Choosing a WD Drive - 03/2012 Options

[q4quality]

I have been looking at www.ncix.com for WD drive options and I've made a short list.

Could I get some feedback on performance and noise levels and your general opinions of the drives, and if there are any other drives from WD you'd recommend (I could not find the WD2001FASS (4 platters; 2TB; louder drive) on ncix.com)?

I am planning to make one of these drives my main XP OS drive (I don't want to go to an SDD since I don't want the hassle of setting XP up for use on a SDD, and the cost of a good SDD drive).

Here is the list:

1) WD1001FALS 1TB Caviar Black 32MB Cache SATA2 (3 Platters?) - 145$ *I have 1 one these already

2a) WD1002FAEX 1TB Caviar Black 64MB Cache (2 Platters) *Can't find this one, maybe was replaced with this drive...
2b) WD 1502FAEX 1.5TB Caviar Black 64 MB Cache SATA3 (3, 500GB Platters?) - 160$ *Will this be noisier then the 1002faex? How about noisier then the 1001FALS?

3) WD7502AAEX 750GB Caviar Black 64 MB SATA3 (Not sure about Platters?) - 120$

4) Velociraptor WD3000HLHX 300GB 32 MB SATA3 - 170$ *Looked at some reviews and seems to be both fast and quiet drive

 

[rolli59]

Any of those are a good choice! Up to you how much you want to spend pair GB but I would get the one that is the same as the current one with the possibility to raid them at a later date!

 

[q4quality]

Thanks Rolli,

but I was leaning towards the Velociraptor or the WD 1502FAEX 1.5TB (either speed or storage focus, not sure which I want to go with).

Would a 2 WD1001FALS 1TB in RAID 0 be faster then a Velociraptor?

 

[rolli59]

Close but reduced DATA security! The Velociraptor is a nice choice but I would go with a SSD instead and be done with it http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=62873&vpn=MKNSSDCR120GB&manufacture=Mushkin%20Enhanced&promoid=1035!
XP should work fine on it same as any other SATA drive!

 

[Supermuncher85]

The raptor costs almost as much as an SSD. If you want a lot more speed, buy the SSD. If you want mass storage, buy the 1.5tb.

 

[q4quality]

Rolli, I like that SDD link you gave me. It does look like a good choice (arrgg more choice ).

So you guys think the SDD should work fine with XP? I am tempted, but what about issues like:

- http://superuser.com/questions/203430/ssd-on-windows-xp

1) TRIM not being supported in XP (not sure what effect that has)
2) Needing to somehow disable XP's pagefile usage (so it just uses memory and doesn't thrash the SDD)
3) Somehow setting up a RAMDISK for XP applications to cache/store temp files to
4) And all the other things tweaks needed for XP when on a SDD?

Do these issues not need to be addressed? Can I really just install XP on an SDD and enjoy a performance gain over a quality HDD for years?


Lastly,
if I did get another 1TB WD1001FALS I am not sure if RAIDing them would make sense.

Would I want to RAID0 my 3 yr old 1TB drive with the new 1TB drive? I figure my data security would be crap since the old 1TB drive will likely die in a few years.

And RAID1 would just give me some security for the new WD1001 for the few years of life my older WD1001 has in it. Is it worth it for that?

Am I being pessimistic on the life spans of these HDDs by assuming just a 5 yr lifespan? I don't leave my pc on 24/7. Maybe 8/7 .

I guess I could get 1 SDD, 1 more WD1001FALS (and RAID0 them), *and* get a 1.5TB drive so I can backup my SDD and RAID0 drives... but that is starting to cost more then I wanted to spend.

 

[q4quality]

Okay I have decided to go with the WD1502 type drive instead of a SDD.

I'll save getting an SDD for when I buy Windows 7, and put Win7 on that drive.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Supermuncher85]

Like I said I had a raptor and switched to a SSD. The difference is insane. I don't really see a benefit in the old raptors anymore. You either need LOTS of space, go for a normal 5400 or 7200 rpm platter drive or go for SPEED and just buy an SSD. Yes they cost a bit more but man are they fast.

I don't know about problems with XP and SSDs since I switched to windows 7 + ssd the day it came on the market.