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Tom's Hardware > Forum > Storage > Hard Drives > Which HDDs should I buy for new gaming PC?

Which HDDs should I buy for new gaming PC?

Forum Storage : Hard Drives Which HDDs should I buy for new gaming PC?

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Hi guys,

I'm in the process of ordering the hardware for a new gaming pc build. I don't have the money for SSDs, so I am looking to order the ideal combination of HDDs at an affordable price (hopefully around $200 or less?).

My build is primarily for gaming and media playback (lots of 1080p .mkv movies) and consists of an intel i5-750 processor, an ati radeon hd 5850, and 4gb of g.skill ripjaw RAM. I will be running the 64-bit version of Windows 7 pro.

I am ordering an Asus motherboard that supports SATA 6Gb/s (listed below)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product

So here is my question for you guys: what would an ideal setup of HDDs be for my purposes? I would like at least 1TB of storage, and it's been recommended that I get two HDDs, one for the OS and programs and one for storage of media.

Also, I am tempted to get this 1TB western digital SATA 6.0 HDD, as I can save $30 if I combo it with the PSU I am planning on ordering.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product
In addition to recommendations for my HDD setup, thoughts on SATA 6.0 and the HDD listed above?

Reply to Armor42
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You can't go wrong with that drive, having 2 drives is always an advantage. But if you can't afford 2 now you can always add a second one later.

Reply to Jonmor68

HDD only affect games' load times and won't do much in terms of in-game performance or FPS rates. If you're getting two HDDs, maximize speed on one and capacity on the other, then shove the OS on the faster disk. The benefit of having this distinction is that you have two purpose-fit drives (is the data frequently accessed/load time sensitive?) and also OS and data independence which simplifies upgrades and recoveries from drive failure.

Reply to panto

With that setup, I would go 2 (1TB) Seagate Barracuda 7200.12's in Raid 0. It would be wise to backup your (important) files frequently; although even in a Raid 0 the chance of either disk failing is less than .1%.

------------------------------ i7-930 @ 3.8, Hyper 212 Push/Pull config; Gigabyte x58a-ud3r; 3x2GB G.Skill Pi; ASUS EAH5970 (no OC quite yet); OCZ Vertex 60gb Boot Disk; 7200.12 500gb; HAF 922; Corsair 850tx; 2x Asus 24" 2ms HDMI widescreens; Logitech G15 keyboard; Sidewinder X8
Reply to Omniblivion

Alright guys, what do you think about this WD caviar black? Seems like a pretty good deal http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136592

Reply to Armor42
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