to 2-6 times it's size... And we are only getting started to.

Neshi · Dec 23, 2007, 06:16 PM

tempted to get 2x 500gb 7200.11 for a raid 0
is it possible to set up 2x raid 0? so i will have the 2x 320gb and 2x 500gb in a raid.
Installing windows on the 2x 320gb, with a partition of like 20gb, and having the rest for games and documents, while my movies/music are on the 2x 500gb.
that a good idea? or is it better to have a real separate drive for windows, or doesn't it really matter...

cozumel · Dec 23, 2007, 06:32 PM

Just want to stress this again and then I will never say it again. Really importnt to have a backup. Just imagine having an array of all your family photos, music and video collection. If one disk fails the whole array goes down and all data is lost and irretrievable.

Consider using your existing IDE drive as an internal backup for your video/music/documents/photos if you go the backup route. I've just had so many people saying how they've lost their stuff and are upset when using RAID 0 (I am one of them and now I have an external back-up lol. Learnt the hard way)

**kris23** · Dec 23, 2007, 07:10 PM

go with the 500Gb 7200.11s good powerful drives in RAID 0

cheaper per GB than other 500GB seagate models.

faster transfers than Raptors, seek time a bit slower than raptors

overall features to dollar: insane

Judas · Dec 23, 2007, 07:23 PM

I use an external seagate Freeagent 500gb USB drive for all my important stuff.

i've yet to have a hardrive fail on me in raid 0...

and yes most raid controller will allow you to raid multiple drives in multiple raid arrays....

the intel matrix controllers will actually let you raid an array, and then split the single array into 2 smaller paritions of your wishing.

just a fyi.

this is the performance of a raid 0 array with 6 of the 500gb seagate 7200.11's

notice the seek time...

Neshi · Dec 23, 2007, 07:33 PM

just ordered two of those seagates. so for a long time, i'm all set with storage issues.
thanks for all the help!

and like Judas, i haven't experienced a single hdd that failed on me either.
And btw, for all important stuff i got a external harddrive too.. also kind of used for movies to take with me to friends and such..

Dec 23, 2007, 01:50 PM	#1
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	HD choices So I got this 200gb IDE, which is my system disk, so windows and all important stuff (drivers, windows things) are installed here. I'd like to replace this HD with a sata disk, but I haven't got the faintest idea to which brand i have to turn to to get the best disk possible. I'm not sure whether i should go for a 10.000 rpm disk or a regular 7.200 rpm either. Can anyone advise my about this? another question... I'd like to replace the stock cooler on my x1950xt, as it is making alot of noise when i turn it to full speed. I had a zalman cooler on my old card, but I'm not sure whether that's a good choice on this card, because the zalman doesn't blow the air out of the case. And that's exactly what the stock cooler does. What cooler should i go for, or is the stock good enough? the card gets ~70-75 when under full load. Is that still acceptable? __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Dec 23, 2007, 02:15 PM	#2
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	On the hdd side of things have a look at all the reviews of the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11. Here are a few: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200.11 Hard Drive :: TweakTown Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 Review - hosted by Neoseeker Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB Hard Disk - HotHardware Appears to be a good piece of kit. I can't comment on your temps for the 1950xt as I don't what is good or bad. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Dec 23, 2007, 02:22 PM	Thread Starter #3
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	but isnt 1TB abit too much.. ah well.. it means i'm future proof, storage wise. But isn't it better to have a separate disk for windows, instead of a separate partition? __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Dec 23, 2007, 02:27 PM	#4
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	They do also have a 7200.11 500GB model but these reviewers always review the biggest and best!!! Edit: And now I have read you posts properly you're asking for a disk purely for windows and drivers yeah? In that case the 7200.10 range come in 160GB & 250GB sizes too and with 16MB cache. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks Last edited by cozumel; Dec 23, 2007 at 02:34 PM.

Dec 23, 2007, 03:05 PM	#6
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	Get the SATA. 1) Faster speed. 2) Lower voltage for data transfer i think, meaning more efficiency, less drain on the PSU and less overall heat in the system. 3) Also the cabling is better as the cables are smaller and will probably allow better airflow in you case. It's a kinda win-win scenario methinks. __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Dec 23, 2007, 03:21 PM	Thread Starter #7
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	isn't the ST3320620AS a sata? i thought it is? but the things you pointed out were the reasons why i wanted to replace the IDE disk i had. And i just found out that the 2 disks i have are not in a Raid 0 configuration. I somehow joined the two of them together in a striped config, but when i check my device manager it isn't mentioned under raid controller. im confused.. I guess i'll be doing a whole new cleanup this christmas. order the new disk, format everything.. re-wire my whole pc, as well as fitting in a new fan. fresh install of windows and setting up the raid. is it wise to do a dualboot with vista? Am i gonna need Vista in the near future? __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Dec 23, 2007, 04:04 PM	Thread Starter #9
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	What I understand from RAID is, it's faster, it joins 2 disk to 1. Atm i have 1 IDE for windows, and 2 sata for all other stuff.. games, documents, music. I want to replace the IDE with a Sata for windows. So i will get 1 disk for windows, and 2 other disks in a RAID for the rest of the stuff.. I was wondering if it was smart to set up a dual boot. As in the future Vista will become standard (like xp is kinda like now), i could set it up now as i'm busy already. but at the moment i have no use for vista at all.. so i guess i wont do a dual boot anyway.. as i said, i was just wondering. I use my system for everyday stuff.. schoolwork, games, music... and it won't really change in the future. So back to my original question. A Seagate sata disk would be the best choice? __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's Last edited by Neshi; Dec 23, 2007 at 04:21 PM.

Dec 23, 2007, 04:17 PM	#10
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 190 System Specs	Just a friendly warning: don't buy any Seagate drives under 250GB in size. Why? The new drives that are under 250GB are not the best drives when compared to their older and bigger siblings. The new drives are thinner, which is not a bad thing, but they don't perform as well as other drives, are loud some times, and don't last as long. If you buy a Seagate drive start your search at 250GB, and go up from there. If you want Seagates best drives, look for their ES line (also known as their Enterprise line). Others to look at: Western Digitals RE line (these are RAID drives, but the good thing about them is they have a better warranty, and WD has used better components on them, so they last longer.... or so they say), and for cheap drives you might want to consider Hitachi. In my business I've switched from using Seagate for lower end drives (size wise) to using Hitachi. They're quieter, warranty is just as good, and honestly, so far I've yet to return one (going on a year now that I've been selling them). Stay away from Maxtor (or low end Seagate since these are made in the crappy Maxtor plants) and Samsung. __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Dec 23, 2007, 04:21 PM	#11
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	Okay. To clarify. A striped array is RAID 0 whilst a mirrored array is RAID 1 so I'm a bit confused about exactly what you are saying in post #7. A striped array RAID 0 is where two or more disks are used to write data that is broken into fragments and then written into to two or more drives simultaneously. There is no fault tolerance with this type and I hope that you have a backup drive in case of one HDD failure as otherwise all data will be lost. A mirrored array RAID 1 is where two or more disks contain a mirrored image of each other. IE When a disk is written to a mirrored copy of the data is written simultaneously to the mirrored drive. This is slower but has higher fault tolerance And to answer your question, if you only want the seagate for windows and drivers then the 160GB will be more than enough. Edit: but having read Tipstaffs comments above then you should have 250GB I will let others answer the questions on dual boot... __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Dec 23, 2007, 04:40 PM	Thread Starter #12
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	i don't want a seagate per se. As you mentioned seagate after my first post i assumed that would be the best to get. As for the raid. I don't know what i did with those two disks. I got them in a striped array, but haven't really set up a raid, as HD Tune doesn't detect them as RAID. he just sees them as 2 separate disks. I don't have a backup for if one of my disks fails, i just hope they won't. I will format them and set up a real RAID 0 after I ordered my windows disk.. Just disregard my silly question about the dualboot... I don't like the lay-out in Vista and don't think i'll get it till i really have no other choice. I will look around a little more for the hard drive, but as there are so many to choose from, I am hesitant of choosing one, afraid to find out later that I have chosen the wrong one.. What hard drive would you choose if you had to choose one for Windows, and could spend about $150? __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's

Dec 23, 2007, 04:49 PM	#13
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	The one that I have lol... ...which is the Seagate 7200.10 lol!! Coincidence huh? I really like it though. Is quiet and fast compared to my old drive. Here is a review of the Caviar 160GB from Anandtech: AnandTech: Western Digital WD1600AAJS: 160GB Served on Single Platter __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Dec 23, 2007, 06:16 PM	Thread Starter #15
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	tempted to get 2x 500gb 7200.11 for a raid 0 is it possible to set up 2x raid 0? so i will have the 2x 320gb and 2x 500gb in a raid. Installing windows on the 2x 320gb, with a partition of like 20gb, and having the rest for games and documents, while my movies/music are on the 2x 500gb. that a good idea? or is it better to have a real separate drive for windows, or doesn't it really matter... __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's Last edited by Neshi; Dec 23, 2007 at 06:24 PM.

Dec 23, 2007, 06:32 PM	#16
cozumel I'm dangerous but cute... Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Under the waves... Posts: 3,577 Rep Power: 60 System Specs	Just want to stress this again and then I will never say it again. Really importnt to have a backup. Just imagine having an array of all your family photos, music and video collection. If one disk fails the whole array goes down and all data is lost and irretrievable. Consider using your existing IDE drive as an internal backup for your video/music/documents/photos if you go the backup route. I've just had so many people saying how they've lost their stuff and are upset when using RAID 0 (I am one of them and now I have an external back-up lol. Learnt the hard way) __________________ Don't worry about money - Be a beach bum! Scuba Rocks

Dec 23, 2007, 07:10 PM	#17
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 6,018 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	go with the 500Gb 7200.11s good powerful drives in RAID 0 cheaper per GB than other 500GB seagate models. faster transfers than Raptors, seek time a bit slower than raptors overall features to dollar: insane __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Dec 23, 2007, 07:33 PM	Thread Starter #19
Neshi S.N.A.F.U. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wellington, NZ Posts: 3,378 Rep Power: 177 System Specs	just ordered two of those seagates. so for a long time, i'm all set with storage issues. thanks for all the help! and like Judas, i haven't experienced a single hdd that failed on me either. And btw, for all important stuff i got a external harddrive too.. also kind of used for movies to take with me to friends and such.. __________________ If one does not attach himself to people and desire, never shall his heart be broken. But then, does he ever truly live? Life is just too damn short for if's and maybe's Last edited by Neshi; Dec 23, 2007 at 07:39 PM.