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    Harddrives for my 8180

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by PennyRaider, Sep 21, 2011.

  1. PennyRaider

    PennyRaider Newbie

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    So I have settled on getting a Sager 8180, the only issue now are the hard drives, Should I get a 120GB SSD drive as the primary and the 500GB (w/ 4GB SSD Memory) Seagate XT 7200RPM NCQ Hybrid as the secondary? Or, just two of the Seagates and RAID 0. Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
     
    PennyRaider, Sep 21, 2011
    #1
  2. rpg711

    rpg711 Notebook Consultant

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    Apparently the momentus XTs don't take raid 0 very nicely... but with a SSD it's rather redundant to use the momentus. Their primary benefit is from the 4gb nand cache that helps load the OS really fast.
     
    rpg711, Sep 21, 2011
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  3. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    A vote for SSD plus whatever size 5400RPM storage drive you want.
     
    ZaZ, Sep 22, 2011
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  4. FlyingFalcon

    FlyingFalcon Notebook Evangelist

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    Agree with ZaZ. Get a good ssd and a 1tb harddrive for storage space. Your ssd will take care of blazing bootup times.
     
    FlyingFalcon, Sep 22, 2011
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  5. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    SSD + HDD is a good setup as noted. Look up ways to map your Documents/Pictures/Music to the hard drive. Keep only your OS and key programs on the SSD. Storing static data you don't access often on the SSD is a waste.

    Hard to believe manufacturers still offer RAID 0 setups in consumer computers. It is such a misunderstood technology. In short, it will not provide noticeable/any performance gains except in very specific situations and doubles the risk of data loss (or triples, depending how many drives you use).
     
    Charles P. Jefferies, Sep 23, 2011
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  6. kent1146

    kent1146 Notebook Prophet

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    If you want performance, definitely get an SSD + HDD combination.

    However, the HDD does not need to be a Seagate Momentus XT. In fact, it really doesn't matter how fast / slow that HDD is. You will be using that HDD for bulk media storage (videos, photos, documents, music, , etc)... and that media content does not need speed. A video file will play back equally well, whether it is stored on a 7200rpm drive or a 5400rpm drive.

    Because of that, get cheap bulk storage for the HDD... something like a 500GB or 1TB 5400rpm drive (avoid 7200rpm for heat and battery life reasons).
     
    kent1146, Sep 23, 2011
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  7. NotEnoughMinerals

    NotEnoughMinerals Notebook Deity

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    Yep, I always recommend SSD + HDD. Initially RAID always sounds really attractive, but unless you want RAID 1 for data backup, the possible issues with RAID 0 just aren't worth the trouble and the worrying about what happens if either drive hiccups.
     
    NotEnoughMinerals, Sep 24, 2011
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