Raptor 74gig VS 200gig SATA performance differences?

[Mavrick007]

I am looking at getting one of those 74gig Raptors since they are a great deal right now.
I would use it as my main system drive and keep my slower ide drives as storage.

I noticed that some people say the Raptors are not that much faster or better than a regular SATA drive.
What do people use their Raptor for that makes it worth it for them?

I am thinking about the 74gig Raptor or a 200gig SATA WD drive right now.

 

[Mik3y]

its only worth it for the money if you do a LOT of large file transfers. otherwise, their not too much faster then the other sata drives. in fact, new generation sata drives wtih 16mb cache's are actually neck to neck with the raptors in performance while they still hold 3-4 times as much space. even now, the raptors arent worth getting because of their small storage capabilities.

 

[Pariah]

its only worth it for the money if you do a LOT of large file transfers. otherwise, their not too much faster then the other sata drives.

Other way around. If all you do is mass large file transfers, you are far better off with a high capacity 7200RPM drive that will perform pretty darn close to the Raptor. If you do lots of highly randomized accesses and small file transfers, the Raptor is the much better choice.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: Mik3y
in fact, new generation sata drives wtih 16mb cache's are actually neck to neck with the raptors in performance while they still hold 3-4 times as much space.

Care to back any of that up?

Raptor 74's are faster by about 25% in most things. And where are these 16MB drives you speak of? Maxtor's MaxLine III is the only drive that will soon hit the market with 16MB cache, and it is slower than Hitachi drives with 8MB cache.

 

[Tostada]

Comparison of:

Raptor 74 (8MB) 10,000 RPM
Hitachi 7K250 (8MB) 7200 RPM
Maxtor MaxLine III (16MB) 7200 RPM

http://storagereview.com/php/benchmark/compare_rtg_2001.php?typeID=10&testbedID=3&osID=4&raidconfigID=1&numDrives=1&devID_0=254&devID_1=250&devID_2=257&devCnt=3

 

[Mavrick007]

The deal that is out now where you can get a 74gig Raptor for $168 amr sounds sweet,
but I've got to tell ya that 200gigs SATA for under $130 is also sweet.

I do alot of small file transfers but I was thinking for OS and applications that I use often, as well as a couple of good games.

I have 2 x 120gig JB's now and they work great, but I do like to experiment with new hardware and if it was worth it, I would get one now while they are a great deal.

 

[Tostada]

Well, the bottom line is that the Raptor 74 will be noticably faster, while a 200 GB drive will obviously be noticably bigger.

Get the Raptor if you don't need the space (and you don't sound like you're hurting for space).

 

[Mavrick007]

Heh You'd be surprised. I have more hd space on the little laptop I bought a few weeks ago (which just has a 6gig drive).

I know the 74gig is faster, I'm just trying to see if people find the performance worth it over a larger 7200rpm sata drive.

 

[Tostada]

You currently have at least 240 GB of hard drive space, and you've got less than 6 GB free...

It sounds like you need to be spending your time burning some DVD-R backups of all that crap on your hard drive you'll never use.

 

[Mavrick007]

Haha It's true, I do need to clear out some of the crap on the drives. I was going to install some more stuff but I don't have much for space right now. Actually I have around 400gigs or so in drives that are of a half decent size but spread across a few machines.

Things will change when I get my new dvd burner. I am going to pick it up tonite, along with 100 blanks so I'll be able to back some more stuff up.

I was thinking about a sata drive since I do not have one of those yet and I have a few headers unused on my mobo. I can easily convince myself to get the raptor, but the 200gigs in one drive sounds pretty nice too.. especially at the 65 cent/gig price. Heh Maybe I'll just get both the raptor and the 200gig sata

 

[SickBeast]

Originally posted by: Tostada

Originally posted by: Mik3y
in fact, new generation sata drives wtih 16mb cache's are actually neck to neck with the raptors in performance while they still hold 3-4 times as much space.

Care to back any of that up?

Raptor 74's are faster by about 25% in most things. And where are these 16MB drives you speak of? Maxtor's MaxLine III is the only drive that will soon hit the market with 16MB cache, and it is slower than Hitachi drives with 8MB cache.

Actually, Anand just did a preview of the new Maxtor 16MB cache drives and they were as fast or faster than the 74GB Raptor overall. I'm too lazy to post a link.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: SickBeast
Actually, Anand just did a preview of the new Maxtor 16MB cache drives and they were as fast or faster than the 74GB Raptor overall. I'm too lazy to post a link.

Interesting... So, AnandTech is totally contradicting StorageReview?

I would check, but AT is "currently offline for system maintenance."

 

[classy]

Originally posted by: SickBeast

Originally posted by: Tostada

Originally posted by: Mik3y
in fact, new generation sata drives wtih 16mb cache's are actually neck to neck with the raptors in performance while they still hold 3-4 times as much space.

Care to back any of that up?

Raptor 74's are faster by about 25% in most things. And where are these 16MB drives you speak of? Maxtor's MaxLine III is the only drive that will soon hit the market with 16MB cache, and it is slower than Hitachi drives with 8MB cache.

Actually, Anand just did a preview of the new Maxtor 16MB cache drives and they were as fast or faster than the 74GB Raptor overall. I'm too lazy to post a link.

The raptor even in Anands review was still overall faster. And in things like game loading times the Raptor was a quite a bit ahead.

 

[EeyoreX]

I know the 74gig is faster, I'm just trying to see if people find the performance worth it over a larger 7200rpm sata drive.

It really all depends. If you need the space there is no comparison. If you need to save a few seconds, tops, then you want the Raptor. There really isn't going to be all that much difference in the real-world. Benchmarks show what appears to be a big difference. What a human can notice however is often not as significant. I like fast. But I'd still spend less to get more (ie; I'd buy the 200GB drive)

\Dan