Which 80G Hard Drive? Please Advise

[sechs]

I would suggest a 120GXP. They're solid, inexpensive, and have very good performance.

Given a choice between Maxtor and WD, I'd have to go with Maxtor, especially if you can get the fluid bearing. If it weren't for price and the warranty flap, my last drive might have been a Maxtor.

 

[heartsurgeon]

just get the cheapest one - they'll both work fine.

got my son the wd 80gig SE seems nice.

 

[thorin]

Update:

Maxtor: 5 (~23%)
Seagate: 1 (~5%)
IBM: 2 (~9%)
Western Digital Special Edition: 14 (~63%)
------------------------------------------------------
Total: 22 (100%)

Thorin

 

[Sid59]

2 Maxtor drives here, 80 gig and 120 gig and rock solid.

 

[RaymondY]

Get the 80gb Western Digital Special Edition drive!!! It is quiet and fast!!! A+++

 

[thorin]

Updated scores:

Maxtor: 6 (~25%)
Seagate: 1 (~4%)
IBM: 2 (~8%)
Western Digital Special Edition: 15 (~63%)
------------------------------------------------------
Total: 24 (100%)

Thorin

 

[DJediMaster]

Ok I got the WD drive installed and I have been using it for 4 days now. Here is what i think:
The drive is very silent...as quiet as my maxtor 740dx 40 gig drive. The only way i know that it is working is if i look at the HDD light. Performance wise the drive is extremely fast. Noticeably faster than the maxtor drive when firing up games and copying/unpacking large files. I hope the drive is as reliable as the maxtor. I'm quite happy with the drive and would highly recommend it

 

[Texun]

I've used Maxtors for years and never had a problem, and I would buy another one in a minute if I wanted one.

I recently purchased the WD\SE 80g drive and have no complaints at all. The reason I went WD was due to the price point for the 8meg cache, and I still got a 3 yr warranty on it. If it craps out I'll RMA it and lick my wounds on whatever data I can't get back. Several years ago when the 850meg was the pinnacle for HD's I bought some WD's and they died left and right. However, that was a long time ago and I am hoping they got their act together now.

It's VERY quiet. Can't hear it above my 80mm quiet fans unless I am moving gigs of data across my network, and only then can I hear it if try real hard. Than again the Maxtor 45g that I pulled was also very quiet. It's going in another box that I have here.

The WD\SE seems fast, at least that's what the benchmarks show. I prefer to use the old "feel" test as my benchmark. Numbers mean nothing to me if I don't see and feel the speed. It feels good now but I?m not doing any handsprings yet.

Good luck with whatever you get.

 

[Paulson]

Originally posted by: DJediMaster
Ok I got the WD drive installed and I have been using it for 4 days now. Here is what i think:
The drive is very silent...as quiet as my maxtor 740dx 40 gig drive. The only way i know that it is working is if i look at the HDD light. Performance wise the drive is extremely fast. Noticeably faster than the maxtor drive when firing up games and copying/unpacking large files. I hope the drive is as reliable as the maxtor. I'm quite happy with the drive and would highly recommend it

Typical comment after purchasing a western digital..

they're the only hard drives I use..

 

[Techno Pride]

My Seagate Barracuda IV 80 gig has the same score of 43% as well. My previous Medalist has it at 36%, but still working after 2+ yrs.

In terms of noise, the BaraIV seems to be noisier than my other Maxtor DM +8 during seeks. However, the DM +8 has a noticable spinup noise and there's this terrible whine at idle which I cannot tolerate...

My vote goes to Seagate though

 

[thorin]

Updated scores:

Maxtor: 6 (~21%)
Seagate: 2 (~7%)
IBM: 2 (~7%)
Western Digital Special Edition: 18 (~65%)
------------------------------------------------------
Total: 28 (100%)

Thorin

 

[dahunan]

Thank you for this thread *whew*

I have used many hard drives over the years and had best luck with Maxtor and Seagate... but recently purchased a WD 80GB 8MB SE drive and have been afraid to make it my primary drive. I will just make good backups - I have never had to RMA a drive in my life -- yet *fingers crossed*

 

[Sid59]

2 MAxtor drives. Both are quiet and bot ROCK.

 

[bgeh]

a vote for WD

 

[dbwillis]

Get the spec edition drive

 

[slpaulson]

I'm a seagate fan myself, because they are so quiet.
But they aren't the fastest things out there either...

My friend has a WD 8mb cache and that sucker whines terrible when it's idle.

My mom has a maxtor 740dx with liquid bearings and that seems plenty nice too, but the seeks are still audible.

 

[OulOat]

Am I the only person who likes RMAing drives? Send old drive -> get newer, bigger drive

 

[BMW330ci]

I have 2 WD hard drives with 8MB cache - 100GB and 120GB - both are fast however they are loud! Most of these people with the 80GB version claim they are quiet so you may want to look into the 80GB version if silence is a factor to you.

I may have to replace my WD 120GB 8MB and go with the Maxtor 120GB 8MB.

 

[Bovinicus]

I am in a similar boat as you. After Christmas, I will have some extra money. I desparately need more storage space. I'm choosing between 120GB drives. As of now, the WD JB1200 looks like the best choice for me. It's near-silent, cool-running, and super fast. I like Maxtor's 8MB variants too, but they are a good $50 more expensive at this storage capacity. I still own a 3-4 year old 8.4GB WD HDD. It's a little loud for my tastes, but it is definitely reliable. It was fast for it's time as well.

 

[Imported]

I have 2 WD 80GB SEs.. I'd rather get another before I deal with Maxtor. I had one of their 80GB 740 liquid bearing drives, and it crapped out on me in less than 2 months.. bleh.

 

[MisterMe]

Originally posted by: OulOat
Am I the only person who likes RMAing drives? Send old drive -> get newer, bigger drive

I hear you! A couple years ago I had RMAd a 2 gigger and got back a 10. Last year I RMAd a 20 and got a 40...

 

[BMW330ci]

Originally posted by: Imported
I have 2 WD 80GB SEs.. I'd rather get another before I deal with Maxtor. I had one of their 80GB 740 liquid bearing drives, and it crapped out on me in less than 2 months.. bleh.

Imported: Are your 2 WD 80GB SEs just as silent as your Maxtor 80GB ?

 

[paperfist]

Another vote for the WD 80Mb SE 8Mb cache. Love mine and it's nice and quiet

 

[Imported]

Originally posted by: BMW330ci

Originally posted by: Imported
I have 2 WD 80GB SEs.. I'd rather get another before I deal with Maxtor. I had one of their 80GB 740 liquid bearing drives, and it crapped out on me in less than 2 months.. bleh.

Imported: Are your 2 WD 80GB SEs just as silent as your Maxtor 80GB ?

I wasn't able to tell the difference in their loudness. If there is a difference, it isn't much to overpower a number of case fans.

 

[Tab]

With the amount of people really enjoying their WD/SE. I have heard comments about after several months of use the drives devlop a mettalic whine. Can anyone enlighten me on this?