New Hard Drive: 2MB cache vs. 8MB Cache

[Purp1e]

I'm looking into getting a new drive.

Is their a real advantage in getting a drive with 8MB cache rather than 2MB
cache?

I recently had a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 80GB drive with 8MB cache, which I
found dealt with intense operations very quickly but would take a long time
to open folders on the hard drive. For example, the root directory would
take a couple of seconds to access. Is this a common complaint with 8MB
cache drives?

In addition, which drive would you all recommend for a budget of around
£60-£80?

Incidentally, I don't have any SATA capability.

Kind Regards,

Matt Boulton

 

[Rod Speed]

I'm looking into getting a new drive.

Tad radical.

Is their a real advantage in getting a drive
with 8MB cache rather than 2MB cache?

That can get you a 3 year instead of a 1 year warranty
and the price difference can be trivial. Certainly if you
arent paying much for it, its certainly worth having.

I recently had a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 80GB drive with
8MB cache, which I found dealt with intense operations very
quickly but would take a long time to open folders on the hard drive.

Thats unlikely to be anything to do with the 8MB cache.

For example, the root directory would take a couple of seconds
to access. Is this a common complaint with 8MB cache drives?

Nope. Must be some other problem.

In addition, which drive would you all
recommend for a budget of around £60-£80?

I like the WDs myself.

 

[Purp1e]

That can get you a 3 year instead of a 1 year warranty

and the price difference can be trivial. Certainly if you
arent paying much for it, its certainly worth having.

Which drives have a 3 year warranty?

 

[Rod Speed]

Which drives have a 3 year warranty?

Most obviously the WD 8MB cache versions, their JB drives.

Some of the other manufacturers do that too.

 

[DaveW]

Try a Western Digital drive with 8 MB cache.

 

[Cuzman]

" In addition, which drive would you all recommend for a budget of around
£60-£80? "


I have not long finished my first home-build, and I opted for a new 80GB
ATA-100 Western Digital Caviar with 8MB Cache, picked up from a components
dealer on eBay for £70.

 

[Barry OGrady]

Try a Western Digital drive with 8 MB cache.

How good is the WD1200BB? That's the 120 gig with 2 MB cache.


-Barry
========
Web page: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~barry.og
Atheist, radio scanner, LIPD information.
Voicemail/fax number +14136227640

 

[Rod Speed]

How good is the WD1200BB?

Very decent.

That's the 120 gig with 2 MB cache.

Yeah, I wouldnt pay a lot for a JB, but I'd certainly
take the JB if there wasnt much in it price wise.

I doubt few if any could pick the 8MB cache in a
proper double blind trial. The extra 2 year warranty
can be handy tho if you arent paying much for it.

 

[Arno Wagner]

I'm looking into getting a new drive.

Is their a real advantage in getting a drive with 8MB cache rather than 2MB
cache?

Not really from a technical side (unless you use an OS with
very bad/no buffering like MSDOS). But some manufacturers give
3 years warranty for some 8MB models but only 1 year for all
2MB models (Maxtor, Seagate, maybe others).

I recently had a Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 80GB drive with 8MB cache, which I
found dealt with intense operations very quickly but would take a long time
to open folders on the hard drive. For example, the root directory would
take a couple of seconds to access. Is this a common complaint with 8MB
cache drives?

Which OS? Without this info (precise!) no statement can be made.

In addition, which drive would you all recommend for a budget of around
£60-£80?

At the moment A Seagate 7200.7 120GB with 8MB cache. I am not sure
whether that still fits the budget, but it is one of the dirves with
long warranty, and the seagates run less hot and a little bit more
quiet that maxtor.

Arno

 

[Charles Hammond]

Depends on the operating system. For Win98 I would try to find a 20 Gig
DRive. WinXP can handle larger drives better. Make sure you are using a
80 wire data cable and the Ultra DMA ATA 100/133 drivers are installed.
Also make sure DMA is working on your hard drive. A 40 Gig Hard drive
might be faster.

 

[Rod Speed]

Depends on the operating system. For
Win98 I would try to find a 20 Gig DRive.

Mindlessly silly, Win98 will handle anything currently buyable fine.

WinXP can handle larger drives better.
Nope.

Make sure you are using a 80 wire data cable
and the Ultra DMA ATA 100/133 drivers are installed.
Also make sure DMA is working on your hard drive.
A 40 Gig Hard drive might be faster.

No might about it.

 

[Barry OGrady]

Depends on the operating system. For Win98 I would try to find a 20 Gig
DRive. WinXP can handle larger drives better. Make sure you are using a
80 wire data cable and the Ultra DMA ATA 100/133 drivers are installed.
Also make sure DMA is working on your hard drive. A 40 Gig Hard drive
might be faster.

I am using a Western Digital 120 gig HD with Windows 98SE, and my BIOS does
not handle more than 32 gigs.


-Barry
========
Web page: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~barry.og
Atheist, radio scanner, LIPD information.
Voicemail/fax number +14136227640