The best gaming hard disk drive?

[Feltmarskal]

So i've been looking around the internet, searching for the best gaming HDD's and my conclusion so far stands between a Seagate Barracuda and a Western Caviar. I think their specs look pretty sweet, but now i'm not an expert on that area, so i'm asking here for some help. My old Samsung HD103UJ broke and makes the computer reboot on some specific games (Don't know why) so i obviously want a new HDD, so i can play FM11 and WIC with my friends. It's around 2-3 years old.

 

It looks like a HDD is pretty easy to install, as i opened up my PC i didn't became confused by all the cables. I Just have to remember how the cables were plugged in, in the old HDD and do it on the new one.

 

The specifications for it is 1 TB of space as i use a lot of space and a good nice speed, i don't wanna wait! :) Silence is of course also a specification, but as i play Black Ops, FNV and other games i'm not really hearing it through my headset. I hope you can solve my little problem, that would be awesome! ;)

 

Edit: I'm willing to pay up to 50 pounds, but a few pounds over is alright.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Feltmarskal

[Illiad86]

You'd want to look for one with high RPM and a fair amount of cache. The Caviar would be better because it has double the cache of the Barracuda. RPM is normally the same on the drives...7200RPM or 5200RPM (I think, can't remember). They have the Velociraptor HDD, but they are very expensive....10,000 RPM though lol. I'd go for that Caviar you put up, those are nice drives.

[bben46]

The hard disk is physically easy to install. However, you will need to install your operating system for it to work. Unless this is a second Hard drive and your operating system is on the first.

 

I would value speed over capacity if it will only be used for games. The higher the speed the faster it will access things. And the quicker things like loading new areas will go. Most drives are going to be in the 7200rpm range, Avoid the 5900 rpm models. Some - usually more expensive will be 10,000 rpm.

[Qwaxalot]

You definitely want 7200 rpm

 

Look at WD Black: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-WD1002FAEX-Caviar-Internal/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=sr_1_20?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1291654253&sr=1-20

 

This drive is over your budget, true. However it is far more reliable than the WD green and it's 7200 RPM

[Feltmarskal]

You'd want to look for one with high RPM and a fair amount of cache. The Caviar would be better because it has double the cache of the Barracuda. RPM is normally the same on the drives...7200RPM or 5200RPM (I think, can't remember). They have the Velociraptor HDD, but they are very expensive....10,000 RPM though lol. I'd go for that Caviar you put up, those are nice drives.

Hmm... Still not sure, want to see what the crowd says :D

 

The hard disk is physically easy to install. However, you will need to install your operating system for it to work. Unless this is a second Hard drive and your operating system is on the first.

 

I would value speed over capacity if it will only be used for games. The higher the speed the faster it will access things. And the quicker things like loading new areas will go. Most drives are going to be in the 7200rpm range, Avoid the 5900 rpm models. Some - usually more expensive will be 10,000 rpm.

Yeah i thought so as well.

 

You definitely want 7200 rpm

 

Look at WD Black: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-WD1002FAEX-Caviar-Internal/dp/B0036Q7MV0/ref=sr_1_20?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1291654253&sr=1-20

 

This drive is over your budget, true. However it is far more reliable than the WD green and it's 7200 RPM

Might think about that. what about the Seagate i linked?

Edited December 6, 2010 by Feltmarskal

[Paxan_1]

Hi,

the WD Caviar has 64MB of cache, so it is this on:

http://www.it247.com/product/1/WESHD0AQ/WD10EARS-WD-Caviar-Green-WD10EARS-hard-drive-1-TB-SATA-300.html?mc=AFF-AW&awc=2985_1291654762_9a0f025044b11af222c3f6f544b325c6

 

Please mind this one has the so called Advanced Format with 4k Sectors. WinXP needs a special tool to handle it correct.

 

The Seagate is this one, right?:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-sgate-st31000528as-sata

 

This one hasn't the 4K-Sectors and is easy to install.

 

Because of the speed, the Raptors are very fast with 10000rpm (use one for Windows) but it is not necessary. If you want to have a lot of space for around 50£ i would suggest the Seagate if you have WinXP. For a Win7 system i would take the WD Caviar Green. I own the 2TB one and it is very silent.

 

Btw, have searched for other UK Shops because the description on Amazon isn't very good ;)

Edited December 6, 2010 by Paxan_1

[Feltmarskal]

Hi,

the WD Caviar has 64MB of cache, so it is this on:

http://www.it247.com/product/1/WESHD0AQ/WD10EARS-WD-Caviar-Green-WD10EARS-hard-drive-1-TB-SATA-300.html?mc=AFF-AW&awc=2985_1291654762_9a0f025044b11af222c3f6f544b325c6

 

Please mind this one has the so called Advanced Format with 4k Sectors. WinXP needs a special tool to handle it correct.

 

The Seagate is this one, right?:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-sgate-st31000528as-sata

 

This one hasn't the 4K-Sectors and is easy to install.

 

Because of the speed, the Raptors are very fast with 10000rpm (use one for Windows) but it is not necessary. If you want to have a lot of space for around 50£ i would suggest the Seagate if you have WinXP. For a Win7 system i would take the WD Caviar Green. I own the 2TB one and it is very silent.

 

Btw, have searched for other UK Shops because the description on Amazon isn't very good ;)

You are correct on the Seagate.

 

Will the WD Caviar Green have any negative effects because it is ECO friendly and consumes less energy? No negative effects when playing games with high detail?

 

I want the correct one for my use, so i'm waiting patiently to get all the answers :D

 

Edit: I just discovered WD Caviar Green is 5400 RPM, might consider the Seagate.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Feltmarskal

[Qwaxalot]

Check reviews on www.newegg.com (yes, I know you're in the UK).

 

I think you'll find in your general price range that the WD black series get uniformly better reviews than the seagate (not that I think seagates are bad)

 

I do know, however that the WD Black drives will last quite a lot longer than the other drives with similar specifications.

[Feltmarskal]

Check reviews on www.newegg.com (yes, I know you're in the UK).

 

I think you'll find in your general price range that the WD black series get uniformly better reviews than the seagate (not that I think seagates are bad)

 

I do know, however that the WD Black drives will last quite a lot longer than the other drives with similar specifications.

Nope i'm in Denmark, but Amazon ships to Denmark :)

 

I discovered this nice HDD by Samsung. It seems like it's an upgraded version/newer model of my HDD. Thinking about buying that, as it looks pretty good, compared to what i'm looking for. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002MQC0P8/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i3?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=1GWR94JM62NWXWWQTSW8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=219600407&pf_rd_i=468294

Edited December 6, 2010 by Feltmarskal

[Paxan_1]

Hi,

 

the Caviar Green is 5400rpm in idle and 7200 in load ;). Thats why it is very silent and saves energy. With Windows XP you can have trouble, here are some PDF sheets for it: http://skinflint.co.uk/a475098.html

 

Edit:

http://skinflint.co.uk/?cat=hde7s&sort=p&v=e&plz=&dist=&xf=958_1000

 

a list with all 1TB HDD (UK) sorted by price

Edited December 6, 2010 by Paxan_1