Which Hard Drive is a better buy?

Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT025 500GB 5400 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Notebook Hard Drive - Newegg.ca

WD Blue WD3200LPVX 320GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Notebook Hard Drive Bare Drive - Newegg.ca

This is to accompany an SSD. I know one is much larger than the other (320 GB vs 500GB) but I dont know why the price isn't different.


I dont really use over 300-400 GB (total) on my computer anyways so the 320 GB HDD will suffice just fine (since i'll have a samsung EVO SSD also) but if the two HDD's are exactly the same in performance, then I would rather get the larger HDD obviously




Please let me know. Thank you.

 

You will want to go 25-30% larger than what your use is, because a full HDD is a slow HDD. Honestly I'd go with the 500GB... but the WD Blue 750GB is same price as the 320GB Blue, $54.99 CAD: WD Blue WD7500BPVX 750GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Notebook Hard Drive Bare Drive - Newegg.ca

WD blue are great drives with low power consumption and low heat and generally reliable.

 

Thanks a lot What is the difference between the two WD Blues then? Meaning, why is the price same while storage is different?

I have a 250GB SSD so a 320 GB HDD will still leave me with a lot of space. Is there a difference in speeds or something?

 

FYI larger the drive the faster it is as well. 1 TB drive is a lot slower then a 3TB drive. I also advise only getting 7200 rpm drives.

 

Speed (of sustained file transfers) depends on the storage density, which would be size divided by number of platters. Also, if the OP is getting the drive to accompany an SSD, speed is less of a concern than capacity and power efficiency--I'd probably stick with a 5400RPM HDD.

 

I am actually on a budget So yeah 840 Evo SSD msata 250 GB + a cheap hdd is all i can afford, or i'd go out with better HDDS. I only really need 500GB total storage on my laptop.

I think I'll go with the 750GB WD Blue. Thanks again!

 

Invention It's very unreasonable to buy a less-than-1TB HDD...

 

i would defo recommend a slight upgrade to a 7200rpm instead which is normally only a few £/$ more.
ive always had western digital black and theve lasted for years.

 

Why is it unreasonable?


Also I think 7200rpm may be quite more expensive, I will double check on that. Also I heard the 7200rpm consumes more battery/ runs hotter. Amt truth to this?

Thanks again guys your response really help

 

mine runs at 48-51c unless defragging or antivirus scan (which is normal as these dont ramp up the fans) and it jumps to
61-62c but no more. think danger line is 65c

no idea if it uses more battery but even if it did i dont think it would be that noticeable.

 

Hi, Invention!

I just wanted to ask, what do you intend to use the storage for?
I've noticed you mentioned performance which makes me think that you work with high-end applications or games.
Usually the HDD choice depends on where you are planning to run your apps/games from. If you plan to use the SSD for that, I guess you are good to go with WD Blue. If you want to run them from the HDD, then it's recommended to use a faster HDD with a better performance.
In case you decide to go with WD, I suggest you take a look at WD Black drives as well: WD Black
They are designed to deliver performance with 7,200 RPM for demanding apps/games. You can choose from various capacities of the HDDs.
IMO, the smaller ones are within your price range as well.

Let us know what you decide.
I hope this helps.

SuperSoph_WD

 

when your dealing with hard drives any boost in speed is meaningful. i would die using a 5400 rpm drive personally and battery life wise...is this going in a chrome book? The amount of extra juice a 7200 rpm drive would use is worth the speed benefits. I don't care if i am just storing music on a drive i'll still use a 7200 rpm drive any day and i have never heard of them costing that much more. Hell you pay shipping i'll give you my old 320 GB 7200 rpm drives but 320 GB is super small in my eyes.

 

If battery life is a concern, then WD Blue is the way to go, but also depends on what laptop and your usage. If you have a gaming machine that sucks 15-20W while on battery, well then the extra 0.5-1W power savings may not matter much. But if in a more power frugal laptop, something that consumes 7-8W idle it can have a significant impact on battery life.

The reason for the price difference is because it's on sale, so I'd jump on it soon, it doesn't say when sale ends.

I believe this is a two platter drive, 3 heads, and same density as the 1TB drives stroked to 750GB, so speeds should essentially be the same as the 1TB 5400RPM version.

7200RPM is good, but not necessary for storage and for *most* games. It will be a bit faster in general, so your choice on what you need it for and what your system specs are. For $12 more than the 750GB Blue, you can get the 500GB Black: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236562 and the 750GB for $18 more: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236561

All depends on your needs. Battery life vs performance vs cost is what it boils down to. But cost difference is minimal IMHO. $18 is a minimal investment if speed is your ultimate deciding factor.

 

Invention, price per gb of smaller drives is ridiculous.
Also, I personally wouldn't buy WD. Hitachi and Seagate are both good choices, first better though. You won't likely notice any difference between 5400rpm and 7200rpm if you store your programs and games on SSD and data on HDD, it's not worth extra cash.

MrDJ, all recent 2.5" HDD datasheets I've studied have either 55C or 60C max operating temp. Flitring with 60C is unacceptable if you care about your data. 5400rpm drive may give you some temp drop, but it shouldn't be the HDD causing the problem, so it would be nice if you get a cooling pad and/or undervolt whatever is generating so much heat on the HDD.

 

not bothered one bit.
6 year old backup clevo and mainly used for emails.
not sure which way round it was but all the checks ive done (not lately) is danger level 60c and threshold level 65c

 

Shrugs my CPUs always flirt and run 75-85 on decent load and on major load 85-100C crappy r4 cooling wont even let me enjoy 45-50 watts but i keep it there any ways. Been good on my 920xm and 3920xm for years. Though i need to dust it out again and re apply but i'll do that this weekend. Temps seem a good 5-10 C higher then it should. GPU fan is baller...full load on F@H and it won't even stay at full blast for more then 3 seconds when it hits 65C rofl. I wish my CPU had a good fan :/

 

I'll add my 5 cents, then =) . My CPU climbs over 95C when ambient temperature is over 30C even sitting on a cooling pad. And without cooling pad one of my HDDs may start flirting with 55C if it's too hot around - that's why I read the damn datasheets =) . I'm using quite average Titan Nano Grease, though, so guess there is some room for improvement.