Hitachi vs. Seagate vs. Fujitsu. Which?

Hi everybody. I'm put one of these in my Compal HEL80. So which is the best? I think hitachi. Am I right? Hitachi quiet and lowest seekt time but seagate 60months Warranty. I asked for Seagate in computer store but they have said that it will be after two weeks so decided put fujitsu but today accidentally found the hitachi.

Hitachi Mobile 120GB 5400rpm 8MB cache SATA Travelstar 5K120
http://www.hitachigst.com/portal/site/en/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.1f7b81d26c496489760062f6aac4f0a0/?javax.portlet.tpst=d84a8c98a8586f71b97f81717a2d7dd1_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_d84a8c98a8586f71b97f81717a2d7dd1_viewID=search_for_part_number_view&beanID=2062675581&viewID=search_for_part_number_view&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=token&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=token
http://www.fortakas.lt/rd.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.it4profit.com%2Fecatalog%2Fuserend%2Fitem_view.jsp%3FItemCode%3DHTS541212H9SA00

Average Seek Time: 11 ms
Typical Operating Noise Level: 24 dB
Warranty Term (month): 36 month

Seagate Mobile 120GB 5400rpm 8MB cache SATA Momentus 5400.3
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.jsp?locale=en-US&name=Momentus_5400.2_120_GB&vgnextoid=d79d99f4fa74c010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD&vgnextchannel=ab5fd21c2f32b010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD&reqPage=Model#

Average Seek Time: 12.5 ms
Typical Operating Noise Level: 29 dB
Warranty Term (month): 60 month

Fujitsu Mobile 120GB 5400rpm 8MB cache
http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/computing/storage/hdd/mobile/mhv2120ah.html

Average Seek Time 12 ms typ. (Read), 14 ms typ. (Write)
Acoustics Noise HDD Ready 28 dBA at 30 cm (typ.), 2.6 bels (typ)
Warranty Term (month) 36 month


Thank you.
Sorry for my broken english

 

I have the seagate and i'm satisfied with it's performance. Check Tom's Harware for performance charts

 

I can tell you that Seagate 7200 RPM drives are much MUCH quieter and cooler than a 7200 RPM Hitachi drive. I'd expect similar results from a 5400 RPM drive. I can't speak much for Fujitsu drives, but I know they've traditionally had good reliability, but run very hot and loud. I get the feeling they've reversed that trend, but I really haven't followed them for a few years.

Those noise ratings don't really mean anything, testing procedures could, and probably do vary wildly. In fact, I'm going to send an email of appreciation to Fujitsu for explaining their procedure.

Oh, another brand to look into is Samsung. They've done very well for themselves with their emphasis on noise and heat in the desktop space. I imagine that carries over to the mobile market but I haven't tried them out yet.

 

I wouldn't buy another Fujitsu, mine is terribly slow even for a 5400rpm drive.

 

both seagate and hitachi are very good HD brand. seagate is little noisy though..

 

I would go seagate because I have never had a problem with them in my notebook or in any of my desktops. They are very good quality and last for...well none have died on me so therefore they last forever.

 

Don't ignore Samsung if available in your area. After establishing a reputation for cool and quiet desktop HDDs they are now doing the same in the 2.5" market. I've got the 160GB 5400 Samsung and it is quiet apart from a slight hum if you put your ear against it. Performance is very slightly behind the leaders but it also runs slightly cooler.

John

 

I recently upgraded from a 4200 rpm hitachi that came in my hp laptop to a 7200 rpm seagate. Obviously the performance is better but the Seagate is just as quiet as my hitachi was, dead silent. 99% of the time I don't even know its there. So I vote seagate.

Leon

 

My Seagate is the quietest drive I have ever used.

 

My hitachi was only just slightly louder than my old 4200 fujitsu drive, quite quiet overall. It is damn fast, and clocks higher than the seagate by a few hairs. It is also 15% cheaper. You will never really need the 5 yr vs 3 yr warranty, and I significantly doubt it makes itself any mroe useful. Based on the price alone I vote for the hitachi, nevermind everything else!

 

well, the 100gb 7200 rpm hitachi i am using is it a bit loud for my taste. my 80 gb 5400rpm fujitsu was fairly silent.

 

All other things being equal I have found Seagate drives to be superior in reliability. Regarding warranties 1 vs 3 vs 5 year. I think this is a good indicator of the manfacturer's confidence in the drive. It is in their own best interest to have better QA if they dont want to spend a lot on warranty returns.
OTOH Seagate drives tend to have good overall specs and not really excel in any one area. So they usually arent the fastest, quietest, coolest drive ever. but a good balance of latency, throughput and noise.

 

Here's a comparison:

http://laptoplogic.com/reviews/detail.php?id=80

PErsonally I can't understand how the noise could be so bothersome, it REALLY is barely noticeable on my notebook. The fan is much noisier IMHO.

 

Agreed.

I actually loved my Hitachi when I could still use it (it's PATA, and my current notebook is SATA). Also, having actually had Hitachi and Seagate drives in my possession, I found the Hitachi running slightly cooler and faster. It also supported more features than the Seagate did (no wonder they were hesitant to send us a review unit.)

That review can be found here.

 

Love your reviews/articles pulp. Detailed and gracious.

 

Hitachi is the best 2.5i brand imo.

 

Got a Hitachi 7K100 Travelstar. Make sure you get the E7K100, a bit dearer tho, but it seems significantly colder and hence probably better on the battery life.

Can't say much about Seagate 2,5" except for that I have had seagate drives and they are all really really quiet. Maybe not the fastest, but like someone posted earlier, they maintain a good balance between speed, reliability and noise so are a good choice imho.

Definetly don't go with WD, dunno how they are nowadays, but when I bought mine (80GB ATA/100 3,5" and 120GB ATA/100 3,5") three drives died on me and now a mate's drive dies as well (another 80GB). I just know I wouldn't get a WD, even though they may have improved over the past years, as this was a while ago.

I personally find my 7K100 quite loud. But then again I have not had other 2,5" 7200rpm drives, so it's hard to compare in a fair run. I guess tho the seagate would be quieter.