Need a recommendation for a HDD for my PC.

Jason Burge

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Nov 21, 2014
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I am looking to buy a large capacity HDD to store my Steam library and other games (Over 1TB of data). I would just use my boot drive SSD but my library is too big and I would have to either get multiple SSDs and split my games among them or buy a really expensive one that holds more than 1TB. I would rather have everything on just one large HDD.

I have tried Seagate HDDs in the past and all they do is fail within like 1 year. I am looking for one that has at least 2TB of storage and can last for many years. So what HDD brand has treated you the best for the longest time?
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator


And conversely, the only HDD I've had fail this decade was a WD.
 

InvalidError

Titan
Moderator
If you've had multiple HDD failures within one year, you are either incredibly unlucky, are buying from a bad source or there is something wrong with the drives' environment that is causing them to fail at a suspiciously high rate.

I have yet to see one of my WD drives fail, so I'd be inclined to make that my default recommendation. Since you want to use the drive to launch games, you may want to get a WD Black for the extra performance and the five-years warranty doesn't hurt either. A fair bit more expensive than other options with only 1-3 years warranties.
 
I've gotten to have the rounds with all of them failing on me (with the exception of Quantum back in the old days). So I wouldn't go to heavy in the brand loyalty. If you want something with a better than avg 2-3year warranty, look at the WD Blacks, Seagate BarraCuda Pro, or the HGST Ultrastar series as those tend to be 5year warranty. I personally like HGST but whichever direction you go, make sure your data is backed up somewhere. Hardware fails at some point, regardless of manufacture.
 

Deadromon

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Dec 27, 2015
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I recommend this :
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NpBrxr/seagate-firecuda-2tb-35-7200rpm-hybrid-internal-hard-drive-st2000dx002
Its not HDD, its a hybrid, it offers better loading speeds than an HDD, but is cheaper than an SSD. Its 2T, and around/under 100$.
If you really want an HHD w/ lots of space then :
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/j28H99/seagate-barracuda-3tb-35-7200rpm-internal-hard-drive-st3000dm008
Its a 3T HHD for round 70$. Its old, and [in my opinion] worse than the Hybrid I mentioned, but overall It is a solid choice if you need to store ALOT of stuff.

This if you really dont want a seagate :
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/p8tCmG/hitachi-internal-hard-drive-hua723020ala640
Iv used this type before when making PC's. Its a fine brand, but for me, seagates almost always work.
 


Unless the OP is using the drive as a boot disk a hybrid HDD is going to offer nothing over a conventional HDD. The added expense would be better put to a drive with higher performance and longer warranty.

As for the HGST, good pick but be careful when ordering from online vendors. Not all the vendors are selling them with the full warranty. The Newegg vendors for instance only offer a 1yr warranty, and the Amazon vendor doesn't list it.
 

Deadromon

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Dec 27, 2015
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My b, I forget myself. I like the faster load time for my ipt 3dc and other projects. Ontop of the favorable load time for video games. That's why I was recommending it. It has a faster data transfer time. I had a friend test it for me with a software that measured the diff spec retrieval times, and overall it was better by around 5-20%. Also, I can vouch for it. I can load into a game around 10-25% faster on this than I ever could on my old 2T seagate.
But I also mentioned other drives that could work for his needs. I realize that a hybrid is not for everyone, but in my opinion, its better than the other ones iv listed.

 


I've used them before for laptop and small form factor systems and they're great little drives if your using them as the primary drive. The caching just isn't really worth the added cost (in my opinion) over getting a high performing 7200rpm drive like a HD Black or HGST Ultrastar if you're using it for a storage drive.
 

Deadromon

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Dec 27, 2015
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@azaran
Eh, iv saved atleast a full 24 hours of loading time from switching to a hybrid. And then again, tomato tomato. I wish to see more people use hybrids, but overall HHD can offer better storage for $. I just enjoy the cut on load times.