The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Are 320gb+ HDDs unstable?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Jack_of_Blades, Jul 26, 2009.

  1. Jack_of_Blades

    Jack_of_Blades Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    13
    Messages:
    231
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    I am going to be getting a Sager NP9280 and I was going to go with a 2x 320gb 7200 RPM option however, a friend of mine says that 320gb and above are known to be unstable and I would be better with going with two 250gb at 7200 RPMs. What does everyone think? I honestly don't mind going to 2x 250gb if it is better for my machine.
     
    Jack_of_Blades, Jul 26, 2009
    #1
  2. mullenbooger

    mullenbooger Former New York Giant

    Reputations:
    298
    Messages:
    900
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Never heard that. Reliability has more to do with brand, and even then, the tops brands are all generally good
     
    mullenbooger, Jul 26, 2009
    #2
  3. Trottel

    Trottel Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    828
    Messages:
    2,303
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    The few 3 platter drives that came out were fine even though they ran hot and used more power. The current 2 platter drives are the best of the best and there is nothing wrong with them. You should just buy it with the cheapest drive option and buy one or more 500's.
     
    Trottel, Jul 26, 2009
    #3
  4. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,389
    Messages:
    10,552
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    456
    That's completely false. 320+GB drives run just as well as any <320GB drives. My personal combo would be a small (<=80GB) SSD for OS/programs and 500GB 5400RPM drive for data... personally, I don't see much benefit in getting two same sized HDDs, assuming you are going to RAID in your notebook, since it's only software level RAID.
     
    sgogeta4, Jul 26, 2009
    #4
  5. Jack_of_Blades

    Jack_of_Blades Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    13
    Messages:
    231
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    What would you recommend for a gaming option?
     
    Jack_of_Blades, Jul 26, 2009
    #5
  6. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,389
    Messages:
    10,552
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    456
    Depends on your budget. As I said, I would personally go for a SSD and HDD combo. The SSD size depends on how much space you need for OS, programs, and games. 80GB is more than enough for me, I could even make do with as low as 30GB, but if you have lots of games or multiple OSes, then you might need more. For the HDD, 500GB 5400RPM drives are very cheap and more than enough capacity for most people's music and movie collections. If you need more, get an external HDD too.
     
    sgogeta4, Jul 26, 2009
    #6
  7. Trottel

    Trottel Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    828
    Messages:
    2,303
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Yeah, an external HDD would be good because it isn't like you are going to take that giant laptop around many places.
     
    Trottel, Jul 26, 2009
    #7
  8. ahl395

    ahl395 Ahlball

    Reputations:
    3,867
    Messages:
    8,218
    Likes Received:
    72
    Trophy Points:
    216
    As said above, no, ive never heard of anythign like that.

    Look at a 7200rpm if you can, itll load the games faster. ;)
     
    ahl395, Jul 26, 2009
    #8
  9. Jack_of_Blades

    Jack_of_Blades Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    13
    Messages:
    231
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Im thinking about a 160gb SSD with a 320gb or 500gb 7200. I found a 160gb for $480.
     
    Jack_of_Blades, Jul 26, 2009
    #9
  10. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

    Reputations:
    2,389
    Messages:
    10,552
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    456
    The Intel Gen2 SSD can be had for around $440 at the cheapest and is the best consumer SSD ATM.
     
    sgogeta4, Jul 26, 2009
    #10
  11. iGrim

    iGrim Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    47
    Messages:
    380
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Your "friend" is a typical reality creationist. 250gb drives are not any more stable than 320gb. What is true is that 7200rpm drives are more unstable and crash sooner than 5400rpm units.
     
    iGrim, Jul 26, 2009
    #11
  12. TehSuigi

    TehSuigi Notebook Virtuoso

    Reputations:
    931
    Messages:
    3,882
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Your friend may have been referring to the Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500GB drives that had some issues with its firmware, but those have been ironed out.
    As far as I know, there's no stability difference between hard drives under 320GB or over it.
     
    TehSuigi, Jul 26, 2009
    #12