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    How is the Seagate 7200.4 better than the 7200.3?

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Prince_Phoenix, Oct 22, 2008.

  1. Prince_Phoenix

    Prince_Phoenix Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    Just wondering.
     
    Prince_Phoenix, Oct 22, 2008
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  2. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    The Seagate 7200.3 has 160GB per platter, the 7200.4 has 250GB per platter.

    This means at equal spindle speed (7200rpm) more data can be read and written on the 7200.4 than on the 7200.3.

    I believe the 7200.3 has an average read of about 70MB/sec. Maybe the 7200.4 will reach 80MB/sec? I'm not sure how much exactly.

    Another benefit of the 7200.4 will be the higher capacity, it will offer 500GB max, while the 7200.3 offers 320GB max.
     
    Phil, Oct 22, 2008
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  3. Brawn

    Brawn The Awesome

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    i'm wondering.. i can find a 7200.3 for ~90, whereas the 7200.4 is ~170, is the .4 worth the extra 80?

    (the 7200.4 is only available at one place right now, so I can't find a better price for it yet)
     
    Brawn, Feb 19, 2009
    #3
  4. Ch28Kid

    Ch28Kid Notebook Deity

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    Ch28Kid, Feb 19, 2009
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  5. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    Your answer is no
    Seagate's quality has dropped tremendously over the years. Their lack of a good firmware is killing off all of their drives. So far two members here already have dead 7200.4's
    that means they failed within a good 2 weeks.
    That could be really bad

    I would stick with a good drive. Seagate has plenty of problems on their plate. Wait for the WD and hitachi equivalents

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Feb 19, 2009
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  6. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    ramgen, Feb 19, 2009
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  7. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    That may not be statistically meaningful. If it is 2 out of 400 that is pretty normal and I would expect the same thing from all the manufacturers. But if it is 2 out of 20 that is a disaster...


    --
     
    ramgen, Feb 19, 2009
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  8. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    from what it looks less than a dozen people quoted as having the 7200.4, so it may be catastrophic
    Whenever a drive comes out I am hesitant to buy it. I need to see if it is reliable or not. Seagate keeps turning new products out at a relatively fast speed, but if its got problems, I do not want it.
    I hope the problem gets fixed. It would be a shame if the momnetus line fulfilled the same poor name the barracuda line has earned

    But to answer the question,
    the 7200.3 was based on two 166.66 Gb platters,
    the 7200.4 is based on two 250.00 Gb platters
    Since their is a higher data density the drive will perform better.
    However the performance really does not matter if it is not reliable.

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Feb 19, 2009
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  9. Brawn

    Brawn The Awesome

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    hi K-TRON, thanks for the info. any news of when the WD and hitachi equivalents will be out? Also, which drive do you think is more power efficient? the 7200.3 or 7200.4? I cannot find any benchmarks for the .4.
     
    Brawn, Feb 20, 2009
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  10. K-TRON

    K-TRON Hi, I'm Jimmy Diesel ^_^

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    Hitachi should be releasing their 500gb 7200rpm drive by the third quarter this year. At that point they will also be refreshing their current deskstar lineup with 2Tb models
    I do not know anyone at Western Digital, so I would say probably by June they will have theirs out too.

    The 7200.3 is a very power efficient drive, the 7200.4 should be about the same, since it does use the same motor as the 7200.3. The only difference is the firmware and the platters, but the differences should not be very large.

    K-TRON
     
    K-TRON, Feb 20, 2009
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  11. Broadus

    Broadus Notebook Evangelist

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    FWIW, I've had a Seagate 7200.3 for several months and have had no problems thus far. Perhaps the 7200.3 is a better bet unless you need more than 320GB storage.

    Best,
    Bill
     
    Broadus, Feb 20, 2009
    #11