Large vs smaller Hard Drive

[MRGOOCH]

Does a smaller HD such as 40gb run better or live longer that the very large ones?

 

[nowayout99]

All else being equal, smaller capacity HDs could *in theory* last longer due to fewer platters (fewer moving parts) and less heat. I don't know of any scientific tests though...

 

[wacki]

If your are looking for longevity, the size of the drive will be insignificant compared to the quality of the parts in effectiving the drive lifespan. Standard home hard-drives cannot take as much abuse as server quality hardware. SCSI, and even Enterprise level Serial ATA hard drives will treat you much better than a standard home drive, but you will pay for it.


I still think, for the home user, RAID using cheap EIDE hard drives from a quality manufacturer like Seagate or Maxtor is the way to go for reliability. And if your truly want to be a reliability nut, you can remove hard-drive's arch nemesis, heat. Heat, is relatively high amounts can hurt hard-drives. I am a bit curious how much the Zalman heatpipe setup, or other cooling methods extend a hard drives life. From what I know, it's only hot server rooms, and poorly cooled cases you have to worry about. Then again, I haven't seen any statistics or lab tests on the subject. But I do know hard drives love freezer's when they break down!