What is the best hard drive i can get.

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5489

Platinum Member
Aug 12, 2001
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Its going to be for the OS, so im gonna have a seperate hard drive for data.
I think around 20 gigs is good for the OS.
so what is the best IDE hard drive out there.
 
S

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
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Probably a Maxtor D740X if they make a 20 GB version, or a Seagate Barracuda IV which is a little slower and quieter than the Maxtor. You might as well go with a 40 GB drive since both the Maxtor and Seagate have 40 GB platters and shouldn't be much more expensive.
 
M

madthumbs

Banned
Oct 1, 2000
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Does the bearing make any difference when it's the heads thrashing that makes the noise?

Maxtor, and one other manufacturer have a DOS program out that you can set the ACM with. Using this program for supported Maxtor Hard drives can either quiet down, or speed up the performance of the drive. Well, it can also slow it down or make it noisier.
 
S

Sukhoi

Elite Member
Dec 5, 1999
15,346
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From what I've read the fluid bearings in the Maxtor don't make a lot of difference since most of the noise is from the seeks and the bearings don't effect that.
 
J

John

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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<< From what I've read the fluid bearings in the Maxtor don't make a lot of difference since most of the noise is from the seeks and the bearings don't effect that. >>



Storagereview.com claimed ~2db from what I recall.
 
P

Pariah

Elite Member
Apr 16, 2000
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I wouldn't worry about the bearings. There may be a measureable difference, but that doesn't translate into a humanly audible difference. Bearings will only affect idle noise, which for all current IDE drives is basically dead silent. Once you put it in a case with fans, you really need a silent environment and some great hearing to hear an IDE drive spinning. It's generally accepted that it takes a difference of 3dB to make a noticeable difference in volume, but if the louder one is already inaudible, making it quieter doesn't make any difference.

SR said the following of the regular D740X:

"idle noise should be undetectable in all but the quietest systems"

If the 2 drives cost the same, by all means go for the FB version, but don't spend extra money on it thinking you will notice the difference.
 
J

John

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
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storagereview.com did an update concerning the D740x on April 4.




<< Regarding FDB noise, in our objective measurements, the unit scores 43.9 dB/A @ 18 mm- a good 2.4 db/A lower than that of the ball bearing unit. This really does translate into a noticeably lower noise floor in our isolated measurement conditions. Will one notice the difference in your case with X # of fans? As always, its difficult to say. Cases, fans, room, and ears all contribute to perception. >>



I don't know about the rest of you, but I can hear 44dB just fine. Saving a few dB can possible make a difference if you are going for the near silent system.
 
P

Pariah

Elite Member
Apr 16, 2000
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"I don't know about the rest of you, but I can hear 44dB just fine."

You failed to mention that if you taped the hard drive to your forehead it would be more than 5 times further away from your ears than the distance between the mic and their test drive (18mm or about .75in). This in an isolated environment on top of that. Clearly this is not in anyway a realistic real world scenario. Put that drive in a case 3 feet away from you and you are no where near 44dB. Maxtor states the idle noise of the standard model is 30dB vs 27dB for the FB. These sound like more realistic numbers and neither would be audible to most people unless they were really concentrating on them in a quieter than average room.

Also, SR replaced the original post about the Maxtor models that said in informal testing there was no audible difference between the two models.
 
mcveigh

mcveigh

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2000
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<<

<< Maxtor D740X w/ fluid bearings. >>



Couldn't say it better myself. :) >>


a third for that
 
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