Best 7200RPM HDD for 24/7 operation ... tough one

[mastabog]

Hello again guys.
I have an issue here.
I tested many IDE 7200RPM drives and many died after some months of 24/7 operation (intensively). Not counting the IBM GXP family which i personally think its a super fast drive but hell not reliable (they do state that the average operation per day should not exceed 10-12 hours).

I truly need a fast IDE drive that can go 24/7 without worries. I personally lean towards the MAXTOR D740X but its rather an unbased opinion since they are new and dont have 1 year of 24/7. But since they are based on Quntum's Fireball technology i would believe they are reliable.

I heard something about Seagate being reliable also.

The question is ... what brand at 7200rpm do you own (or heard of) that went for more than 6-12 monts in 24/7 and still going without problems?


Cheers,
BoG

p.s. I would prolly get answers about 5 brands, each with 20% in weight ... but thats the risk of any forum

 

[DeepSparklePupa]

I've been running two Western Digital 200BB's (20 gig, 7200 rpm) disks 24/7 since mid November, 2001. On RAID 0 no less!
*gulp*

-DSP

 

[yellowperil]

I have a Western Digital WD600BB and it's great. Even though I don't run it on every night (too hot), if I do SVCD encoding it is being accessed/written to continuously for 7-9 hours at a time. I had a 60GXP that gave up after a few weeks of doing this, but the WD is still going.

 

[Adul]

i owna maxtor and my pc is on 24/7, but ide is only so reliable. SCSI is the way to go. or maybe running IDE raid 1

 

[amdskip]

You would probably want those hard drives to have coolers to make sure they don't get too hot.

I would run maxtors or seagate myself.

 

[tekmachine]

When it comes to my own machine, I've been buying WD 7200 rpm drives. No issues in the last 5 months or so with almost 24hr use. I hear great things about Maxtor too...

Seagate are meant to be good as well, but run a tad hotter, so I tend not to like them for that reason (they are quiet tho...which makes me think I should slap down some cash Seagate's way in future. I love quiet systems). Choosing HDs is a tough one. Always tends to come down to pot luck, really. You hear horror stories with every manufacturer and opinions are strong. After all, losing your data to a malfunctioning drive tends to make you a strong believer/non-believer of a particular manufacturer

Just make sure there's adequate airflow for the drive and its mounted properly (and with care) and hope for the best...whichever drive you choose.

Good luck.

 

[mastabog]

Ooh, trust me i have coolers all over the place. My machine is like a Boeing right now
I've been working in rooms with 20PCs and mainframes alltogether so you imagine how insensible i am to noise right now. Frnakly i never liked Seagate too much. Tested a lot of Barracude IV. All the people buy them right now because they are quiet but as i said in the 1st post .. this is only due to the fact that they come with AAM enabled by default and no utility to toggle it. Enable AAM on MAXTOR and you will have the same level of noise.

I had lots of WDs at 5400 and i was dissapointed so thats why i didnt buy WDs 7200 .. but like you said ... if you have a problem with brand X then brand X sucks and you will never buy it again.
I think i will go for a 3 x MAXTOR RAID 1 ... the Quantums they are building on right now used to be drives with great fiability.

I just wanna hear more opinions about ppl who REALLY HAVE HDs RUNNING 24/7 FOR LONG TIME !!

Cheers and i'm waiting your comments,
BoG

 

[Homer]

OK then, how about the 5year old Quantum Fireball 4.3 gig that's been running on my NAT machine down cellar 24/7 for the last 3 years? That reliable enough for ya?

 

[John]

masta, flip a coin because you will get biased opinions. There is no "best". You should consider the D740x or the Barracuda IV IMHO.

 

[mastabog]

Well, i was talking about 7200rpms ... and yes, i knew i would get opinions about every brand, but these are the forums, i'll make a medium and then a decision.

Thanks
BoG

 

[Adul]

run them in a raid 1 + 5 array. that will require 6 drives but give you a very reliable storage option.

 

[iluvdeal]

I've run a WD 25GB drive for over a long time 24/7 without a problem. Upgraded to a WD 120GB and its running fine as well. Just be sure to use a hdd cooler if u plan on running it that much.

 

[mastabog]

Yep, you're right ... i was thinking of that also (maybe not necessarely 5+1 but a 3+1 will do just fine).

About your quote, in Romania we say: Don't argue with an idiot because he has a rested mind"

Cheers,
BoG

 

[MichaelD]

<< OK then, how about the 5year old Quantum Fireball 4.3 gig that's been running on my NAT machine down cellar 24/7 for the last 3 years? That reliable enough for ya? >>



Dayuum. That's not a HD, it's a relic.

Wow. I can see it now...*shimmering sound*



<< The Mummy's Revenge, Part III, featuring the return of Omar Jeskivash as The Mummy and Homer's crusty old hard drive as The Mummy's new Evil Sidekick! "I've been running 24/7 since 4342 BC...all your arse belong to me!!!!! >>



Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Personally, I take the Maxtor D740x. Good luck, no matter what you choose!

 

[BFG10K]

I'd stick to a Seagate Barracuda IV of some kind.

 

[blstriker]

I have two maxtor 740 80 giggers with the liquid bearings on 24/7 for a few months in a raid 1. Seems pretty good, but it's only been a few months. It's hard to say. I'd definitly stay away from the ibm's.

 

[mastabog]

Oooh Amin to that!! ... I don't know why IBM kept producing drives on the same technology knowing all the complaints from users.
Regarding the advices i had to toss a coin and choose ... well, i did toss a coin ... and picked IBM ... 4 HDDs, 4 deaths after 1 or 2 months of 24/7 ... those drives simply don't work for a long time. Not to mention i had coolers on them that kept them no more than 25-27°Celsius

Now i am in France and believe it or not .. they have all Maxtor models but the liauid bearing model ... God, they are so behind with technology and IT knowledge ...
I think i will order some from NewEgg and have my relatives in the states send them to me in France.

Cheers