A new hard disk.

Use your Raptor for the OS and programs and the Hitachi, if it's not the one going bad, for storage.

I know those raptors cost a fortune, but they are worth every penny. I have two 74 gig raptor set up in a Raid0 array, and it flies when it comes to playing games.

I have heard the Seagate 500 gig drive offer pretty close to the speed of a raptor, and are pretty much the same price, so that might be an option also.

Well, the Seagate 500 gb is a lot more expensive and it's still only 7200.
I think that, like g-paw said, I'll use the raptor for the Vista, programs and the newer games (Like Medieval 2) and the old ATA/133 for storage and older games. Thanks!

Just don't get a new drive....simply because you think your ATA 133 drive is "old tech". SATA drives(in general), do not offer that much speed increase over PATA. A lot of the speed increases with the newer drives are from 16MB cache, higher-density platters(the biggest difference), and perpendicular recording(which allows more GB/platter). GL  

So you're saying I shouldn't upgrade?

So you're saying I shouldn't upgrade?No, i'm not(sorry...i wasn't trying to tell you what/what not to do). If you think you need a bigger/faster drive...then go ahead...it's your choice. But i wouldn't just for the sake of having SATA. A Raptor will speed thinks up nicely, but they aren't cheap.

Well, I don't know what to do now. I certainly don't have much cash and might use it for something else...Like save for the new speakers instead? So, what do you people think?

I have tried two Raptor's (74 & 150), both were fine for speed, but I didn’t like the noise they made when searching.
I also tried WD 1600JS (SATA 300) which was also fine, but a little slower.
I tried a Seagate 160 ST3160812AS-RK (160GB Platter) this is a nice hard drive and it's fast and quite.
I tested each drive installing Windows XP
Raptor 74: 15-16 min
Raptor 150:15-16 min
Seagate 250 7200.10 Raid 0: 14 min (Loading games were not that much faster in Raid 0 than single drive).
WD: 1600JS: 18-19 min (New AAJS or AAKS should be a good choice)
My Old WD 80 JB IDE 100: 19 min
Seagate 160AS (ST3160812AS-RK) 15-16 min
Tested all drives after installing games like Fry Cry & TR Legend.
Raptors were a couple seconds faster loading, but not that noticeable compared to my new Seagate 160 AS-RK. As far as I'm concerned Raid 0 is not a big deal.
For the money get a new 160 GB Platter hard drive like Seagate 160AS, WD 160AAJS, AAKS and you will be just fine for gaming.
I kept the Seagate 160 ST3160812AS-RK and I'm very satisfied.
Setup:
P4 3.2 O.C. too 3.8
PC5000 (1024MB
ASUS P4P-E Deluxe 865

Well, I don't know what to do now. I certainly don't have much cash and might use it for something else...Like save for the new speakers instead? So, what do you people think?Why do you think you need a new drive, is your current one making noises, running slower than usual...or you just read how fast the new ones are?

raptors are no doubt the fastest consumer hdds, though they arent at all balanced when it comes to price/performance/capacity, compared to other current consumer hdds... ...a seagate 7200.10 320GB 16MB sata hdd might be better suited for your budget it would seem... it offers decent performance, and is an excellent cost per GB, now at (or under) ~$90 i believe... but, getting that may leave you enough cash to be able to save up for other things too, and offer a noticable boost in performance above your current hdd

raptors are no doubt the fastest consumer hdds, though they arent at all balanced when it comes to price/performance/capacity, compared to other current consumer hdds... ...a seagate 7200.10 320GB 16MB sata hdd might be better suited for your budget it would seem... it offers decent performance, and is an excellent cost per GB, now at (or under) ~$90 i believe... but, getting that may leave you enough cash to be able to save up for other things too, and offer a noticable boost in performance above your current hddYes, i have one....very fast, nice, and quiet.

  it does seem like it would be the most ideal hdd for him to go for then, considering his concerns. ive only heard good things about it myself

Well, actually I was considering that one too. But then again, together with my old disk, this would mean more storage than I really need. So I'm not sure which one I'd like to have. Seagate is much cheaper, though.

well... the raptor and seagate are both great drives... if cost isnt too much of an issue, just go for the raptor (the raptors capacity is enough for the os and quite a few applications), plus youll have your backup hdd anyhow for storage...

and, the 74GB 16MB raptor is the fastest hdd currently available too... so, yeah

if cost is an issue though... the seagate 7200.10 is most likely the best choice

Well, now I guess it is a question of choice between a better case (Antec instead of Thermaltake). If I pick the Antec case, I'll get the Seagate. Unless the impact of raptor is a huge one, of course. The storage, with my old disk isn't that important.
Check that topic http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/computer-ftopic... for the details.

well, the 74GB 16MB raptor is about ~$150 USD, if you can swing that, then the rest should fall into place

edit: IMO, i would base the case off of the internal components you choose, rather than it deciding what you would install into it, but thats just me

It is the question of what would be better :
Seagate + Antec Performance One case( http://www.antec.com/ec/productDetails.php?ProdID=81802... )
Raptor + Thermaltake Tsunami case ( http://www.thermaltake.com/XaserCase/tsunami/bna/bna.ht... )

lol, i dont think im gonna be much help here, they both seem like decent cases TBH... cases do seem like more of an asthetic preference more than performance based... as long as everything is kept fairly cool, noise is insulated well (if noise is a concern), and you have enough room for everything, you should be okay with whichever you choose  

As for cases, if money is an issue, you might want to consider the Antec Sonata II givens it comes with a good 450W PSU and runs about $ 90. Very quiet and easy to work with. As for the 320GB being more storage than you need, given the price and performance I don't see it as an issue. At least for me having too much storage is like having a car to fast, there is no such thing.  

Well, I've a good PSU, actually. As for the "more storage than I need" - I meant that when choosing between the raptor and the seagate space isn't such a big factor for me  

Given you already have the PSU the Performance One looks like a great case but then I'm a big fan of Antec. As an aside, I often wonder when talking about speed of various components how much real world difference it makes, from what I've been reading on this thread, it doesn't sound like there is much real world difference between the Raptor and Seagate.

between the two hdds, not a whole lot of difference in performance TBH, not like double performance or anything, but there will consistantly be a few seconds difference between them in just about everything

Well, if it's not a big difference...I guess I'll stick with the Antec case and Seagate disk. But I'd really like to know what's the real power of that raptor compared to the seagate disk.

the main difference is in their spindle rotation speed (10k and 7.2k)... resulting in shorter random access times, 7-8ms for the raptor, compared to 14-16ms for other 7200rpm hdds (and inherantly increased transfer rates too from the faster rotational speeds, even with their smaller capacity)... which helps in being able to search and locate files quickly, and is why the raptor benefits more as an os drive (faster boot times as well)... ...windows contains thousands (and thousands) of files of all different sizes... making the os more responsive as a result too on a raptor... that it would take a slower rotational drive that much longer to sift through for something, and then open up... but, thats the most prominant difference between them... ...again, it only amounts to a few seconds on average, but its that difference for everything

which goes back to if purchasing a raptor really seems worth it or not

Well, I've no idea which one to pick now  
I forgot to mention that one, don't know if it matters, but Vista Experience Index for my HDD is quite high - 5,3.

yeah, 5.3 is pretty good... the 74GB 16MB raptor will only put it alittle higher, 5.9 (at least it does for me anyhow, and i would hope it would be consistant from system to system... i believe 5.9 is where the tier rating system tops out though anyhow, since they dont have 6.x's or anything), though im not sure where the seagate falls as far as the performance index goes, im sure it would probably be pretty close to the raptors rating

a drawback of the raptor however, is that they are noisier than other 7200 hdds, and do generate more heat (again, primarily due to the higher rpms)

Well, I'll be making the purchase so I've to make the decision... 

yep, whichever you choose im sure youll be happy with  

Well, thanks for all the help. I guess I'll make the decision in a few days.

okay, welcome  

I think I've made the decision and it'll be the raptor disk.

ok.