Hard Drives!

wolfman

http://www.tomshardware.com/storage/20050927/index.html

smcicr

Would be like saying AMD's aren't very good as they run too hot.

while it's certainly fair to say that hitachi may well have turned things around, the deathstar drives: 65/120GXP are usually given as the reason IBM finally got out of the HDD business. (although i believe they still have a 30% share in the hitachi operation) something like that and the very high number of failures that went along with it is clearly going to leave a lasting memory for those who have experienced it. in many cases (and in many industries) this sort of thing is enough to put people off a brand, not just a product, for good.

the OP asked for opinions on a selection of drives and got them - regardless of what they are like now i wouldn't use a hitachi drive over a maxtor or a seagate as they have never let me down.

not sure i quite understand the above quote though - it's accepted fact that the afore mentioned drives suffered excessive levels of failure. to the best of my knowledge AMD processors do run hot but this has not lead to mass failures nor have AMD suffered mass failures for any other reason afaik? so how is saying the old deathstar drives were bobbins (which they were) at all like saying AMD aren't any good because they run hot?

wolfman

smcicr wrote:

the OP asked for opinions on a selection of drives and got them - regardless of what they are like now i wouldn't use a hitachi drive over a maxtor or a seagate as they have never let me down.

True, although it's rebranded, and things have definitely been turned around. I can't say for myself as I don't have one, but from the review I've read it'd be a drive worth considering.

smcicr wrote:

not sure i quite understand the above quote though - it's accepted fact that the afore mentioned drives suffered excessive levels of failure. to the best of my knowledge AMD processors do run hot but this has not lead to mass failures nor have AMD suffered mass failures for any other reason afaik? so how is saying the old deathstar drives were bobbins (which they were) at all like saying AMD aren't any good because they run hot?

I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't implying AMD's suffer from failure. I was saying that because they used to run hot, does not mean they do so now (which they don't). I think the same applies to the Hitachi drives, given the problems were 3 years ago, it's under new management, and they've been getting great reviews. They used to fail, but doesn't mean they will now.

Personally, I've got Maxtors and they've done me fine, but I wouldn't stick with them purely for that reason. Much like I switched from Intel to AMD, I'll always look around and buy what's best at the current time.

seanparkin

The seagate barracudas ever since SATA was released, have always been and are still the drive to match.

smcicr

@wolfman - got it, see what you're saying now

wolfman

Generally it's all much of a muchness as hard drives are difficult to test due to being inconsistent at times. Manufacturers aside, if possible get something along the lines of a SATA, 7,200rpm, 8mb (or even 16mb) cache drive and you should do fine. 200gb or 250gb will give you adequate space.

Rex_Mundi

FAT32 doesn't allow large files to be edited and messed with(2GB+)

It's actually 4GB maximum file size with FAT32.

gatra_2

COVKID wrote:

Just bought a Western Digital 250gig for £59.99 from Aldi in Coventry understand they have them in Rugby as well. See shop but don't drop today 12.18am

Yes Rugby store still has plenty at £59

cadboll

Thanks to all for your input and information.

I'm looking to do video work so obviously size and speed are important. After thinking it through I'm reluctant to go for more than 200GB drive incase it corrupts and crashes. Having 2/3 separate drives is a safer option.

I was looking at https://www.pcpro.co.uk and they seem to recommend Maxtor DiamondMax 10. Any thoughts?

I notice terms such as SATA, IDE, cache, etc have been used in previous posts - I'm afraid that technical jargon has lost me! If possible could someone advise in simple terms the best course of action. My preference at the moment is to go with Maxtor. Thanks.