Hard drive recommendations and benchmarks: 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm.

Last update: 5 June 2009

Since we have a lot of threads with information scattered around I thought it might be good to have just one thread on this topic. Please share experiences, recommendations, relevant information or ask questions here about what hard drive one should buy. I'll kick off with some recommendations and other info:

Often the question is asked "what hard drive should I buy?". It's a good question because the hard drive is often the bottleneck in a system's performance. A fast hard drive can make your system feel a lot faster. Most notebooks come with 2.5" hard drives, a few ultra portables come with 1.8".

So what hard drive should I buy? This will depends on many factors like: the interface you need (SATA or PATA), your budget, how much storage you want and how important performance, noise, heat and vibration are to you.

SATA drives
It makes sense to base your buying decision on other cirteria: price, warranty, power consumption, noise and whether (you believe) you need a freefall sensor.

These are the drives I recommend based on real world benchmarks by Techreport:

When speed is priority: WD3200BEKT or WD1600BEKT

When battery life is priority: MK5055GSX (lowest idle power consumption) Hitachi 5K500.b (lowest power consumption while playing video)

When capacity is priority: WD5000BEVT.

The best mix of speed, power consumption, capacity and noise: WD5000BEVT

Alternatives:
Hitachi 7K320 is a fast 320GB/7200rpm drive with fast multitasking performance. When it's cheaper than WD3200BEKT it's an interesting alternative.


PATA drives recommendations:
Samsung HM160HC (benchmarks here)
WD Scorpio 320 GB


Frequently Asked Questions:
Are 7200rpm drives faster than 5400rpm drives?
Sometimes but sometimes not. The overall speed of a drive is influenced by many factors: the rotational speed, acces time, I/O, data density, firmware and more variables. Some 5400rpm drives outperform 7200rpm drives. The WD3200BEKT (7200rpm) outperforms the WD5000BEVT (5400rpm) in multi tasking situations because of the lower acces times and higher IOPS.

Are 320GB/5400rpm drives faster than 200GB/7200rpm drives?
Generally speaking they come very close in performance, however the Hitachi 7K200 200GB manages to outperform all 320GB/5400 in non synthetic benchmarks.

Should I be going for SSD?
It depends on your budget and needs. The better SSDs outperfom all traditional notebook harddrives. They come at a high price though. Good SSDs are still a lot more expensive per GB than traditional hard drives. Other benefits of SSDs are that they are very shock resistant and more quiet.

My hard drive makes a clicking noise. How can I make it stop?
Search for HDparm

How much difference will I notice between SSD, a fast hard drive and a slower drive?
These benchmarks give a good idea: http://techreport.com/articles.x/15079/5

How do I install a new hard drive while keeping the same OS install and data?
This can be done through cloning the hard drive as described in this post.

Where is my HDD space gone!?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=167983

But my HDTune/HDTach/SisoftSandra/ATTO/Vantage result is much better than the WD3200BEKT. Why do you say WD3200BEKT is faster?
Synthetic benchmarks can be a nice and quick indicator but in the end they remain what they are: synthetic. To measure real life performance there's no other way then measuring real life performance. Sites like Anandtech, Techreport and Laptopmag show several real world benchmarks.

* Benchmark sites:
Here you can find many notebook hard drives benchmarked:
Techreport latest 500GB drive benchmarks
Tomshardware 2.5" charts:
Techreport 2.5" hard drives and SSD test:
Storagereview WD3200BEKT vs. Hitachi 7K200 vs. Hitachi 5K500:
Storagereview WD 3200BEVT vs. Hitachi 7K200 vs. Seagate 7200.2:
Tom's Hardware 14 way SSD test.
HD Tune thread
NBR WD3200BEKT vs. Hitachi 7K320 benchmarks

 

EDIT: First Post

Good start.
Is this a sticky?

 

We can make it a sticky if we want to. I think it's a good idea.

 

GJ my Hitachi 5K320 arrive tommorow..87$

Nay to the sticky just add it to this sticky

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=125803

 

YES PLEASE MAKE IT A STICKY!!! This topic comes up every week practically!

great work too

 

It's a very useful start but I can think of some relevant issues which merit inclusion since most people who can choose their HDD model are upgrading an existing HDD.

Perhaps first is to advise the reader to check whether their existing HDD is PATA or SATA. Then, a cautionary note about LBA and the 137GB limit. Here's an example of the obstacles when upgrading the HDD on an older computer.

Also the 500GB HDDs deserve a mention. In particular the only one which is standard thickness at the moment (Samsung HM500LI) has above-average power consumption.

We might want to finish with a link to the quick guide to cloning a HDD (anyone want to write a full guide).

John

 

All good ideas John. When I have more time I will update the startpost.

 

For a bit of in-depth reading about hard drives, I recommend this page. Written in 2000 but almost everything still applies.
http://www.storagereview.com/guide2000/ref/hdd/index.html

Not sure if this should be in the main post, but it's good to have it on the 1st page of the thread, anyhow.

 

Right now I'm looking for a 320GB 7200rpm drive so your rankings are useful.

However, I'm wondering where the conclusion that the 7200.3 is power hungry comes from? The Tech Report review shows that the 7200.3 is more power efficient that the WD Scorpio Black which is consistent with comparisons between Seagate and WDC's spec sheets for those drives. (Specifically the official specs show the Black having higher idle power usage than the 7200.3 while read/write and standby power is similar).

The specs for the 7k320 lists it's power as even lower than that of the 7200.3, but I haven't seen independent confirmation of that.

Based mainly on lower power consumption, I'm mainly considering between the 7k320 and 7200.3. Hitachi generally makes fast drives, and I'm currently using a 5k160 which was the fastest 160GB 5400rpm drive in its generation and I've had good experiences with it. And I've heard consistent good reviews about the 7k200. But these heat and vibration concerns make me nervous about the 7k320 since they'll probably be more noticeable on a thin, already hot case like a MBP.

Any further comments on 320GB 7200rpm drives would be appreciated.

 

I bought a notebook yesterday but need help deciding if I should change my order from a 320gb 5400 HD to a 200gb 7200. Here's what I'm wondering:

-Even though 320gb is slower in rpm, doesn't the higher data density speed it up somewhat? Would this be enough to justify buying it over the 5400?

-Since this isn't RAM, the only advantages come from starting things up, not keeping them running?

-The 200gb 7200 also comes with "Disk Encryption". I heard this will ONLY slow down files if they're about 2gb. Is that true? Could there be any other problems?

Basically, I've heard the 7200 has resolved any heat issues it might have had with the vast majority of companies, and at this point I'm wondering if it's worth the upgrade or downgrade (depending on how you look at it) from the 320gb to the 200gb.

If the "Disk Encryption" slows down the hard drive more than expected, I can also consider a 160gb 7200rpm.

So, what one would you guys want?

 

As you can see in the benchmarks of the startpost all 320GB/5400rpm drives are outperformed by the Hitachi 7K200 200GB. For other brand 200GB/7200rpm the situation may (and will probably) be different.

Generally speaking there will not be much difference between 320gb/5400rpm or 200GB/7200rpm in performance.

The 160GB Hitachi 7K320 or 160GB WD1600BEKT could be very interesting in your situation.

PS. I moved your post to this thread as it seems appropriate.

Actually I was talking about the WD3200BEVT, not about the 7200.3. Good that you mention it, I will clarify it.

I think you are right, because most of the complaint I saw were from MBP users. Check the forums of Storage review for more information or let me know if you want a link.

Any further comments on 320GB 7200rpm drives would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]

 

My next planned upgrade will be a HD, im tempted to jump on the 64gb OCZ core

Whats todays prices for the Scorpio black?

WD has served me well in the past.

 

wait a little longer. the cores are MLC and having some issues right now. I've seen the WD3200BEKT for around $180 USD, which is around the same price as the 64GB OCZ Core ($175 USD).

 

Yeah OCZ Core has a bit too many red flags around it, this one for example: http://www.alternativerecursion.info/?p=106. Core V2 should be available in a few weeks.

Hitachi 7K320 is $149 after MIR at zipzoomfly.

 

There's a lot of info here on 7K320 and WD3200BEKT, some benchmarks and reports about noise.

Interestingly enough some Thinkpad users are bothered by the noise and vibration of the BEKT while they're saying 7K320 is totally quiet. I wonder how much differences there between are individual drives because some reports are really conflicting.

 

Well seeing how much firmware updates have improved the performance of the Velociraptor, I don't doubt there could be quiet a bit of difference between two drives of the same model depending on hardware revision and firmware. And things like noise and vibration could be dependent on how it's mounted and whether it resonates with other components in the system, so it could have large variations too.

This makes things very confusing. I was almost settled on getting the 7200.3, mainly because the 7k320 hasn't been available in Toronto and the noise and heat concerns. Now there's reports that the 7k320 is good afterall plus the computer store I usually buy from finally listed the 7k320.

 

In my T61 I am using the OCZ 64 GB SATA II SSD SLC not the core one and I like how it performs. The 128 GB Ritek SSD MLC version performs how I like it too except when ever I use Fraps to record video it stutters every now and then after I turn off fraps by pressing F9 it stops stuttering. It doesn't stutter however on my 64 GB SATA II SSD SLC.

If you have the finances and you want to try out new technology than give a SSD a try.

 

Tom's hardware has tested the latest 320GB/7200rpm drives now, it makes for some interesting comparisons:
(Image by Tom's Hardware. Direct link to this chart)

 

Great Sticky. Thanks for that.

Just wondering whether I would be able to upgrade my 40GB 4200RPM IDE drive to either a 160GB or 250GB 5400RPM IDE drive on my Compaq V2000? Think it's worth the upgrade?

Also, how do I make sure I am able to fully utilize the space? (I heard I needed LBA of sorts)?

 

If you love your laptop, I would go with either the HM160HC or the WD 2500BEVE drive. Both are good solid performing drives, and they will greatly decrease loading times over your 4200rpm drive. If you run hdtune on your current laptop, you can generate a benchmark much like the ones in my review of the HM160HC. From their you can determine what drive is best for you.
Your system will probably have LBA issues, so the only way around this, is to partition the drive with a 137GB and say a 20gb partition, or with the WD, you can partition it into two 125gb spaces. You can get the Samsung drive for around $65, so for bang for the buck, it beats the WD.

K-TRON

 

I have one of those Samsung HM160HC ATA drives and I'm really impressed with it. Here you can see it outperforms my previous 7200.1 in PC Mark HDD suite. Hd tune results are excellent too.

 

Thanks for the reply K-Tron. My laptop suits me fine and the only thing holding me back at the moment is HDD space. Here in Australia we don't seem to have many of the HM160HC (stockists are selling them for just as much as the WD2500BEVE if they do). The HM160HC locally is AU$87 and the WD2500BEVE is $94. Think it's worth getting the Samsung over the WD2500BEVE even though i'm getting 90GB less? Is the Samsung noticeably quieter and cooler than the WD? I saw your review of it and it's very impressive.

Is the LBA issue only if I don't partition my drives? I tend to partition my drive any how so that might not be the problem.

Thanks for that one!

 

I dont actually own the WD2500BEVE, I had to borrow benchmarks from a fellow member. So I cant really state which one is quieter or cooler in running temperature.
I know that in my laptop, my HM160HC runs much cooler than the 40gb 5400 drive it replaced. It has maxxed at around 123F, and usually runs much closer to 105F-109F under operation. It runs pretty cool, cause their is only one platter in the drive.

K-TRON

 

Interesting post. After using my 7K100 PATA for more than 2 years I upgraded to a T61 laptop with a Western Digital WDC_WD800BEVS-08RST2. Here are the comparison of both drives: (7K100 is sitted on the Ultrabay adapter)

I don't see that much difference between those two. Maybe as a rule of thumb a 5,400rpm SATA drive is challenging a 7K100 PATA drive?

What HD would give me a nice upgrade, considering my 7K100 is noisy, I suppose the newer 7K320 give a pleasant user experience against noise & vibration.

 

Your Hitachi has 15.4ms acces time, while your WD has 17.4ms. Quite a big difference in my opinion. You would see that back if you'd conduct non synthetic benchmarks.

 

So the 7K320 would really boost my T61 performance over the WDC.

Loading times in San Andreas is fairly similar when I used XP on the 7K100. Although I'm considering just getting a 7K320 to not use the PATA Ultrabay adapter and to get rid of the sound the 7K100

 

The 7K320 and WD800VE are compared here.

 

Thanks for the tips K-Tron. I am actually struggling to find many notebook hard drives.... in the whole country. Local stores have stopped stocking IDE drives, and the last WD2500BEVE at the local was sold last week. Because I can't find the HM160HC or the WD2500BEVE, i'll probably take whatever I can get.

Emailing stores i've sourced out a WD1600BEVE... but I'm assuming that's just a regular 160GB HDD with 2x80GB Platters... and looking at the newegg comments, the WD has a clicking noise.
Emailing

 

Great article - kudos to PhilFlow and to all who are contributing.

1. Notwithstanding the fact that the Enhanced Availability version of the Hitachi 7K320 is intended for blade servers et al, is it meaningful installing it on a high-performance laptop (e.g. HTE723232L9A300 in lieu of HTS723232L9A360)?

2. Is the G-force protection feature offered by both Seagate 7200.3 ( ST9320421ASG) and WD Scorpio Black ( WD3200BJKT) a really useful one, or just a marketing gimmick? And why, while 7K320 provides shock-limit specifications (400G operational, 1000G non-operational), neither of the G-Force-protection-enabled hard disks' data sheets ( 7200.3, Scorpio Black) does?

PS The link in post #15 above does not work.

 

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/notebook-hard-drive,2006.html

Well Tom's has finally posted the review commentary to the 320GB 7200rpm drives that they recently added to their mobile HDD charts.

The overall conclusion is that the Seagate 7200.3 is the winner due to the best raw transfer rates and power efficiency. While the WDC Scorpio Black is close behind with great I/O performance and good power efficiency, particularly optimized for predictable loads like DVD file playback from the HDD. After the success of the 7k200, I guess Hitachi takes a break this round with their 7k320.

Anyways, I bought a 320GB Seagate 7200.3 yesterday before the review came out and now I'm reassured I made a good choice. I haven't installed it yet since I want to back things up, but hopefully the installation in my MBP goes smoothly.

 

I think it's good to note that the Seagate 7200.3 is slower than the WD3200BEKT in every non synthetic benchmark. The reason Seagate wins is the power consumption.

I would still say for maximum performance take the WD.

Interesting though that the WD does better than 7K320 in the non synthetic benchmarks, except for the Win XP startup test, which is usually a good indicator of real life performance. Can't wait until Storage review benchmarks all these drives.

 

Phil, is your 7200.3 quiet, does it vibrate, generate heat,?

 

I don't own a 7200.3 but ltcommander does.

This review suggest that it's fairly quiet during idle, and not so quiet during seeking.

Based on the very low power consumption of the 7200.3 I'm assuming it will be fairly cool, compared to the other 7200rpm drives.

 

I just replace my ocz 128 gb ssd with the WD1600BEKT; the 7200 rpm scorpio black 160GB
Things I noticed :
- The drive is very very silent; more silent than my previous WD 5400 320 GB
- No vibration whatsoever;
- The restore of my 15 GB ghost image (with xp sp3) took about 12 minutes instead of the 35 minutes with the SSD(!)

Hd tune 63,7 AVG reads (max 81,9) MB/sec, access time 15.9 ms

 

. . have recently replaced my 17" Penryn MacBook Pro's original 7K200 with a 320GB 7200.3 - as everyone knows, this big thin alloy-bodied laptop needs to have any changed components carefully spec'd to keep heat & noise under control.

Relative to the best-in-class (of its generation) 7K200, the 7200.3 runs perhaps 1C cooler, is almost but not quite equally quiet in terms of noise pressure [with, to my ear, a slightly gentler tone], & is noticeably but not profoundly brisker overall - mebbe around 10~ish%.

. . . where you really notice the extra performance due to the considerably higher areal density is in streaming large contiguous files [I deal a lot in 1GB VOBs] off & on the laptop - the 7200.3 is astonishingly quick & keeps 1394b externals honest. For realworld professional tasks involving large files this 2.5" HDD is - & by some way - the current champion.

I waited for the 7200.3 since an acquaintance & a few folks posting around the forums have found the 7K320 to have an unpleasant edge to its noise-profile [tho' energy-efficient] . . . the WD Scorpio Black jobbie is very obviously a first-generation product & the jury's out on whether it has met OEM's stringent heat/power requirements & picked up some contracts . . . tho' I'm sure it works well in desktop-replacement/gaming laptops.

 

Any takers for my questions? *subtly bumps thread*
Please? *uses the magic word*

 

On number 2. There are some people who think it is really good to have it. Tom's Hardware also recommends it.

Personally I'd like to see that this technology really works in reality, for what kind of shocks and falls, and how much it really protects. Strangely, there does not seem to be any test available. I prefer to make good backups instead of paying more for a free fall sensor.

 

Thanks, PhilFlow. *uses the second magic word*

The reason for my asking this question is that the G-Force-sensor capability (seemingly) kicks 7K320 out of the 320GB@7200rpm shortlist for those interested in having this shock-protection feature, and keeps only the Seagate (Momentus 3) and the WD (Scorpio Black) to consider. Or is it that the 400G(op)/1000G(nonop) spec for the 7K320 is already enough (in which case one doesn't need to go for the pricier G-models and it's only a Seagate/WD marketing gimmick)? Why aren't there (so far, at least) any tests about it?

 

Can't help you with those questions Zazula, but you may find this thread interesting.

 

Thanks again, PhilFlow, and you are right: the thread is very interesting (despite the fact there is no inarguable conclusion — due to the lack of reports of actual field tests and benchmarks, I presume). I case any relevant data finally emerges, should it be posted in this thread herein or the FFS-specific one?

 

Zazula, any thread is good. I will add relevant new information to the startpost of this thread too.

By the way some very interesting development on the fastest hard drive front: it seems Fujitsu has a hard drive that is faster than any other. The type number is MHZ2320BJ. Too bad the lowest price at this moment is over $200.

 

I picked up the Scorpio Black. At ~60MB/s its 33% faster then the Hitachi 7200rpm 100GB HD that came with my T61P (~40MB/s).

It doesn't have an seek clicking noise like the Hitachi, but it has a louder constant noise. Sounds similar to the laptop blower fan at ~70%.

 

Does anyone know if there is a difference in performance in Western Digital Scorpio Black 7200 320gb for the one with free-fall sensor and the one without it?

 

what are the model numbers for WD Scorpio Black w and w/o free-fall sensor?

 

BJKT = with FFS
BEKT = w/o FFS

 

Thanks..

 

Hi there,

Since they are said to be cooler, quieter and to have lower power consumption I'm looking for a 320GB 5400rpm HDD. I found these three but can't decide which one to get. Could you please help me?

- Samsung HM320JI
- Western Digital WD3200BEVT
- Seagate Momentus 5400.5 ST9320320AS

I don't need the ultimate speed performance so the power comsumption, temperature and noise is more important for me.

Thanks!

 

Seagate Momentus 5400.5 ST9320320AS is your best choice. Very low power consumption. Hitachi 5K320 comes very close though and is tested as very quiet.

If you can get a Samsung HM320JI or Fujitsu 320GB/5400rpm for a lot less they may be interesting too. They're quiet but a bit slower than the ones I mentioned above.

WD3200BEVT is a not for you because it has pretty high power consumption and heat.

 

Thanks! The Seagate seems to be what I want. Any information about the noise?

 

I have no information on the noise level. I've only seen a couple of reviews in german where it comes out better than the other 320GB drives, but there is no information on the noise. I'm assuming it's good though, since the power consumption is good too.

If you want to be 100% sure you have quiet drive go for the Hitachi 5K320. (or Fujitsu MHZ2320BH).