Advice on Choosing a new HDD

Hi there people!

I'm beggining my hunt for a new HDD for my recent laptop, the toshiba it currently has is good, but sometimes hurts performance (8 MB cache and 5400 RPM), specially when processing big files on Clip Studio or Photoshop, so I decided that, since my warranty is about to expire, is a good time to start looking to good alternatives.

I've read that the most important thing in a HDD is the spinning speed and the cache... I would look for an SSD, but I need a great capacity (currently on 1 TB and I feel good) and SSD's are still quite expensive (and I'm still worried about the that reading/writte cycles limitation they might have). So my alternative is to look for a 7200 RPM spinner...

Now, I'm having a hard time deciding for a good HDD, I could probably sacrifice spinning speed if the cache is the thing that will improve performance...

Say, I got this Toshiba, 5400 RPM, 8 MB Buffer, and I see a Seagate Barracuda, 5400 RPM, but has 128 MB Buffer (O_O), or I see a Western Digital Black, 7200 RPM, but 64 MB Buffer.

In this scenario, which of the 3 disks will have better performance? I sometimes play games (N64 stuff, nothing big), and use Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint EX, to constantly save and export files (PNG's and TIF's), and of course, I move files and use my Windows 7 64 Bit Virtual Machine from time to time.

Thank you so much for your advice.

Cya!!

ICIT2LOL said:

Hello Frego mate I prefer Seagate if I use spinners and you definitely want a 7200rpm one or even a hybrid and as I don't know what your budget is I cannot say which but a hybrid would be my first choice and then 7200rpm.

My self I do not like large drives too much to lose if thye go south I would sooner use more smaller ones than one large.

Anyway have a look at this http://www.seagate.com/au/en/solutio...-state-hybrid/

A quick look at newegg.com shows a number of 1TB hybrids. They all seem to be 5400 RPM, though, including the Seagate FireCuda.

I'd suggest a Western Digital Velociraptor (WD1000CHTZ, 10k RPM), but it's 15 mm thick, and I'm unsure whether it'd fit in the laptop. (The Toshiba is 9.5 mm thick.) A 1TB version is surprisingly inexpensive; maybe no one wants Velociraptors any more, as SSDs are available.

As much as I would love to get a Seagate, seems all their 2.5 drives for laptops are 5400 spinners, so that means goodbye to seagate unless I'm able to find a model that is a 7200 RPM spinner with 1TB space (I use VM's, so I need more tha 500 GB of space to feel safe and give enough space to windows to update and run)

Unfortunately, that Velociraptor model seems too thick for this laptop (Aspire E5-553), I'll see if I have some luck hunting for a good fast spinner in Mexico. Still, thank you for clarifying me my doubt about the spin speed and the buffer

Cya!

I have no experience with laptop drives, but for standard desktop drives it can be quite important to get a recent model rather than a model from 2 or 3 years earlier.

The speed tests I have run on desktop drives typically show that a 5400 rpm drive from say 2014 is faster than a 7200 rpm drive from say 2011.

I'd guess that laptop drives differ in the same way, but it's up to you to find online speed tests for any prospective purchase, making sure the test is for the exact same make and model number under consideration. Be very careful about the model number.

As for brands, there is too much randomness and too many unknowable factors to steer you toward any particular brand, unless you can find online reports that particular model numbers have a clearly unusual failure rate. Normally, I'd expect to find horror stories about any of them.

I'd probably consider return privileges with the vendor, customer service reputation, and warranty as seriously as any other factor. The last I heard, some of the major manufacturers have a totally pathetic customer service reputation. If you are lucky, you'll never need to contact them. If you are not lucky, prepare to rend your own flesh.