New Harddrive

[Uthor]

Okay, I just gave away my secondary harddrive and am looking to purchase a new one. I like to have two hard-drives for backup reasons and will use the new drive for storage of A/V files, mp3s, programs, etc, in addition to backing up files. Basically anything that I wouldn't want to lose if my main drive fails or I need to reformat. I don't plan on much writting to the drive, just reading of mp3s or movie files after they are stored.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a drive I should purchase? I currently have a WD 80 GB drive with an 8 mb buffer and 7200 RPM. I was looking at something similar, with possibly more space (though I won't need more for a couple of years or til games start needing more than 10 GB for installation).

The WD is $69 at newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-122&depa=1

I was also looking at the 120 GB Hitachi for $89:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-145-034&depa=1

And there is a 160 GB Samsung for $92, but it only has a 2MB buffer, and that price is only good for the next 24 hours:
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=22-152-011&depa=1

[ferret]

For gaming, you definately need that 7200+rpm and 8meg cache. Don't even consider a 2meg cache.

[blue]

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=298845&pfp=hpf2

Internal/External: Internal
Capacity: 200 GB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Cache Size: 8 MB
Port Connectors: IDE - ATA/EIDE/ATAPI 40 pin Header

Regular Retail Price: $179.99
-$20.00 Instant Savings (Valid: 6/13/2004 - 6/19/2004)

You Pay: $159.99 Price after instant rebates, if any
-$60.00 CompUSA Mail-In Rebate (Valid: 6/13/2004 - 6/19/2004)

CompUSA Price: $99.99 Price after instant & mail-in rebates

[Uthor]

For gaming, you definately need that 7200+rpm and 8meg cache. Don't even consider a 2meg cache.

This is not gonna be my main drive, it'll be one I just store stuff on. All programs I install on my current WD drive with an 8mb cache. I would, however, store backups of saved games from any game I uninstalled, plus any patches, map-packs, add-ons, demo, etc.

I will, however, probably use whatever I buy as a main drive for a new computer that I might build in a couple of years, though 10,000 rpm may be cheap at that point.

[Uthor]

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=298845&pfp=hpf2

Internal/External: Internal
Capacity: 200 GB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Cache Size: 8 MB
Port Connectors: IDE - ATA/EIDE/ATAPI 40 pin Header

Regular Retail Price: $179.99
-$20.00 Instant Savings (Valid: 6/13/2004 - 6/19/2004)

You Pay: $159.99 Price after instant rebates, if any
-$60.00 CompUSA Mail-In Rebate (Valid: 6/13/2004 - 6/19/2004)

CompUSA Price: $99.99 Price after instant & mail-in rebates

Does this work for online purchases? If I new about this, I would have bought it yesterday when I was up Chicago way, but I'm currently 111 miles from the nearest store.

[sexyownage]

hitachi's break down. get a seagate they are tons of 120gb ones in stores for 60 after rebates. reliable and quiet.

[blue]

i do believe it doesnt uthor. seagates are better and best buy had a sale on them a week ago thou.. watch the adds.

www.pricewatch.com
www.techbargains.com

those are decent sites too. techbargains has a search engine on th eleft worth checking out.

[Uthor]

Okay, I just spent way too much money at Borders, so this'll have to wait a week or two. I'll keep looking at the ads, though there's only a Best Buy and a Circuit City near me. I was looking at newegg just cause I didn't feel like dealing with pricewatch for some reason, though I have bought stuff after using it before with no problems. I'll check that out later also.

So, I still like my WD, I've always heard Maxtors are on par (sometimes I hear they're worse, sometimes better, never by much), I'll stay away from Hitachis, and look into Seagates. Any other recomendations?

[zouyan]

Wait a while, Segate just announced a 400gb HD :D

[Uthor]

Wait a while, Segate just announced a 400gb HD :D

Okay, I know I said I could never fill up a 4 GB harddrive when I first got one, then I said I could never fill up a 40 GB harddrive, and now I'm close to having 80 GB (and I'm being extremely strict on what I store), but I don't see myself ever storing 400 GB.

[blue]

<.<

>.>

http://bluesniper.spurtyspub.com/Data/Photos/misc/screenshots/p_properties.gifhttp://bluesniper.spurtyspub.com/Data/Photos/misc/screenshots/folder_p_properties.gif

i need to start looking myself

[Uthor]

I try to keep my mp3s under 750 MB. Above that, and I know it's time to buy more CDs. (Music CDs, not CD-R's to burn the mp3s).

[ferret]

You win, kind sir. I sit at but 19gigs of mp3s.

[blue]

cds scratch.

i have these puppies duplicated in 4. lol
i have the raid array itself (2 - 120 gig's) and then my external hard drive. and of course i have them hidden away from the public eye wiht restrited access on my linux server. =D

-- my Music Video folder is a nice 12 gigs :)
the rest is mostly... my Files ;)

[sexyownage]

50 bucks u dont listen to half of those songs.. and if u put shuffle on winamp with all ur songs, it would take 5 days to play a good one. :P

[blue]

lol i have them on random. yes i dont listen to all of it. but i play DJ to the folks here at work. they all attach to my external drive and power there winamp's.

as of now:

12188 tracks in playlist, average track length: 4:20
Estimated playlist length: 882 hours 48 minutes 2 seconds
[36 days + 18 hours 56 minutes 24 seconds]

[zouyan]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=423018&sku=THD-2000JB%20P&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM706CV

tigerdirect $90 after rebate, 200 gb WD 8mb cache