Good hardware reviews?

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Corliss
  • Start date Start date
Guess I'm spoiled by the fact that in the past, hard drives were far
more reliable. My neice is still using my P90 with a 730 mb Western
Digital that I bought back in 1994.
Click to expand...

Maybe, but that seems the exception to the rule as I've
thrown away quite a few 2GB and smaller drives over the
years. Could it be that with a P90 your neice simply
doesn't use the system much or very aggressively? Pretty
much out of the quesiton whether she'd be streaming data,
video editing, doing large file transfers, loading games or
any of the other myriad things that cause hundreds of GB or
more data I/O. Even loading & running the OS on a box that
old has far less access, providing the box isn't starved for
memory so it's constantly using HDD for virtual memory.
 
kony said:
Maybe, but that seems the exception to the rule as I've
thrown away quite a few 2GB and smaller drives over the
years. Could it be that with a P90 your neice simply
doesn't use the system much or very aggressively? Pretty
much out of the quesiton whether she'd be streaming data,
video editing, doing large file transfers, loading games or
any of the other myriad things that cause hundreds of GB or
more data I/O. Even loading & running the OS on a box that
old has far less access, providing the box isn't starved for
memory so it's constantly using HDD for virtual memory.
Click to expand...

Good points. However, when I used the computer I flogged that poor thing
mercilessly.

That hard drive had (and still has, because she has the documentation) a
life time warranty.

Still, your point in another reply about moving parts set my mind to
thinking and it occured to me that a larger capacity drive will mean
that the read head works harder. Obviously, the part that's goint to go
first would be the pivot on the read head arm. That's been the problem
on all of the drives that have gone out on me. In fact, it's my
understanding that this is what makes the "click... click... click..."
noise: the read head arm sticking and then breaking loose.
 
Guess I'm spoiled by the fact that in the past, hard drives were far
more reliable. My neice is still using my P90 with a 730 mb Western
Digital that I bought back in 1994.
Click to expand...

The number one killer of HDs (besides outright abuse) is heat.

If you keep your HDs cool, say 35C, then they will last a very long
time, with of course the lone exception that just breaks on its own no
matter what.
 
Still, your point in another reply about moving parts set my mind to
thinking and it occured to me that a larger capacity drive will mean
that the read head works harder.
Click to expand...

If large meant it used more read head, it might be possible
but if large simply mean higher density platter then the
read head will end up moving less, providing there's same
amount of data, particularly if contrasted with a very small
drive that got nearly full and then data was either
fragmented often or repeatedly needed defragged.

Obviously, the part that's goint to go
first would be the pivot on the read head arm. That's been the problem
on all of the drives that have gone out on me. In fact, it's my
understanding that this is what makes the "click... click... click..."
noise: the read head arm sticking and then breaking loose.
Click to expand...

If I were going to deliberately try to keep a HDD working as
long as possible, put the odds in favor of it even though
there is no proof it would help, I would:

Choose lowest RPM available
Set the acoustic noise management to quietest (slowest)
Provide lots of airflow, cool ambient temps, and if the
environment was anything but very clean, filters. While a
drive is sealed, most have a filtered vent hole still.

Beyond that, you could touch-test the various chips since a
drive's internal temp report is not telling of anything but
one lone spot on one component on the PCB, then provide more
airflow or 'sink any portions that were getting hotter.
Right now I have the newly acquired Maxtor drive out &
upside down in a testbed and I'm suprised that none of the
chips are gettting more than very mildly warm to the touch
with a very low RPM (undervolted) fan blowing across it. I
haven't taken a SMART temp reading from it yet but it's
certianly cooler running than past generations of 7K2 drives
from several manufacturers, including past Maxtors.
 
To which I say, bullcrap. Drives are NOT more reliable than "before" and
YES, I will want the same drive if I'm using the same computer. And a
mere five year life expectancy is not acceptable.
Click to expand...

You seem to be making all encompassing judgments based upon one
experience. Hardly definitive. What you see on Usenet is complaints,
people whose drives give time no trouble don't post and those whose
drives do give them trouble post a lot. Human nature. Having used MLM
and RLL drives as well as IDE drives I have only had one drive die on
me, a 75GXP the only IBM worthy of the name Deathstar. But as Anthony
said the evil drives do oft lives after them while the good is
interred with their bones.

--
Bubba

Sure, deck your limbs in pants,
Yours are the limbs, my sweeting.
You look divine as you advance . . .
Have you seen yourself retreating?

Ogden Nash
 
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