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    WD Scorpio Black 160GB vs 320GB

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Faruk, Sep 15, 2008.

  1. Faruk

    Faruk Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi all,

    I searched the forums and found a lot of posts about these 2 drives, and it seems people are mostly discussing their performance - but what about heat and noise?

    Since the 160GB version has 1 platter, and the 320GB version has 2 platters - how much of a difference in heat and noise does this actually make? Noise isn't a huge deal for me, but I'm more concerned about sweaty palms and burning my lap :p I'm thinking about putting the drive in a Lenovo X200, if that makes a difference at all..

    Any tips/advice would be appreciated :)

    Faruk

    PS. Just a little detail: I am actually trying to choose between the WD Scorpio Black 160GB and the Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320GB. Unfortunately I couldn't find the Seagate 160GB anywhere, but I figured that posting a WD vs. WD thread would be more of an apples-to-apples comparison! The Seagate 320GB is cheaper than the WD 320GB and seems to perform a bit better.
     
    Faruk, Sep 15, 2008
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  2. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    The Seagate also seems to stay cooler than the WD so maybe it's your better option.

    Like I said in the other thread, the 250GB with FFS is going for $87 which is really hard to beat at the moment.
     
    Phil, Sep 15, 2008
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  3. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Just FYI, but the 7200.3 also uses less power than the WD drive.
     
    Greg, Sep 15, 2008
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  4. Faruk

    Faruk Notebook Evangelist

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    Hey guys, thanks for the replies!

    When you guys say that the Seagate runs cooler and uses less power, are you comparing the Seagate 320GB to the WD 160GB? I really want to know if the single vs double platter makes a noticeable difference.

    I can actually get the Seagate 320GB with the FFS for $107 (Canadian).. the 250GB would cost me $92 so I'd spend the extra bit of cash if I were to go with the Seagate.
     
    Faruk, Sep 15, 2008
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  5. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    No I don't know because I've only seen data from the two platter versions.
     
    Phil, Sep 15, 2008
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  6. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    Go for the 320GB 7200.3 (Seagate). It is a good drive.

    The performance and power difference between the 3 Seagate versions isn't much, and for an extra 15 CAD you're getting 80GB more storage space (well 74.5GB usable space ;))....

    That Seagate 320GB is a deal, and at that price, its comparison with the 160GB and 250GB versions is pretty pointless. Just make sure you get it with the 5-Year Manufacturer's Warranty.
     
    Andy, Sep 15, 2008
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  7. mobytoby

    mobytoby Notebook Evangelist

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    I have the WD 160 GB; it stays cool in my notebook. I;ve tried different drives in my notebook and I must say this one has no vibration whatsoever and it's quiet.
    It is fast (avg 63,7 reads / 15,9 ms access in hd tune in my notebook, which is not the fastest notebook around.
     
    mobytoby, Sep 15, 2008
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  8. goofball

    goofball Notebook Deity

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    The seagate 250GB is $80 approx at 1click2computers.com or comtec.ca.

    320GB is around $93-95, add another $6 if you want the G-shock sensor protection version.
     
    goofball, Sep 15, 2008
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