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Which hard drive?

i got an IBM Deskstar XGP 40GB b/c i heard many good things about it, including AnandTech's review. unfortunately, i think i got a lemon. but you might want to get some more opinions b4 you rule it out. after all, this is my experience, and may be different from many other people's experiences. maybe i'm the one person out of 100 who got a bad HD. you should also consider adding a poll to your thread. it will give you a better idea of who is using (or considering buying) what HD.

...too bad you can't find Western Digital 40GB special edition HD's anywhere. i know they have specifications for one at there official website, but i have yet to see one in stores or find one for sale anywhere online. the smallest i can find is 80GB...
 
i wouldn't touch IBM drives with a turd stained stick right now
since they sold their hard drive sector and because they had issues with several of their models
i rather get a drive that is supported and has many good things to be said about it
 
Yeah WD missed out not putting a 40GB SE in the market I would have picked up a few.....

My picks based on good running satisfaction: Seagate, WD......

Bad Bad Drive: IBM, that "pixie dust" must be Talcum powder to stop the drives from scratching in the first
few hours of operation.....
 
so maxtor or seagate?? I hear maxtors can get pretty loud. Does seagate make good hard drives?
 
If you're concerned about price I'd go with the Maxtor, unless you can find a Seagate for sale.

If price isn't that big of an Issue, I'd choose the Seagate, In my opinion they're more relilable, I've owned both, and I've RMA'd two maxtors, and Never had a problem with my Seagate.

Also If you do decide to go with the Maxtor, do it before October 1st. After that date, all drives purchased will come with a 1 year warranty. Anything you have already, or purhcase before that date, will still have the 3 year warranty.

Right now you can get a Seagate for 89.99 @ Best Buy, and you get a $10 gift card by mail.

In comparison, I bought a Maxtor there three weeks ago for $55, it was on sale at the time--I couldn't resist
 
I have two Maxtors, and no problems. I don't find them louder than other 7200 rpm drives, but if your concerned with noise Maxtor has a utility to adjust the noise/performance ratio. And there priced right.😉

Just look for a site with a coupon and rebate. I got my 80 gig for $60.00 after coupons and rebates.
 
Staples.com has the 40 gig maxtor retail boxed drives available with rebates. The 40 gig 7200 rpm drive is just $59.94 after rebate. If you want a bigger drive, the 60 gig is $79.94 after rebate and the 80 gig is $99.98 after rebate. There are also some $20 off $100 coupon codes out there to save an additional $20 on the bigger drives. The newegg drives are oem versions without the mounting brackets, IDE cables and Maxblast software. I kind of like getting the retail box versions, especially if they can be had for less $ than the bare versions. I may have to pick up an extra one, just to have it on hand in case one goes down.
 
get the seagate: it's pretty fast, completely reliable and the quietest 7200rpm drive there is (even the seeks aren't audible in a nearly silent system...it's pretty weird for the first week or so, to see the hdd light flashing without making any sound)
however if you need the absolute fastest, don't mind some noise, and can spend a little more for a bigger drive, get the wd 80gb SE

PS: just look on pricewatch, you can find the seagate shipped for $70
 
i would have said maxtor up until like 3 days ago when i heard about the whole warrenty thing. know i only buy WD or seagate, but seagate rarely has what i'm looking for at the price i'm looking for, so WD it is. they don't make the special edition in 40 gig but they have the regular 2mb version, but if you can get the seagate for about the same then get it.
 
So which should I get

Maxtor D740X in 40 or 60 or 80GB
a Seagate Baracudda ATAV
or a Western Digital with 8MB cache???

 
Just to make Seagate look good now, I bought a Barracuda II from someone here a long time ago, (bear in mind it was old to begin with) and it gets tremendiously hot, makes al sorts of odd loud noises, and is slower than hell now. Of course it wasn't always like this, I have had it for about a year (and it was like 2 years old to begin with) When I got it, it ran fast, quiet, but still pretty warm. Now in its current condition it will not break down, it simply will not give up. the thing sounds like its going to explode (now, of course it is a new sound from using it so long and under very very very very warm conditions) and it will not quit, it keeps going. (mother won't let me replace it until it dies, dammit) So Seagate does make some very good drives, and I thouroughly recommend Seagate. WD, of course, makes good drives as well, had some great experiences as well. The normal 40gb is nice and quiet and fast as can be. Either way will be a good investment, just go for what can be had cheaper. 🙂
 
I have a Seagate 1GB PIO Mode 4 POS from way back when.

it started making noises and took extra time to seek for data (make whirring noises) and was about to die.

I cleaned it, defragged it, and its running better but its on the verge of just passing out.

I added a Maxtor 4GB drive as a secondary drive in case the Seagate does die ... but a drive that keeps on chugging but makes weird noises, gets ultra hot, and starts to take extra time to look for stuff isn't the sign of a good drive. Hey, that sounds like the 75GXP! lol 😉 albeit not as bad tho...

The Baracudda ATA-IV looks pretty slow compared to the WD and D740xs tho...
 
please don't judge seagate by drives from 8 years ago. their current ones have top-notch reliability (better than WD) and the 'cuda IV is just as fast as the 40gb WD -- in any case, both are good drives...so I stand by my statement: if you just need 40gb, then nothing beats the 'cuda IV, but if you want more space, more speed, and more noise, get the WD 80gb or larger
 
Originally posted by: metroplex
but a drive that keeps on chugging but makes weird noises, gets ultra hot, and starts to take extra time to look for stuff isn't the sign of a good drive. Hey, that sounds like the 75GXP! lol 😉 albeit not as bad tho...

The Baracudda ATA-IV looks pretty slow compared to the WD and D740xs tho...
Click to expand...



LMAO .. hhaha
 
I have a Seagate Barricuda IV, 7200, 60 GB that's pretty close to silent and if I shut the door where the computer resides in the desk I can't hear it at all! I have only had it for about 6 months but so far I can't complain, it hasn't let me down like other hard drives had in the past. I only paid about $90 USD online which is cheaper than I could have bought HD "X" for at the local store.
 
or 40GB drives it looks like the D740X is KING.

For 80GB or higher the Western Digitals definitely take the cake.

As for noise, I don't really care about normal operating noise. It's weird noises that I'm concerned about.

The 120GB Western Digital w/ 8MB cache is the loudest but also runs the coolest. It also benched faster than the Cudas and I think the closest 2nd runner up would be the D740X. My friend is recommending the Cuda, but I just don't see how they're better than the D740Xs or Western Digital Caviars.
 
I got a Maxtor D740X and works very nice, fast, and I dont think its loud.
If noise is a problem get the AMSET program from Maxtor, you can manage the noise of the HDD.
So my vote goes to Maxtor.

Raf
 
There used to be three manufacturer's drives I would buy and nothing else. Western Digital, IBM, and Samsung. Now I only will buy from two manufacturer's, Samsung and Western Digital. They are the best. I would never buy a Maxtor. I haven't tried a Seagate since back in the 80's. Samsung drives are very quiet and reliable. I rate them right up there with old reliable, Western Digital. The newer the drive the quieter it is. That's true of most all manufacturers.

For reliability, get a slower drive. Less online wear and tear and less heat. Heat kills in electronics. The difference in speed between a 5400 rpm and a 7200 rpm won't even be noticed. If you're gonna crunch the payroll of 500-1,000 employees on a weekly basis then get a fast computer with a 10,000 rpm SCSI drive. I've seen WD and Samsung drives last for years with daily use (8 hours) with no problems.
 
I beg to differ.

There's a noticeable performance difference between 5400 RPM and 7200 RPM drives.

It's like comparing a 97 T-bird V8 with a 01 Mustang GT.
Same engine (4.6L SOHC V8) but with various differences that result in the GT running circles around the T-bird (i.e. heads, cams, exhaust, intake, etc... but relatively same Romeo modular block)

As for noise, the Maxtor D740X is by far one of the quietest 7200 RPM drives I've used, almost as quiet as my 75GXP when it was new.

Noise is not an issue for me considering i have an AMD Athlon T-bird that's running 1.4 @ 1.6 GHz, where the CPU fan + the power supply fans are noisier than everything else.
 
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