Recommended HD brand?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Terry Pinnell
  • Start date Start date
T

Terry Pinnell

I have to replace my failing 4-year old 60 GB MAXTOR 6L060J3 hard
drive, and would like to try a brand other than Maxtor this time. I've
seen good reports of Barracuda for example, but would appreciate any
recommendations please.

I'm also a bit confused about what specification details are important
and what are not. The Maxtor (I have two of them) is described as
'EIDE, Ultra ATA/133'. Yet one of the Barracudas I was looking at here
http://tinyurl.com/6hnv3
says 'Seagate ST3120022A 120GB 7200RPM UDMA/100 2MB Cache - OEM'
That '133' implies faster speed than the '100 for the Seagate, but is
that relevant in practice? (FWIW, my PC is an Athlon XP1800+ with
512MB and an ASUS A7A266-E m/b.) And what's that 'OEM' all about?

Finally, if I decided to go to say 160/180/200GB instead of 120GB, can
someone clarify whether I should worry about this 137 GB restriction I
see mentioned for some HDs?
 
Terry Pinnell said:
Finally, if I decided to go to say 160/180/200GB instead of 120GB, can
someone clarify whether I should worry about this 137 GB restriction I
see mentioned for some HDs?
Click to expand...

OK, sorted that particular point thanks.

For anyone else curious, here's a quote from
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;303013

"Windows XP SP1 includes 48-bit LBA support for ATAPI disk drives.
With this support, you can use hard disks that are larger than the
current 137 GB limit. By default, support is enabled in SP1. To
determine if you are running SP1, right-click My Computer and then
click Properties. On the General tab, Service Pack 1 will be listed
under "System."

To determine if you have the latest ATAPI driver, verify that you have
version 5.1.2600.1135 or later of the Atapi.sys file in your
%systemroot%\system32\drivers folder."

Happily, I see that I do have version 5.1.2600.1135. (Which presumably
explains why I'm able to run a 200 GB drive I installed recently,
although I'd thought that was down to it using a new PCI card I added
expressly for this drive.)

So, I reckon I *will* look at the larger drives. Price differential
seems relatively small, so better value, yes? Any other downsides, or
is it a simple matter of The Bigger The Better?
 
I have to replace my failing 4-year old 60 GB MAXTOR 6L060J3 hard
drive, and would like to try a brand other than Maxtor this time. I've
seen good reports of Barracuda for example, but would appreciate any
recommendations please.

I'm also a bit confused about what specification details are important
and what are not. The Maxtor (I have two of them) is described as
'EIDE, Ultra ATA/133'. Yet one of the Barracudas I was looking at here
http://tinyurl.com/6hnv3
says 'Seagate ST3120022A 120GB 7200RPM UDMA/100 2MB Cache - OEM'
That '133' implies faster speed than the '100 for the Seagate, but is
that relevant in practice? (FWIW, my PC is an Athlon XP1800+ with
512MB and an ASUS A7A266-E m/b.) And what's that 'OEM' all about?

Finally, if I decided to go to say 160/180/200GB instead of 120GB, can
someone clarify whether I should worry about this 137 GB restriction I
see mentioned for some HDs?
Click to expand...

Get new BIOS for your MB:
http://dlsvr03.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socka/m1647/a7a266-e/ae261012.zip
HD cache helps a bit with performance, 8MB or 16MB are better.
Look for cooler HDs:
http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/storage/hddpower.html
Price of 250GB disks gives best cost/GB ratio at the moment.
Remember, every hard drive might fail at any time. Have backups.
 
Terry Pinnell said:
I have to replace my failing 4-year old 60 GB MAXTOR 6L060J3
hard drive, and would like to try a brand other than Maxtor this
time. I've seen good reports of Barracuda for example,
Click to expand...

Too noisy and get to warm for me. They are
reliable and currently have the best warranty tho.
but would appreciate any recommendations please.
Click to expand...

I prefer samsungs myself, mainly because they are much
quieter than most, inaudible even in a case with silent cpu
and power supply fans and no covers used at all, ever.

Main downside is that you dont see them rebated much
and they can be harder to find and they are usually later
with the biggest sizes, only just released the 250G etc.
I'm also a bit confused about what specification
details are important and what are not.
Click to expand...

The short story is that the interface spec doesnt matter,
they're all fast enough for the drive physical detail.
The Maxtor (I have two of them) is described as
'EIDE, Ultra ATA/133'. Yet one of the Barracudas
I was looking at here http://tinyurl.com/6hnv3 says
'Seagate ST3120022A 120GB 7200RPM UDMA/100 2MB Cache - OEM'
Click to expand...

Watch those Seagate OEMs, they dont always have the 5 year warrantys.
That '133' implies faster speed than the '100 for the Seagate,
Correct.

but is that relevant in practice?
Click to expand...

Nope, essentially because the drive physical detail, RPM
and sectors per track, dont saturate the UDMA/100 interface.
(FWIW, my PC is an Athlon XP1800+
with 512MB and an ASUS A7A266-E m/b.)
Click to expand...
And what's that 'OEM' all about?
Click to expand...

Basically unbranded drives. Most manufacturers dont bother, Seagate does.
Finally, if I decided to go to say 160/180/200GB instead
of 120GB, can someone clarify whether I should worry
about this 137 GB restriction I see mentioned for some HDs?
Click to expand...

Yes you should. That system will be able to handle drives over
137GB fine as long as you ensure you are using SP2 with XP. Best
to slipstream SP2 onto the XP distribution for maximum convenience.
So, I reckon I will look at the larger drives. Price
differential seems relatively small, so better value, yes?
Yes.

Any other downsides,
Nope.

or is it a simple matter of The Bigger The Better?
Click to expand...

Nope, 400G drives are currently worse value $/GB than
250G drives for example, so with Seagates its actually
currently cheaper to have 2*250G drives than 1*400G
drive and you dont lose everything if one drive dies.
 
Terry Pinnell said:
I have to replace my failing 4-year old 60 GB MAXTOR 6L060J3 hard
drive, and would like to try a brand other than Maxtor this time. I've
seen good reports of Barracuda for example, but would appreciate any
recommendations please.

I'm also a bit confused about what specification details are important
and what are not. The Maxtor (I have two of them) is described as
'EIDE, Ultra ATA/133'. Yet one of the Barracudas I was looking at here
http://tinyurl.com/6hnv3
says 'Seagate ST3120022A 120GB 7200RPM UDMA/100
2MB Cache - OEM'
Click to expand...
That '133' implies faster speed than the '100 for the Seagate,
Click to expand...

Yes, in theory this makes the 100 drive possibly slower as it implies
that the '100' drive is between 30 and 50MB/s and the '133' drive
is between 50 and 66MB/s (or over).
However, not all manufacturers adopted Ultra 133 so their
Ultra-100 drives may well perform to over 50MB/s.
but is that relevant in practice?
Click to expand...

For that you need to check the full specs, but then you always
need to do that for any drive to know the performance.
 
Folkert Rienstra said:
Yes, in theory this makes the 100 drive possibly slower as it implies
that the '100' drive is between 30 and 50MB/s and the '133' drive
is between 50 and 66MB/s (or over).
However, not all manufacturers adopted Ultra 133 so their
Ultra-100 drives may well perform to over 50MB/s.


For that you need to check the full specs, but then you always
need to do that for any drive to know the performance.
Click to expand...

Thanks all, much food for thought there.
 
Rod Speed said:
Too noisy and get to warm for me. They are
reliable and currently have the best warranty tho.


I prefer samsungs myself, mainly because they are much
quieter than most, inaudible even in a case with silent cpu
and power supply fans and no covers used at all, ever.

Main downside is that you dont see them rebated much
and they can be harder to find and they are usually later
with the biggest sizes, only just released the 250G etc.


The short story is that the interface spec doesnt matter,
they're all fast enough for the drive physical detail.


Watch those Seagate OEMs, they dont always have the 5 year warrantys.


Nope, essentially because the drive physical detail, RPM
and sectors per track, dont saturate the UDMA/100 interface.



Basically unbranded drives. Most manufacturers dont bother, Seagate does.


Yes you should. That system will be able to handle drives over
137GB fine as long as you ensure you are using SP2 with XP. Best
to slipstream SP2 onto the XP distribution for maximum convenience.


Nope, 400G drives are currently worse value $/GB than
250G drives for example, so with Seagates its actually
currently cheaper to have 2*250G drives than 1*400G
drive and you dont lose everything if one drive dies.
Click to expand...

Finally ordered Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB IDE ATA/133 16MB 7200RPM
Influenced by
1. Identical to one I have already; no obvious problems, and trust
supplier.
2. Keeps me with single brand so minimise hassle on info/tools etc
3. Good review here:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/70455/maxtor-diamondmax-10.html

I'll post separately in a day or so seeking help on 'optimum' method
of installing it!

Thanks for all the help here.
 
Finally ordered Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB IDE ATA/133 16MB 7200RPM
Click to expand...

Fark, you one of the gluttons for punishment ?

Are you into S&M too ?
Influenced by
1. Identical to one I have already; no obvious problems, and trust supplier.
2. Keeps me with single brand so minimise hassle on info/tools etc
3. Good review here:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/70455/maxtor-diamondmax-10.html
Click to expand...

Bet it will end in tears before bedtime.
I'll post separately in a day or so seeking
help on 'optimum' method of installing it!
OK.

Thanks for all the help here.
Click to expand...

No problem, thanks for the progress report.
 
Martrox is a very good brand!
why you want to change?
Click to expand...

Who or what is "Martrox"? I've heard of "Matrox", the video board
manufacturer, but I'm not clear on what they have to do with storage
devices.
 
Finally ordered Maxtor DiamondMax 10 200GB IDE ATA/133 16MB 7200RPM
Click to expand...

Crazy move.

About the most unreliable drives across the globe at the moment.

PC Pro? They honestly don't know what the hell they're talking about.
I'm serious.
1. Identical to one I have already; no obvious problems, and trust
supplier.
Click to expand...

So what? Two wrongs don't make a right.

Good luck to you.

I'm not entirely certain of the logic behind your decision - but do keep
regular backups. To floppy. More reliable than the Maxtor.

Terry, you have made a bad move. And that, despite recommendations to
alternatives.


Odie
 
Rod said:
Fark, you one of the gluttons for punishment ?

Are you into S&M too ?
Click to expand...

Don't answer yes to that, Terry, unless you want Rodney sending you
love-letters.
 
Watch those Seagate OEMs, they dont always have the 5 year warrantys.
Click to expand...

I recently had a Seagate Momentus 40G OEM laptop drive fail at about
11 months of usage. It originally was listed from the vendor with a 1
year warranty, but when I went to the Seagate site and put in the SN
and model, they listed it as a 5 year warranty. I sent the dead one
in and got another one back in about 4 days.

I don't know if this is SOP for all their drives, as it's the first
relatively new HD I've had fail in some time, but it's easy enough to
go to their website, put in the drive info, and see if it's still
covered.
 
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