HDD advice

Hi,

I have a Dell 1537 laptop that came with a 250GB Hitachi HTS543225L9A300 HDD, the motor noise sounds just like a fan.

I want to exchange it with a 250/320GB that is dead silent(at idle/writing) 24/7 ready, shock proof.

I'm still debating whether I should go for 5400RPM or 7200RPM. Wouldn't a 7200RPm be noisier, wouldn't it eat my battery noticeably faster?

These 250GB/320GB HDDs have only one platter, right?
How do they stand up against shocks?

What would you suggest me to buy?


Thank you.

 

I have a WD Black 320GB 7200 RPM HD and it is very quiet and stays really cool. I have always owned WD and in my experience are one of the best. So I would recommend Western Digital 100%.

 

Are you more concerned about battery life or notebook performance? If you want performance, go with the 7,200RPM hard drive. Be warned, however, that your battery life will suffer due to the higher spindle speeds of the 7,200RPM hard drive.

If you are concerned more about battery life, go with a 5,400RPM hard drive. The performance is not quite on par with a 7,200RPM hard drive, however, that won't matter much if performance isn't your priority. In my experience, 5,400RPM laptop hard drives operate cooler and are slightly more quiet than 7,200RPM hard drives. To me, those are more compelling reasons to go with 5,400RPM than a higher spindle speed HDD in my notebook.

I'm fairly certain that most current generation laptop hard drives today feature the ability to park their heads when they detect a free-fall event. As far as shocks go, I'm pretty sure that all hard drives feature the same type of technology (just under different names) to ensure that HDD's are resistant to shock effects.

Personally, I think you should get a Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000BEVT hard drive. You can get it at Newegg for $94.99 with free shipping. At this price point, it would be stupid to go with 320GB when you can get a 500GB HDD for just a bit more money.

Check it out:

Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000BEVT 500GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s

 

Your priorities seem to be silence and battery life. Go for Hitachi 5K500.b

Either get the 250GB version (1 platter) or 500GB (2 platters). Don't get the 320GB because it's slower.

 

Thank you guys for your fast support. I really appreciate it.
I'll state my priorities after reading your posts:
-dead silent(at idle/writing)
-24/7 ready
-shock proof/free fall sensor
-as fast as possible(this means i should choose a 250GB over a 320gb, right?)
-low temperature
-5400RPM (due to my weak 6 cell battery)

How do laptop HDDs handle the movement of a laptop? Taking it from a table/putting it on the table? There is a bit of a shock.

garetjax, price is also a factor, where I live those 500GB's are expensive. For big storage I'll buy an external HDD connected via eSATA.

Phil, are you sure that Hitachi 5K500.b is dead silent? My actual Hitachi is noisy.
Christoph.krn, SSD's will be the next step. I'm just waiting for them to get cheaper.

 

Not 100% sure but this is what most users say.

Your choice is either the 250GB version of WD5000BEVT or the 250GB Hitachi 5K500.b. The WD has higher power consumption and generally more reports of noise.

John Ratsey owns both and confirms this.

I'm not sure if they both have versions with FFS. But keep in mind that FFS is only of value when your laptop is on. When it's off, the heads are already parked.

 

Hi
If you want speed (7200rpm) you will need to satisfy with a more noise of HDD ..
If you want quiet (5400rpm) you will need to satisfy with low speed

 

Make sure you search for specific reviews of the drive you are about to buy. Seems to be the best way to find out the actual noise of a specific HDD.

Could you clarify what you mean by that? That the computer is running 24/7?

Right. Higher RPM would also increase the speed of the drive, but that comes at the cost of potentially more noise and potentially more power draw.

What operating system will you be using? What software will you be running?

I'm not quite sure, but I think 5400 vs 7200 doesn't actually make that much of a difference in terms of power draw - can anyone confirm that?
The amount of difference in battery life that you'll notice also depends on the other components of the laptop.

If the shock is too big and thus may be dangerous, it should be detected by the free fall sensor. But it's unlikely that putting your laptop on a table will cause the HDD to park, unless you're tossing it or releasing it above the table's surface.

Okay.

Still, the safest way to keep your data protected is doing backups. HDDs are mechanical parts, and therefore prone to failure.

 

How about Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320GB ST9320421AS. newegg sale here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-HardDrivesNotebooksLaptops-_-LC1B-_-22148336
Thanks.

 

Do you know a good place for 2.5" hdd reviews?
Some friends told me that Samsung and Fujitsu are famous for their low noise emission, but I'm also concerned by lifespan, performance, etc.
Christoph.krn, the laptop will be running 24/7.

 

Hi
I have fujitsu 320GB 7200
I just want to make test for it and compare because I bought it yesterday and am quite a bit disapointed ! seems to be slow ..
It's about this one :
http://193.128.183.41/emea/product-1.asp?id=640&i=158&li=1
I have WD s black as well and wan to compare
one 80gb seagate 5400 rpm removed from PS3
just sold 500GB WD blue ..
that is realy

 

hi Evoss-X, can you run some benchmarks?

Like HD Tune Pro, the normal test and the I/O test.

 

yep I will ..
but will need some time
am runnin on crapy seagate 80gb 5400 rpm
am going swap fujitsu
it will take about 1 hour
maybe less