What are the most important specs on hdd?

[Truebrit]

I've just been looking at getting a 2TB drive to go with a 500GB SSD. As I understand it, the more rpm the better, the less ms the better, and the bigger the cache the better. If that is all correct, which is the most important?

 

[Habakkuk]

It's going to depend on use - a home system is different to 24/7 system, which is different to a back up, which is different to a 24/7 backup.

Look at a the capacity, and then the warranty - after that the ms & cache.

 

[APM]

What you'll be using it for is the first question to ask,yes.

 

[Truebrit]

It will just be a secondary drive to go along side an SSD. I'm just wondering what the important specs are. Like with Cameras, companies used to boast about megapixels, but megapixels are low down on the spec list for a good camera. I see some expensive drives that have lower cache and rpm than cheaper drives, yet I though higher was better for both of these?

What you'll be using it for is the first question to ask,yes.

 

[TheGentry]

Higher everything is good, but cost and noise and reliability come into it aswell

 

[APM]

If you're going to be doing a lot of writing to the drive then higher rpm and cache are important ,if you're going to be using the drive for longer term storage maybe spin up speed isn't so important.

Maybe higher capacity is if you want to store more stuff,only you can know that.

 

[Skiddley]

If you're going to be doing a lot of writing to the drive then higher rpm and cache are important

How does a larger cache help with writes exactly?

 

[APM]

How does a larger cache help with writes exactly?

Write sequencing.

 

[AETAaAS]

Important spec? Warranty.

It gives you an idea what the manufacturer expects and of course, it helps should things go **** up. Manufacturers offer different warranties for different series, case in point is WD offering the most on their Black drives and shortest on the Greens. Though I think they killed the Green series and Blue is the bottom now.