Recommendations for Adding HDD (OS/Data)

[jiewmeng]

I have a Hitachi 1TB SATA2 HDD filling fast. Intend to add more storage, so what should I get? It will be mainly non-gaming, apps for software development work probably the most demanding apps I would use are: Virtual Box (Virtual PC software), Visual Studio, Blender (3D software). Budget, ~USD120

I noticed my Hitachi is noisy esp when using Virtual Box. I read that its noisy ... so considering getting a faster HDD for OS then 1 for storage? I am wondering ... maybe I get a something like

- 500GB Caviar Black
- 2TB Samsung F4 (5400rpm)

or should I just get a Samsung F4 (or another storage drive, maybe with better speed than my Hitachi, for use as OS drive + storage)?

 

[inzone]

Western Digital VelociRaptor WD6000HLHX 600GB 10000 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $209.99 and free shipping,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136555

Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $149.99 and free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136792

Western Digital Caviar Green WD25EZRX 2.5TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive $119.99 and free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136873

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1501FASS 1.5TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136592

Here are a few selections to consider and you can go a couple of different ways , depending on your budget. If you really wanted top performance and can squeeze some more into your budget then you can go with the Veloceraptor as your boot drive and your Hitachi as storage. If not then you could get the 1.5tb Caviar Black and use that as your boot drive , it would probably be faster than your Hitachi. But in the end it's your budget and your choice , so good luck with your selection.

 

[CaedenV]

ALWAYS have 2 separate HDDs in your system! It is a cardinal rule!

Most times (though there are exceptions), the system drive gets the most use. The most up time, the most read/writes, the most effected by viruses, the most fragmentation, and most wear and tear. By having a 2nd drive for storage you can freely format/replace your system drive, migrate your data drive to another system, and better protect it (though no replacement for a true backup) from failure and data loss.

Also, the F4 seems to get great reviews. I am looking at getting 4 of them for my home file server (which may replace my local data drive if it is stable/fast enough). And a large 500+GB drive makes a great system drive only so long as you don't fill it up. The drive performance will degrade quickly after using the 1st third to half of the drive, it is an artificial version of short stroking the drive. The only better options would be to RAID a system drive, or to get an SSD.

Best of luck!