Hard Drive Opinion Please

D

Dave C.

jm said:
http://www.compusa.com/products/pro...=rb&product_code=314482&pfp=external#moreinfo

160GB, 7200RPM, Internal ATA Hard Drive

Manufacturer: Hitachi


Mfg Part #: H3160B72P


Product Number: 314482


Price: $69.99*
after: $20.00 instant rebate(s)
$50.00 mail-in rebate(s)

I just wanted to know if this was an good hard drive. Nothing strange
that I should know about. Thank you.

It shouldn't be too bad. I've had good luck with Hitachi. FWIW, you can
get the same drive for about $89 including shipping from newegg and not have
to mess around with the mail-in rebate. You can also get Western Digital or
Samsung for the same price, and those are both good brands. If you have to
buy from compusa, that's a decent price. I hate rebates, though. -Dave

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-011&depa=0
 
J

jm

Dave C. said:
It shouldn't be too bad. I've had good luck with Hitachi. FWIW, you can
get the same drive for about $89 including shipping from newegg and not have
to mess around with the mail-in rebate. You can also get Western Digital or
Samsung for the same price, and those are both good brands. If you have to
buy from compusa, that's a decent price. I hate rebates, though. -Dave

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-011&depa=0


I think I have to buy a SATA board, however. Mine only support PATA.
 
D

Dave C.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-011&depa=0


I think I have to buy a SATA board, however. Mine only support PATA.

OK, I just re-checked both hard drives referenced in these urls. Both
appear to be IDE format, so you should be all set. ATA is another way of
saying IDE or PATA. SATA is the newer technology that might require you to
purchase a new controller board. But either of the two hard drives linked
above should work for you. -Dave
 
S

sdlomi2

Dave C. said:
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?tabtype=rb&product_code=3
14482&pfp=external#moreinfo

It shouldn't be too bad. I've had good luck with Hitachi. FWIW, you can
get the same drive for about $89 including shipping from newegg and not have
to mess around with the mail-in rebate. You can also get Western Digital or
Samsung for the same price, and those are both good brands. If you have to
buy from compusa, that's a decent price. I hate rebates, though. -Dave

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-011&depa=0
FWIW, did any of the others come with a 3-year warranty like the
Samsung? BTW: Does anyone know if Samsung is mfg'd by IBM? s
 
D

Dave C.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-011&depa=0
FWIW, did any of the others come with a 3-year warranty like the
Samsung? BTW: Does anyone know if Samsung is mfg'd by IBM? s

The samsung uses different technology than the IBM (Hitachi) drives do. For
one example, they are programmed to produce less noticeable noise by varying
the frequency of noise to a range that is less noticeable to human ears.
Besides, if IBM made drives for Samsung, that would be like Ford
manufacturing cars for Toyota.

But of the cheapest three 160GB drives listed on newegg, only the Samsung
has a 3 year warranty, the others are one year. -Dave
 
J

jm

Dave C. said:
The samsung uses different technology than the IBM (Hitachi) drives do. For
one example, they are programmed to produce less noticeable noise by varying
the frequency of noise to a range that is less noticeable to human ears.
Besides, if IBM made drives for Samsung, that would be like Ford
manufacturing cars for Toyota.

But of the cheapest three 160GB drives listed on newegg, only the Samsung
has a 3 year warranty, the others are one year. -Dave

But if possible, I should opt for Serial instead of Parallel, correct?
If I have a PCI card to get SATA will that cut out my benefit
(because it's not resident on the Motherboard)?

Thanks.
 
D

Dave C.

But if possible, I should opt for Serial instead of Parallel, correct?
If I have a PCI card to get SATA will that cut out my benefit
(because it's not resident on the Motherboard)?

Thanks.

There is no benefit of serial over parallel that I'm aware of. They are the
same price. In some instances, I've seen SATA drives SLIGHTLY cheaper than
their IDE counterparts, but not significantly so (a few bucks). There is
certainly no speed increase, as both interfaces transfer data faster than
the hard drives connected to them can. You might get SATA if you plan to
use that drive in your NEXT computer system. But even that might not be
necessary. IDE is so prevalent that even your next computer built a few
years from now will still have IDE connectors. In the very unlikely event
that it doesn't, a IDE expansion card should be about 10 bucks or less.

I think you should buy a hard drive that matches your current
otherboard. -Dave
 

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