Hard Drive specs, which?

V

varangian

Geek Trainee
Well I'm going to be buying a new Hard Drive for a new box I am building soon, but not sure which one I should get as it's been a couple years since I've built my last computer. Which is better? 2 Mb buffer or 8 Mb buffer (I'm thinking the 2 Mb buffer is better), and why?

Also, these are the drives I'm trying to decide between:

Maxtor 120 GB 7,200 RPM EIDE 2 MB Buffer ATA-133
Maxtor 120 GB 7,200 RPM EIDE 8 MB Buffer ATA-133

or

A Seagate drive with the same specs.

Thanks for any input.

-- Varangian
 
The bigger the buffer, the better.
I'm not sure how much better it is to have a 8mb buffer as I've never used a 8mb buffer hdd, but it's certainly better than 2mb.

The buffer is where information is stored during transfers so that one device doesn't hold another device back. So having a bigger buffer permits the faster device to continue working while the other device tries to finish its task(s).

Personnally, I've never liked Maxtor nor Seagate as both brands have failed on me a few times. I will never buy anything but Western Digital, and I think that's what you should do.
I'm not saying Maxtor WILL fail, but I do think Western hdds are way more reliable, and when it comes to hdds, reliability is, to me, a lot more important than performance.

Bottom line is, get an 8mb buffer drive as it's not much more expensive, and get a Western Digital. But if you absolutely want one of those two brands, grab the Seagate.
Maxtor is third on my list.
 
Well I've heard from a few people that have said their 120 GB WD's have crashed on them with under 6 months use. Wondering if that's because the 100+GB drives are new on the market and still have some kinks or something. You heard any reports like this?
 
Ive also always gone for Western Digital.
Ive only got the 80gb drive, ive had no problems yet.... Ive never had any problems with western digital.
Seagate are apparently pretty good too, I think they are a bit cheaper as well.

Larger buffers are better. Im not too sure why they are better with hdds. Maybe there isnt much of a difference between 2mb and 8mb..... maybe its just that the 8mb is more stable.
Ill find a link to see!
http://www.computing.net/cpus/wwwboard/forum/5643.html
also.....
'>Hard Drive Cache/Buffer Size:
A buffer is a temporary storage area. The hard disk buffer is a portion of the hard drive allocated to RAM used to speed up access to data on a disk. The hard disk buffer acts as a holding area for data so that the processor is free to perform other functions. The larger the buffer size, the more information can be temporarily stored and the quicker it can be accessed. '
 
Just put together my new computer. Specs below:

AMD XP 3200+ CPU
WD 120 GB 7,200 RPM EIDE w/ 8Mb buffer at ATA-133
ATI Radeon 9700 Pro
Asus mobo
Microsoft Bluetooth wireless keyboard/optical mouse
19" LCD Monitor
Creative Audigy 2 PCI card
USB 2.0 4 port hub and USB 1.1 2 port hub
Sony 52x CDROM
Still have the old HP 4x4x12x CDRW from the old machine :-/ (going to upgrade to a Sony DVD-+R/W)
Some Creative Webcam
Aluminum Antec Mid-Tower case, White
 
Have you run any benchmarks yet? You've missed the ram out the list too :)
Looks a nice comp though!
 
nice system indeed :)

I haven't heard about those 120gb hdds failing but I'd get one anyway !
I've never had a Western fail on me, and I'm willing to pay the big bucks to get one.

Keep in mind that lots of errors are "user errors" so it all depends on how you use your system. I know many people that always have problems with their system, on the other hand, I never have any ! Now why do you think this happens ?
 
Ive heard of the 120gbs fail too.
lol But id still buy one too, I totally agree, its probably user errors. Maybe they need splitting up more.... god knows.
 
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