Looking for a fast hard disk...please help

kyhoola · 6 Jun 2006 at 11:59

Hi,

Im looking for a fast hard disk without moving to scsi.

I need two in total one for operating system, the other for applications and games.

I know the raptors are suposedly the best but are noisy, although ive heard the new .10 seagates are fast too. Noise isnt so much an issue when seeking etc.

Will the 16mb cache make a massive difference over the 8mb on the new raptors?
Are the raptors the best choice? Will I notice the difference over a sata2 drive?

Im fairly new to performance discs and have always brought maxtors...until my last one just died recently

Any advice would be very welcome.

Kyhoola

k3v · 6 Jun 2006 at 12:03

the review/comparison in micromart a couple of weeks had the raptors as the quickest

Messiah Khan · 6 Jun 2006 at 13:24

Raptors are your best bet. And if the noise is too much, you can always throw thyem into an enclosure such as the silentmaxx.

humax · 6 Jun 2006 at 15:36

have a look at this

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB ST3320620AS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-078-SE)
The Barracuda 7200.10 is the largest, most reliable disc drive around. New perpendicular recording technology supports vertically stored data bits, enabling increased areal density and dependability for workstations and performance PCs.

- Capacity: 320 GB
- Speed: 7200 rpm
- Interface: SATA-II
- Cache: 16MB
- 5 year manufacturer''s warranty
- Direct warranty and RMA service available here.

Price: £59.95 (£70.44 Including VAT at 17.5%)

i got one a few weeks back and there a great drive .and its perpendicular

.not as fast as a raptor but a lot cheaper .

Imy · 6 Jun 2006 at 19:08

That drive above is fast and an absolute bargain. However, if you want the fastest at a reasonable-ish price, the Raptors are still the best (in my opinion). I've been using a 37GB Raptor for 3 years now (the very first model on launch) on a daily basis as my primary hdd and it runs very nicely even now. As for noise, I can't hear it over my system fans.

wsurfa · 6 Jun 2006 at 20:39

Raptor 74 as main drive - very quick and WD have a very good RMA if anything goes wrong.

kimandsally · 6 Jun 2006 at 21:24

The Hitachi Sata drives are the quickest all bar the Raptors I have 2 and they are VERY quick MUCH quicker than Maxtor or Samsung and Seagate I've built PC's with them all in and always test for things so I know what to buy for myself, they are very reliable as well.

I was very tempted to sell them and buy 2 new Raptors but I'm not sure the expense is worth it for the performance gain especially as these would have to be sold as second hand even though they've hardly had any use.

The Raptors are the only drive I haven't tried no doubt I'll bite the bullet some time soon.

sativa · 6 Jun 2006 at 21:58

I have recently bought the 74Gb 16mb raptor - very, very good. :cool:

easyrider · 6 Jun 2006 at 23:14

Have my raptor in a silentmaxx.

can't hear it and fast as a something thats fast

NightmareXX · 6 Jun 2006 at 23:22

Got a 36GB Raptor in SATA. Tis a lovely drive

Makes windows nice and speedy. As I only use it for windows, I only hear it in startup and TBH, I don't think that its much of a problem. Even then its more like a quiet purring

smids · 6 Jun 2006 at 23:39

The new 74GB 16MB cache Raptor is faster than the 150GB raptor. I think if you want fast, the NEW 74GB raptor is your best bet. If you can't take a Raptor (which are only loud when seeking) then the Seagate perpendicular drives are a decent bet or a Hitachi but I'd get the perp drive over a standard drive.

2bullish · 7 Jun 2006 at 07:57

You can go here if you want to compare drives.

The new 74Gb raptor is very quick also the 150Gb X

basmic · 7 Jun 2006 at 10:58

As quick as the Raptors are, you're not getting very much storage for your money.

Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 NCQ 160GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (0A31637) (HD-001-HI) (x2) -- 41.95 x 2 = £83.90 + VAT
Western Digital Raptor 74GB WD740ADFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-087-WD) -- £103.95 + VAT

I'm sure the 2x Hitachi drives will give you the performance you require, without: a) Having to pay rip-off prices. b) Having to put up with a noisey Raptor.

easyrider · 7 Jun 2006 at 11:04

basmic said:
As quick as the Raptors are, you're not getting very much storage for your money.

Hitachi Deskstar T7K250 NCQ 160GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (0A31637) (HD-001-HI) (x2) -- 41.95 x 2 = £83.90 + VAT
Western Digital Raptor 74GB WD740ADFD 10,000RPM SATA 16MB Cache - OEM (HD-087-WD) -- £103.95 + VAT

I'm sure the 2x Hitachi drives will give you the performance you require, without: a) Having to pay rip-off prices. b) Having to put up with a noisey Raptor.

I disagree,

A raptor as a system drive is perfect and the speed is great.You dont need to much storage for your system drive.

Windows ,games and apps easily fit on a 74gig and then you can have a few nice big drives for your data.

A 10000 rpm in drive for the system is great and I could never go back to a 7200 drive for windows.

Jay_t · 7 Jun 2006 at 11:12

Choose any large capacity drive for your archive & go for a raptor for games. As for the raptor, there is currently no competition from any any other manufacturer

smids · 7 Jun 2006 at 11:33

easyrider said:
I disagree,

A raptor as a system drive is perfect and the speed is great.You dont need to much storage for your system drive.

Windows ,games and apps easily fit on a 74gig and then you can have a few nice big drives for your data.

A 10000 rpm in drive for the system is great and I could never go back to a 7200 drive for windows.

I agree - but having said that, I now run a RAID0 instead of a Raptor - no particular reason. I find the raptor still feels faster due to access times but I like my current setup. RAID0 80GB Hitachi's, RAID1 80GB Hitachis + 250GB storage (soon to be upgraded).

easyrider · 7 Jun 2006 at 11:37

smids said:
I agree - but having said that, I now run a RAID0 instead of a Raptor - no particular reason. I find the raptor still feels faster due to access times but I like my current setup. RAID0 80GB Hitachi's, RAID1 80GB Hitachis + 250GB storage (soon to be upgraded).

I had two raptor 36 giggers in raid 0

Nothing but hassle and the single raptor is faster and not as noisey.

two 80 gig 7200's in raid is a cheaper option but for me the single system drive is the easier option.

smids · 7 Jun 2006 at 11:39

easyrider said:
I had two raptor 36 giggers in raid 0

Nothing but hassle and the single raptor is faster and not as noisey.

two 80 gig 7200's in raid is a cheaper option but for me the single system drive is the easier option.

I know - I just wanted more space - that was the only reason I got it really - in actual fact my 4 Hitachi's replaced my 150GB raptor as I setup a RAID0+1 (cheaper, faster more reliability) which I have now split into RAID0 and RAID1 - even more secure (seeing as I use True Image to create a regular backup on the RAID1 which also houses my music collection

).

If I was the OP, I'd be looking at the new 74GB raptor.

Jay_t · 9 Jun 2006 at 12:50

easyrider said:
I had two raptor 36 giggers in raid 0

Nothing but hassle and the single raptor is faster and not as noisey.

two 80 gig 7200's in raid is a cheaper option but for me the single system drive is the easier option.

I'd be interested to hear your opinions on this as I have 2 74gb raptors in raid 0 and have always thought that you wouldn't be able to top that. Well, not without 4 raptors in raid 0.

Hudzy · 9 Jun 2006 at 16:54

Quick question... which is the "new" 74 gb raptor exactly? I'm guessing it's the more expensive WD740ADFD 16 meg cache one.