Why the Samsung F3?

trentlad · 15 Jun 2010 at 13:01

I've seen a few threads recommending Samsung HDDs and it really seems like a lot of people are quite happy with them. I wanted to ask why people are happy with Samsung in particular and if THIS ONE at OcUK is the same drive style.

I think it's the F3 that people recommend, so wanted to make sure why the F3 just before I buy.

AbsenceJam · 15 Jun 2010 at 14:09

That is the F3 EcoGreen which runs at 5400rpm. If you're getting a drive for your OS then get a normal F3 (they come in 500GB/1TB) otherwise the EcoGreens are great for everything else and still rather fast.

trentlad · 15 Jun 2010 at 15:01

Thanks Ansence.

So would these speeds compare to a veloicraptor or close to it without the ridiculous price tag?

arknor · 15 Jun 2010 at 15:03

no it would be slow like an old laptop hdd you want a proper 7200rpm drive like a regular f3 not some eco tree hugger low power low speed drive thats only good for backing up a regular drive to

AbsenceJam · 15 Jun 2010 at 15:20

trentlad said:
Thanks Ansence.

So would these speeds compare to a veloicraptor or close to it without the ridiculous price tag?

The Raptor is 10k rpm so it does feel a bit faster during use due to the lower access times. It's very little though compared to the enormous jump that SSD is and Raptors just aren't worth it at all.

arknor said:
no it would be slow like an old laptop hdd you want a proper 7200rpm drive like a regular f3 not some eco tree hugger low power low speed drive thats only good for backing up a regular drive to

It would be nothing like an old laptop drive.

WingZero30 · 16 Jun 2010 at 00:06

I recently bought samsung spinpoint f3 500gb hdd. I was comparing it to my 2 older hdds which I have been using for the last 6 years using HD Tune. Oh boy what a jump in performance, speed and efficiency. It is also quiet and since reinstalling windows 7 again on F3; I feel my system has become faster. Very good. Definitely recommend!!

trentlad · 17 Jun 2010 at 13:17

Thanks a lot for the responses lads.

I'll keep away from that eco green version and look out for the 7200rpm 500GB/1TB version.

cmndr_andi · 17 Jun 2010 at 13:29

The reason the F3 is so highly regarded is that it uses 500GB platters. These highly dense platters mean that the drive is very fast, but also quiet, efficient and cheap. It does not quite have the super fast response time of a Velociraptor or an SSD, but it does have some nice and high transfer speeds (for a mechanical hard drive) - so for people playing games they are great.

Orford · 17 Jun 2010 at 20:51

I bought the F3 as I have used the F1 in my last rig and it was very good so I stuck with a brand I trust. Im now thinking of using the F3 instead of the F1 although the size is 500gb for the F3 and 1tb for the F1. Ive only used 300gb of the F1 so thats my thinking for to use the newer drive for the new rig. Also got a SSD for the OS drive.