Which drive for storage?

fotis · 16 Mar 2006 at 07:55

I already have a 150 Gb raptor but as I intend doing plenty of video editing, I need a second drive for storage, probably around 250 Gb. Which one should I go for and do I need raid?

Cheers

Priapus · 16 Mar 2006 at 08:23

Depends what sort of storage. Videos, Music, Date? But if I was you, I'd just buy a nice 250GB SATA and use it for storage. Would be just fine.

fotis · 16 Mar 2006 at 08:26

It will be mainly video. Which 250 Gb SATA though, is the Hitachi my best option?

Priapus · 16 Mar 2006 at 08:29

I have a 160GB Hitachi, works just fine.

If you want a good drive for this and not too worried about spending a little more then maybe a Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB. Here's the drive.

If not, then the 250GB Hitachi will be just fine. Mine hasn't given me any problems and is quite, very reliable.

fotis · 16 Mar 2006 at 12:31

Thanks for the reply, but in which way would the Western Digital be better from the Hitachi for my needs?

Priapus · 16 Mar 2006 at 12:40

Buffer: 16MB
Interface: Serial ATA-2

Mainly just those two features set it apart from the Hitachi. Is it 250Gb you need or can you do with a little less?

Like I say, if I was you I'd go with the Hitachi.

fotis · 16 Mar 2006 at 13:12

250 Gb is probably the minimum. The Hitachi is also SATA2, isn't it? And would the extra cache make a difference for me?

Priapus · 16 Mar 2006 at 13:26

Hi,

Yes, some Hitachi's are SATA II, just depends on which one you were talking about. The 16MB cache probably won't make that much of a difference on a storage hard drive, however it's always nice to have the 16mb cache, should you later use the drive as a OS drive.

Edit: Actually if you're going to get a SATA II hard drive, make sure your hardware can support the full speed SATA II runs at otherwise it will be no different to a standard SATA drive. It will only run at SATA speeds not SATA II speeds. Thus, wasting your money.

fotis · 16 Mar 2006 at 14:00

I don't think I will ever use it for the OS so if that's the only benefit of the extra cache then probably I don't need it?

Regarding the hardware, it's MSI K8N Diamond nForce4 SLi with an X2 4400 cpu.

Priapus · 16 Mar 2006 at 14:24

Right, off hand I'm not too sure if it supports SATA II. But will look into it now for you.

And no, if you're not going to use it as an OS HDD, then it won't matter too much.