Which Hard Disk?

[Zilog Jones]

I'm looking for a 80GB IDE hard disk (I can't really afford anything
bigger - I'M A STUDENT!). I'm not too bothered about getting the
fastest drive around, or the quietest (I put with a 80MB WD Caviar for
6 years - the sound it generated was much like how I'd imagine it
would be like in A WIND TUNNEL), but I want something reliable and
doesn't get too hot.

The most easily available drives to me are:

Western Digital Caviar (WD800JB) 80GB Special Edition 8MB cache
7200RPM
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 (6Y080P0) 80GB 8MB cache 7200RPM
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 (ST380011A) 80GB 2MB cache 7200RPM

(Any attempts at recommending me any places to buy other drives will
be futile as I live in Ireland - most US websites don't take
international credit cards and most UK places totally screw us with
delivery rates of at least £25!)

I was thinking the WD one would be best from reviews and stuff I've
read, despite being an older model than the other two, and costing a
bit more (but the 3 year warranty makes up for that).

Any advice, people?

 

[Pepperoni]

I went with the WD800JB. $79.89 with free shipping.
It is nearly silent. No complaints.


Lots of folks don't use credit cards. Many places ship same-day using US
Postal Money Orders. (sorry that doesn't help you)

Good luck

 

[S.Heenan]

I'm looking for a 80GB IDE hard disk (I can't really afford anything
bigger - I'M A STUDENT!). I'm not too bothered about getting the
fastest drive around, or the quietest (I put with a 80MB WD Caviar for
6 years - the sound it generated was much like how I'd imagine it
would be like in A WIND TUNNEL), but I want something reliable and
doesn't get too hot.

The most easily available drives to me are:

Western Digital Caviar (WD800JB) 80GB Special Edition 8MB cache
7200RPM
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 (6Y080P0) 80GB 8MB cache 7200RPM
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 (ST380011A) 80GB 2MB cache 7200RPM

(Any attempts at recommending me any places to buy other drives will
be futile as I live in Ireland - most US websites don't take
international credit cards and most UK places totally screw us with
delivery rates of at least £25!)

I was thinking the WD one would be best from reviews and stuff I've
read, despite being an older model than the other two, and costing a
bit more (but the 3 year warranty makes up for that).

Of these three, the Seagate is the quietest. The WD 80JB is the fastest and
emits a bit of low pitched noise under heavy seeking. The Maxtor is
somewhere between the others in both speed and noise output.

 

[Max]

I'm looking for a 80GB IDE hard disk (I can't really afford
anything bigger - I'M A STUDENT!). I'm not too bothered about
getting the fastest drive around, or the quietest (I put with
a 80MB WD Caviar for 6 years - the sound it generated was much
like how I'd imagine it would be like in A WIND TUNNEL), but I
want something reliable and doesn't get too hot.

The most easily available drives to me are:

Western Digital Caviar (WD800JB) 80GB Special Edition 8MB
cache 7200RPM
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 (6Y080P0) 80GB 8MB cache 7200RPM
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 (ST380011A) 80GB 2MB cache 7200RPM

These are all good drives but they all run hot. Are you trying to
reduce heat because you feel that will improve reliability?

If you want something less hot (althogh reliability is another
matter) then try a Samsung or go for a 5400 rpm although the price
difference between 7200 and 5400 is very small.

If I *had* to choose between the three listed I would go for the
Seagate but that is because I don't mind the heat it generates and
I appreciate the relative quietness. In your own case the Caviar
might be good if you need performance and don't mind noise. A
comprmise is the Maxtor.

In reality there is not much between the three. I would still go
for a Samsungas some retailers price it very keenly but maybe you
can't get it there.

 

[General Schvantzkoph]

I'm looking for a 80GB IDE hard disk (I can't really afford anything
bigger - I'M A STUDENT!). I'm not too bothered about getting the
fastest drive around, or the quietest (I put with a 80MB WD Caviar for
6 years - the sound it generated was much like how I'd imagine it
would be like in A WIND TUNNEL), but I want something reliable and
doesn't get too hot.

The most easily available drives to me are:

Western Digital Caviar (WD800JB) 80GB Special Edition 8MB cache
7200RPM
Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 (6Y080P0) 80GB 8MB cache 7200RPM
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 (ST380011A) 80GB 2MB cache 7200RPM

(Any attempts at recommending me any places to buy other drives will
be futile as I live in Ireland - most US websites don't take
international credit cards and most UK places totally screw us with
delivery rates of at least £25!)

I was thinking the WD one would be best from reviews and stuff I've
read, despite being an older model than the other two, and costing a
bit more (but the 3 year warranty makes up for that).

Any advice, people?

Stay away from Maxtor, terrible reliability. Both WD and Seagate are fine
drives, make sure you buy a drive with fluid bearings and an 8M cache.
Fluid bearing drives are quieter and more reliable. An 8M cache
significantly improves perfromance. I just bought a 200G Seagate for $99
(after rebate) so look for a sale somewhere.

 

[Cuzman]

" Any attempts at recommending me any places to buy other drives will be
futile as I live in Ireland - most US websites don't take international
credit cards and most UK places totally screw us with delivery rates of at
least £25! "


I would recommend the WD800JB. You could try these retailers to see how
much their P&P would be from the UK: http://tinyurl.com/2hzbz

 

[Zilog Jones]

" Any attempts at recommending me any places to buy other drives will be
futile as I live in Ireland - most US websites don't take international
credit cards and most UK places totally screw us with delivery rates of
at
least ã€25! "


I would recommend the WD800JB. You could try these retailers to see how
much their P&P would be from the UK: http://tinyurl.com/2hzbz

They charge either don't deliver here at all or charge at least £20, which
doesn't really work out any cheaper than the 90 Euro (incl. 2-3 day p+p)
I'd be paying from komplett.ie (who I trust too).

 

[Zilog Jones]

These are all good drives but they all run hot. Are you trying to
reduce heat because you feel that will improve reliability?

Not really, I just don't want things too hot. Though saying that my
current PC's case temp. is usually around 20-30C, so it's not really a
serious issue.

If you want something less hot (althogh reliability is another
matter) then try a Samsung or go for a 5400 rpm although the price
difference between 7200 and 5400 is very small.

I'd rather have a 7200 rpm drive, plus I can only find 120GB and higher
Samsung drives here - I'd rather go with a well-trusted brand anyway,
though.

If I *had* to choose between the three listed I would go for the
Seagate but that is because I don't mind the heat it generates and
I appreciate the relative quietness. In your own case the Caviar
might be good if you need performance and don't mind noise. A
comprmise is the Maxtor.

Anything new will be quiet compared to what I have now - a pretty noisy
8.4GB Seagate Medalist and a relatively quiet 4.3GB Fujitsu - one new
drive is going to be a damn sight quieter than those two old dogs together!

Thanks for your input everyone else, too - I think I will go for the WD
after all.

 

[Ayaz Ahmed Khan]

"Zilog Jones" typed:

Anything new will be quiet compared to what I have now - a pretty
noisy 8.4GB Seagate Medalist and a relatively quiet 4.3GB Fujitsu -
one new drive is going to be a damn sight quieter than those two old
dogs together!

My old 4.3-GB Fujitsu is, strangely, quieter than my new 40-GB Segate
Barracuda. If I close in on the CPU, I can hear the disks inside the
Segate hard-drive spinning, but not those in the Fujitsu one.