Upgrade or no?

[Evylldemon]

So I'm considering upgrading to a new main hard-drive (OS and programs) for when I reformat and install the retail version of Windows 7. Current I'm using this hard-drive

Seagate 7200.10 320GB 16MB cache - ST3320620AS
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS - ProductWiki unbiased product reviews

I'm considering getting something new but hesitant to upgrade to an SSD right now (cost/benefit isn't worth it yet in my opinion). Would it be worth it to upgrade to say a 640GB caviar black? I can't find any benchmarks that directly compare these two to make the decision on my own. The next step up from there would be a 150GB Velociraptor for ~$200. I'm primarily concerned with load times for programs in this case. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance

[rjbarker]

The 640 Black is a great HD...fast and quiet!! ....been using one for awhile now and it seems far better than my older 74Gb Raptor (soon to be replaced with Intel SSD)...

[Evylldemon]

How does it compare to the newer velociraptors though? For more than 3 times the price is the VR that much faster than the 640GB black? and is the 640GB black much faster than what I have?

[rjbarker]

You'll find the Black a little beter (faster n quieter) than the Seagate....I believe the VR is still faster than the Black, but if your prepared to spend $200 on that VR...get a 64GB SSD instead and a 640Gb Black....you'll be much further ahaead.
imo...with the SSD speed and prices coming down, the VR will soon be a thing of the past (already are going that route).....

[SugarJ]

If you want to spend $70, buy the 640 Black. If you want to spend $200, buy a SSD. The velociraptors are not worth the money since SSD's were released.

[Lmui]

What I recommended to my friend when he said he had 200 bucks and was wavering between HDDs.

You could:

2x 1tb caviar blacks in raid 0 = 2gb of faster than VR speed in most things.

Get an SSD, use the current HD for backup

[Evylldemon]

The only problem with getting an SSD is it would have to be so small that I doubt I could fit all my program files on it. Currently I only have the OS and program files (games mostly) on my main harddrive and everything else on storage drives and it uses a little over 100GB so it doesn't seem like a 64GB SSD would be nearly big enough.

[bwm]

Originally Posted by Evylldemon

So I'm considering upgrading to a new main hard-drive (OS and programs) for when I reformat and install the retail version of Windows 7. Current I'm using this hard-drive

Seagate 7200.10 320GB 16MB cache - ST3320620AS
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS - ProductWiki unbiased product reviews

I'm considering getting something new but hesitant to upgrade to an SSD right now (cost/benefit isn't worth it yet in my opinion). Would it be worth it to upgrade to say a 640GB caviar black? I can't find any benchmarks that directly compare these two to make the decision on my own. The next step up from there would be a 150GB Velociraptor for ~$200. I'm primarily concerned with load times for programs in this case. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance

No electromechanical non-SCSI drive in existence is anywhere near as fast as a WD Velociraptor. None, Period. 300 gig and 150 gig models avail, just take your pick. 300 gigs is a bit on the rediculous side for a boot drive though, but some people insist. Don't make the mistake of looking only at STR, where the black caviar might match the Raptor. The V-Raptor's access time is FAR FAR superior to ANY 7200 rpm drive on the planet, and is virtually dead silent unless mounted in a cheap case. Add the 5 year warranty onto that genuine enterprise class drive... va va boom. I won't touch a 7200 rpm drive with a 10 foot pole after having these V-Raptors. Never.

[AkG]

Originally Posted by crusty

No electromechanical drive in existence is anywhere near as fast as an SSD. SSD's access time is FAR FAR superior to ANY hard drive on the planet, and is dead silent even when mounted in a cheap case. Add the 10 year warranty onto that ... va va boom. I won't touch ANY hard drive with a 10 foot pole after having these SSD's. Never.

There fixed that for ya.



Sorry couldnt resist. Nothing personal Crusty

[JMCD]

You could grab a 60 or 80gb SSD and a WD Black for everything else. For me 60GB is enough, windows and 3 games is about 40 GB. I have a 640 Black as my secondary drive for storage or stuff that doesn't need a SSD. If you put your most frequently used stuff on the SSD it should serve you quite well. With that being said, the Black would be a good upgrade, more space and speed.