seagate or wd?

Zorg · Jun 30, 2005, 08:24 AM

I am going to replace my old and noisy ide maxtors with sata hds

the question that bugs me, which hd u don't hear (spinning, head movements) and u still don't hear after 2+ years? secondly which is better performance wise

comments appreciated

CDsDontBurn · Jun 30, 2005, 08:30 AM

now that depends on what you're looking for? speed/size, or size/speed. If you want size/speed then i say get a Seagate Barracuda....preferably one w/NCQ. If you want speed/size, then get a WD Raptor 36Gb or 74Gb. But if you just want quiet overall, then get the Seagate Barracuda. They are among the quietest, most reliable drives available with the best warranty available as well

....5yr. warranty on their Barracuda series HDDs. That's why i got two of them in RAID 0 running right now

.

Zorg · Jun 30, 2005, 08:47 AM

thx for the response - I am looking at two 120 gig hds..that is more than plenty of space for me. So u say Barracuda is the way to go? What is w/NCQ? Yeah, a Raid0 array would give me 60gig each hd and double performance?

CDsDontBurn · Jun 30, 2005, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorg

thx for the response - I am looking at two 120 gig hds..that is more than plenty of space for me. So u say Barracuda is the way to go? What is w/NCQ? Yeah, a Raid0 array would give me 60gig each hd and double performance?

NCQ is Native Command Queing. Basically what it does, is access the information on your hard drive in the most efficient manner, and not linear which is in-efficient. Since that is what happens with NCQ, your access times will be a little bit faster than a HDD that does not offer NCQ as a feature.

two 120Gb HDDs will give you a total of 240Gb of space minus the space required for the partition. RAID 0 will not give you an increase of double in performance, but it decrease load times when loading your programs, games, or even windows depending on what you have on the RAID set up.

Judas · Jun 30, 2005, 08:57 AM

WD.....

i've had my issues with seagates...

CDsDontBurn · Jun 30, 2005, 09:01 AM

i've had both WDs and Seagates, i like them both, but i prefer a Seagate over WD.....unless that WD is a 74Gb raptor to replace my current 36Gb raptor

.

mkk · Jun 30, 2005, 09:07 AM

I'd go Seagate or Samsung for the best bet on noise/performance value, and leaning towards the Samsungs. Also check around for prices as there might not be much difference between 120GB and 160GB, or even 200GB models.

NCQ is a newer feature related to SATA2 controllers wich your motherboard might not support, but it's not a perticularly important feature anyway. RAID-0 would give almost double sequential read performance with no reduction of storage space, but if one drive would fail then all files on both drives would be lost. Running two drives separately can also be faster in real practice for some situations as the heads on each drive could read/write different files simultaneously. I'd get three drives before really considering putting two together as RAID-0, wich is also what I've done.

CDsDontBurn · Jun 30, 2005, 09:15 AM

i need me a 300+Gb HDD to put all my stuff in. I'm scared of what you say mkk. i know it could happen, and i don't want it to happen.

Lowfat · Jun 30, 2005, 07:54 PM

Seagate without a doubt. 5 year manufactuers warranty compared to 3 of WD. That was enough for me to buy one.

I have yet to hear my seagate drive over any other system noise.

swimtech · Jun 30, 2005, 10:08 PM

Right now and for the past several months I would pick a Seagate - two reasons - 5 year warranty, very low noise. When the drives you are comparing match in RPMs, they basically perform the same...

Tipstaff · Jun 30, 2005, 10:30 PM

Actually, you only get a 5 year warranty with Seagate if you buy the retail disks, while you get 3 with WD. People seem to forget this. As well, you get a 1 year warranty with all OEM disks, however if you buy an OEM Seagate you can pick up their extended warranty for another $5-10 dollars (depends on the supplier) which will get you 3 years instead. This is why I mostly deal in Seagate drives. Saves me from having to explain why the whole system has a 3 year warranty from the various manufacturers, except the hard drive.

Personally I'd go Seagate. They are teh most stable drives on the market, and they last longer. Anyone can get a lemon drive, but with Seagate they are farther apart than other manufacturers.

Lastly, for NCQ you need to remember that you must have a SATA controller that supports it before you can make use of it on a SATA drive. So, even if you get the drive thinking you are gaining that function, unless you have the controller, it's sort of useless. However, for a future upgrade, you'd be set.

Zorg · Jul 1, 2005, 01:03 AM

Thx all!
I have the VIA KT600 chipset that is supposed to have a native sata controller onboard(VT8237) so NCQ should be supported. My OEM dealer sells the ST3120827AS with 5 years warranty.

Tipstaff · Jul 1, 2005, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorg

Thx all!
I have the VIA KT600 chipset that is supposed to have a native sata controller onboard(VT8237) so NCQ should be supported. My OEM dealer sells the ST3120827AS with 5 years warranty.

5 years on an OEM drive? Nice deal. Going to have to look into this on Monday. Wonder why my supplier hasn't mentioned this.. nor Seagate when I talked to them last week? Pff..

Have fun with it Zorg.

Necrosis · Jul 1, 2005, 07:20 AM

Definitely Seagate or Samsung. I've been very impressed with both. I just wish WD would release a SATAII Raptor.

Zorg · Jul 1, 2005, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

5 years on an OEM drive? Nice deal. Going to have to look into this on Monday. Wonder why my supplier hasn't mentioned this.. nor Seagate when I talked to them last week? Pff..

Have fun with it Zorg.

Thx!
I understand that the warranty has nothing to do with OEM or retail as long as the Hd comes from an authorised distribution channel. Here some info:

http://5yrwarranty.seagatestorage.co...URLPage=540#A1

bug77 · Jul 1, 2005, 08:35 AM

The Seagates I know are quiet, but man they are slow...

Zorg · Jul 1, 2005, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bug77

The Seagates I know are quiet, but man they are slow...

various reviews I have seen suggest in one voice that seagate is a bit faster than maxtor.

CDsDontBurn · Jul 1, 2005, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorg

various reviews I have seen suggest in one voice that seagate is a bit faster than maxtor.

seagates are amoung the fastest 7200RPM HDDs available according to several different reviews i've seen. However, as far with Maxtor's new line of HDDs the DiamondMax 10 series, those offer a standard 5yr. warranty and 16Mb cache. Because of the extra 8Mb cache they have over any other 7200RPM HDD, they are faster, but i still wouldn't get one simply because they are Maxtor HDDs.

Zorg · Jul 1, 2005, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

seagates are amoung the fastest 7200RPM HDDs available according to several different reviews i've seen. However, as far with Maxtor's new line of HDDs the DiamondMax 10 series, those offer a standard 5yr. warranty and 16Mb cache. Because of the extra 8Mb cache they have over any other 7200RPM HDD, they are faster, but i still wouldn't get one simply because they are Maxtor HDDs.

Another Maxtor problem here in Australia - they don't offer a return to manufacturer (warranty) service for customers. U have to return to the dealer which means there are looong waits until the hd is back. I wonder why Maxtor is excluding Australia from such a service since they do offer this in most other countries. This alone is reason enough for me to dump Maxtor.

Tipstaff · Jul 2, 2005, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

.... but i still wouldn't get one simply because they are Maxtor HDDs.

I simply won't touch them because 8 outta 10 drives are made in an old Quantum plant. Those are the ones that give Maxtor a bad name.. POS that they are. Not one of them last more than a year these days... sorry.. actually they last JUST more than a year.. just long enough to get past the 1 year warranty date. Then you can say hello to corrupt sector heaven. I will only sell one of their drives if a customer explicitly asks me for one, and even then I tell them I won't warranty it directly. Last week I had 3 Maxtor drives fail on me, all of them just outta warranty.

Never again.. Seagate all the way, with possibley the odd WD for good measure... maybe Samsung for those cheap buggers that insist on $400 (CAN) machines, but never Maxtor again. RIH.

God I miss the old days. I could throw a Maxtor drive against the wall, and it'd not skip a beat. I still have some of the old boys around here somewhere. I miss the old Maxtor.

Geminiwave · Jul 2, 2005, 12:58 AM

I like seagate simply because of the noise level. WDs are like angry hornets.

I literally NEVER hear my hard drive. I havent ever heard a single click out of it. Even when i put it up next to my ear.

The baracudas are just THAT GOOD

CDsDontBurn · Jul 2, 2005, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geminiwave

I like seagate simply because of the noise level. WDs are like angry hornets.

I literally NEVER hear my hard drive. I havent ever heard a single click out of it. Even when i put it up next to my ear.

The baracudas are just THAT GOOD

the clicking is known as "clicking of death" that means that as soon as you hear the clicking, the HDD is on it's way out.

kelticknight · Jul 2, 2005, 11:08 AM

have both maxor and seagate and seagate the best.my maxtor the loudest and might last another 6-10 months before replacing.so go seagate

Zorg · Jul 8, 2005, 09:37 AM

...after scratching my head for about one hour why my box hangs when it was 'scanning for sata ide devices' i removed my ol' SCSI controller for my flatbed scanner. Then all was fine and everything went smooth. The Baracuda performance is a real eye opener. My old udma6 hds got some 35MB/s Sandra file system benchmark. Now, both satas score 50MB/s and u can see and feel this

quite impressive

CDsDontBurn · Jul 8, 2005, 08:19 PM

glad you went with the Seagate drive then i take it?

Ðamage™ · Jul 8, 2005, 09:03 PM

Ya Seagates are excellent and so is their support, good choice.

Zorg · Jul 9, 2005, 01:26 AM

Thanks all, guys!...so far I am happy

Just Speedfan 4.24 lets me down a bit - it sees only one sata Seagate in SMART. Why not both?

Anyone ideas?

Jun 30, 2005, 08:24 AM	#1
Zorg DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 182 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	seagate or wd? I am going to replace my old and noisy ide maxtors with sata hds the question that bugs me, which hd u don't hear (spinning, head movements) and u still don't hear after 2+ years? secondly which is better performance wise comments appreciated

Jun 30, 2005, 08:30 AM	#2
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,795 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	now that depends on what you're looking for? speed/size, or size/speed. If you want size/speed then i say get a Seagate Barracuda....preferably one w/NCQ. If you want speed/size, then get a WD Raptor 36Gb or 74Gb. But if you just want quiet overall, then get the Seagate Barracuda. They are among the quietest, most reliable drives available with the best warranty available as well ....5yr. warranty on their Barracuda series HDDs. That's why i got two of them in RAID 0 running right now . __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Jun 30, 2005, 09:01 AM	#6
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,795 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	i've had both WDs and Seagates, i like them both, but i prefer a Seagate over WD.....unless that WD is a 74Gb raptor to replace my current 36Gb raptor . __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Jun 30, 2005, 09:15 AM	#8
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,795 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	i need me a 300+Gb HDD to put all my stuff in. I'm scared of what you say mkk. i know it could happen, and i don't want it to happen. __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Jun 30, 2005, 07:54 PM	#9
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,254 Rep Power: 101	Seagate without a doubt. 5 year manufactuers warranty compared to 3 of WD. That was enough for me to buy one. I have yet to hear my seagate drive over any other system noise. __________________

Jun 30, 2005, 08:47 AM	Thread Starter #3
Zorg DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 182 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	thx for the response - I am looking at two 120 gig hds..that is more than plenty of space for me. So u say Barracuda is the way to go? What is w/NCQ? Yeah, a Raid0 array would give me 60gig each hd and double performance?

Jun 30, 2005, 09:07 AM	#7
mkk Cthulhu/Dagon 2012 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 4,495 Rep Power: 132 System Specs	I'd go Seagate or Samsung for the best bet on noise/performance value, and leaning towards the Samsungs. Also check around for prices as there might not be much difference between 120GB and 160GB, or even 200GB models. NCQ is a newer feature related to SATA2 controllers wich your motherboard might not support, but it's not a perticularly important feature anyway. RAID-0 would give almost double sequential read performance with no reduction of storage space, but if one drive would fail then all files on both drives would be lost. Running two drives separately can also be faster in real practice for some situations as the heads on each drive could read/write different files simultaneously. I'd get three drives before really considering putting two together as RAID-0, wich is also what I've done.

Jun 30, 2005, 10:08 PM	#10
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	Right now and for the past several months I would pick a Seagate - two reasons - 5 year warranty, very low noise. When the drives you are comparing match in RPMs, they basically perform the same... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Jun 30, 2005, 10:30 PM	#11
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,773 Rep Power: 191 System Specs	Actually, you only get a 5 year warranty with Seagate if you buy the retail disks, while you get 3 with WD. People seem to forget this. As well, you get a 1 year warranty with all OEM disks, however if you buy an OEM Seagate you can pick up their extended warranty for another $5-10 dollars (depends on the supplier) which will get you 3 years instead. This is why I mostly deal in Seagate drives. Saves me from having to explain why the whole system has a 3 year warranty from the various manufacturers, except the hard drive. Personally I'd go Seagate. They are teh most stable drives on the market, and they last longer. Anyone can get a lemon drive, but with Seagate they are farther apart than other manufacturers. Lastly, for NCQ you need to remember that you must have a SATA controller that supports it before you can make use of it on a SATA drive. So, even if you get the drive thinking you are gaining that function, unless you have the controller, it's sort of useless. However, for a future upgrade, you'd be set. __________________ 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. Last edited by Tipstaff; Jun 30, 2005 at 10:37 PM.

Jul 1, 2005, 01:03 AM	Thread Starter #12
Zorg DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 182 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Thx all! I have the VIA KT600 chipset that is supposed to have a native sata controller onboard(VT8237) so NCQ should be supported. My OEM dealer sells the ST3120827AS with 5 years warranty.

Jul 1, 2005, 07:20 AM	#14
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Definitely Seagate or Samsung. I've been very impressed with both. I just wish WD would release a SATAII Raptor.

Jul 1, 2005, 08:35 AM	#16
bug77 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: around Posts: 792 Rep Power: 0	The Seagates I know are quiet, but man they are slow...

Jul 2, 2005, 12:58 AM	#21
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 64	I like seagate simply because of the noise level. WDs are like angry hornets. I literally NEVER hear my hard drive. I havent ever heard a single click out of it. Even when i put it up next to my ear. The baracudas are just THAT GOOD __________________

Jul 2, 2005, 11:08 AM	#23
kelticknight DriverHeaven Knight Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: EIRE{great for black stuff ,bulmers cider and Munster rubgy Posts: 1,095 Rep Power: 0	have both maxor and seagate and seagate the best.my maxtor the loudest and might last another 6-10 months before replacing.so go seagate __________________

Jul 8, 2005, 09:37 AM	Thread Starter #24
Zorg DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 182 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	got my sata seagates.. ...after scratching my head for about one hour why my box hangs when it was 'scanning for sata ide devices' i removed my ol' SCSI controller for my flatbed scanner. Then all was fine and everything went smooth. The Baracuda performance is a real eye opener. My old udma6 hds got some 35MB/s Sandra file system benchmark. Now, both satas score 50MB/s and u can see and feel this quite impressive

Jul 8, 2005, 08:19 PM	#25
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,795 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	glad you went with the Seagate drive then i take it? __________________ Her First Day \| A year later

Jul 8, 2005, 09:03 PM	#26
Ðamage™ DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 545 Rep Power: 0	Ya Seagates are excellent and so is their support, good choice. __________________ [COLOR=black][COLOR=red]ATi[/COLOR] Bios Flashing: The Proper Way.[/COLOR][COLOR=red][/COLOR] [COLOR=red]How to properly Install a VGA/CPU Cooler.[/COLOR] [COLOR=black]How to uninstall\install your ATi vga drivers properly[/COLOR] [COLOR=black]*It's not who we are, but what we do in life that defines us.*[/COLOR]

Jul 9, 2005, 01:26 AM	Thread Starter #27
Zorg DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Australia Posts: 182 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Speedfan see only one SATA? Thanks all, guys!...so far I am happy Just Speedfan 4.24 lets me down a bit - it sees only one sata Seagate in SMART. Why not both? Anyone ideas?