Help deciding what HDD I should buy

Fantasma · May 23, 2009, 09:51 PM

Well, I wanted to buy an HDD of 500GB, my options are the following:

Name ms/cache/rpm
Seagate ST3500418AS 500 GB (Barracuda 7200.12) 8.5/16/7200
Hitachi HDP725050GLA360 (Deskstar P7K500, 24/7) 8.5/16/7200
Maxtor STM3500320AS (DiamondMax 22) 8.5/32/7200
Western Digital WD5000AAKS (Caviar SE16) 8,9/16/7200
Western Digital WD5000AACS (Caviar GP) 8,9/16/5400 to 7200

Which HDD should I buy? At first glance it seems that the Maxtor one is better (more cache) but I´m not sure as the Seagate one is newer and I have heard good things about hitachi and WD, so please, help me making up my mind because I want to buy the fastest one

BlueMak · May 23, 2009, 10:14 PM

If you get a Seagate or Maxtor, make sure you update the firmware if it needs to.
Avoid any 5400 drive.
They are all fine. Get the cheapest or fastest, depending on your needs.

Lowfat · May 23, 2009, 10:41 PM

I would go for the ST3500418AS. It will definitely be the fastest of the bunch due to the 500gb single platter.

GigaWatt · May 24, 2009, 12:58 AM

i would go for the cheapest one... if speed is not an issue...

and if the drive is overheating a little bit, a little HDD cooler will fix that problem...

swimtech · May 24, 2009, 01:51 AM

The Seagate looks to be the fastest this round.

Edit - and in the US at Newegg it's the cheapest too - today...

Mac Daddy · May 24, 2009, 02:27 AM

The Seagate might look the cheapest but after taking to Mike Gas on and off the WD ones always work well. I have 2 in my main machine

mkk · May 24, 2009, 04:06 AM

Edit: I read up on the Seagate drive and their latest 7200.12 model does indeed have the latest industry standard platter density of 500GB per platter, making it possibly the fastest 7200rpm 500GB drive around. With a single platter I also believe what I've read that it's much quieter than previous Seagate models. Were I to look for a 500GB drive today I would definitely consider it.

Old post:
You might want to consider larger drives because the 640GB and 1TB drives of the latest models are noticeably faster overall. I've mostly experienced Samsung and WD drives in these sizes but I doubt that any of the others are particularly faster than them at the 500GB size.

As a general rule the size of the cache means nothing by itself when comparing different makes and models. The performance gains in desktop harddrives has really been at the platter surface level.

**kris23** · May 24, 2009, 04:12 AM

go with seagate 7200.12 its fast, cool running and rather cheap

Judas · May 24, 2009, 07:41 AM

imo... seagate...

Mac Daddy · May 24, 2009, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkk

As a general rule the size of the cache means nothing by itself when comparing different makes and models. The performance gains in desktop harddrives has really been at the platter surface level.

That's the reason I went with the WD 640G myself instead of the Seagate even though the cache was smaller

Fantasma · May 24, 2009, 09:41 PM

Thanks to all for helping me choosing. I´ll buy the Seagate one, thanks again.

Mac Daddy · May 24, 2009, 10:04 PM

Good choice and hope it serves you well

mkk · May 24, 2009, 10:31 PM

I read up on the Seagate drive and their latest 7200.12 model does indeed have the latest industry standard platter density of 500GB per platter, making it likely the fastest 7200rpm 500GB drive around. With a single platter I also believe what I've read that it's much quieter than previous Seagate models. Seems like a great pick.

May 23, 2009, 09:51 PM	#1
Fantasma DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lorca (Spain) Posts: 637 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Help deciding what HDD I should buy Well, I wanted to buy an HDD of 500GB, my options are the following: Name ms/cache/rpm Seagate ST3500418AS 500 GB (Barracuda 7200.12) 8.5/16/7200 Hitachi HDP725050GLA360 (Deskstar P7K500, 24/7) 8.5/16/7200 Maxtor STM3500320AS (DiamondMax 22) 8.5/32/7200 Western Digital WD5000AAKS (Caviar SE16) 8,9/16/7200 Western Digital WD5000AACS (Caviar GP) 8,9/16/5400 to 7200 Which HDD should I buy? At first glance it seems that the Maxtor one is better (more cache) but I´m not sure as the Seagate one is newer and I have heard good things about hitachi and WD, so please, help me making up my mind because I want to buy the fastest one

May 23, 2009, 10:14 PM	#2
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 9,329 Rep Power: 168 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy If you get a Seagate or Maxtor, make sure you update the firmware if it needs to. Avoid any 5400 drive. They are all fine. Get the cheapest or fastest, depending on your needs. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

May 23, 2009, 10:41 PM	#3
Lowfat Xtreme F@H'er Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,058 Rep Power: 68	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy I would go for the ST3500418AS. It will definitely be the fastest of the bunch due to the 500gb single platter. __________________ 1: i7 920 * E760 Classified * 6GB DDR3 * 9800GX2 * 8800GTS * ioXtreme * X25-M * Enermax 1050W Revo85+ * CM Stacker 832 * 2 x HDDVD + 1 BD 2: i7 920 * X58A-UD7 * 6GB DDR3 @ 687MHz * 9800GX2 * 8800GS * Antec 1000W * Silverstone FT01BW 3: Q8200 @ 3.2GHz * P5Q Pro* 4GB @ 914MHz * 9500GT * Auzen Prelude * 30GB Vertex * 11.5TB * Seasonic 420 M12-II * Silverstone LC17B * HDDVD/BD

May 24, 2009, 12:58 AM	#4
GigaWatt Now In Color :D Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Macedonia, Skopje Posts: 2,114 Rep Power: 65 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy i would go for the cheapest one... if speed is not an issue... and if the drive is overheating a little bit, a little HDD cooler will fix that problem... __________________ It's not schisophrenia... it's just a voice in my head...

May 24, 2009, 01:51 AM	#5
swimtech At Your Service... Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,008 Rep Power: 106 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy The Seagate looks to be the fastest this round. Edit - and in the US at Newegg it's the cheapest too - today... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it. Last edited by swimtech; May 24, 2009 at 01:56 AM.

May 24, 2009, 02:27 AM	#6
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 65 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy The Seagate might look the cheapest but after taking to Mike Gas on and off the WD ones always work well. I have 2 in my main machine __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen

May 24, 2009, 04:06 AM	#7
mkk Avasted Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 3,796 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy Edit: I read up on the Seagate drive and their latest 7200.12 model does indeed have the latest industry standard platter density of 500GB per platter, making it possibly the fastest 7200rpm 500GB drive around. With a single platter I also believe what I've read that it's much quieter than previous Seagate models. Were I to look for a 500GB drive today I would definitely consider it. Old post: You might want to consider larger drives because the 640GB and 1TB drives of the latest models are noticeably faster overall. I've mostly experienced Samsung and WD drives in these sizes but I doubt that any of the others are particularly faster than them at the 500GB size. As a general rule the size of the cache means nothing by itself when comparing different makes and models. The performance gains in desktop harddrives has really been at the platter surface level. Last edited by mkk; May 26, 2009 at 02:10 AM. Reason: Clarification

May 24, 2009, 04:12 AM	#8
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,374 Rep Power: 75 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy go with seagate 7200.12 its fast, cool running and rather cheap __________________ Driverheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (9/4/09) New i5 systems with more to come! 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!

May 24, 2009, 09:41 PM	#11
Fantasma DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Lorca (Spain) Posts: 637 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy Thanks to all for helping me choosing. I´ll buy the Seagate one, thanks again.

May 24, 2009, 10:04 PM	#12
Mac Daddy DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,950 Rep Power: 65 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy Good choice and hope it serves you well __________________ "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance." - Tim Allen

May 24, 2009, 10:31 PM	#13
mkk Avasted Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 3,796 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	Re: Help deciding what HDD I should buy I read up on the Seagate drive and their latest 7200.12 model does indeed have the latest industry standard platter density of 500GB per platter, making it likely the fastest 7200rpm 500GB drive around. With a single platter I also believe what I've read that it's much quieter than previous Seagate models. Seems like a great pick.