Temporary HDD until SSD

Ok, out of these options , which one is the best? I would need a temporary solution until real SSDs become attractive, hopefully by the end of the next year the latest.


Seagate Momentus 7200.4 250/320GB ( 36€/42€ )

Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 250/320GB
(these are rather rare and i gotta pay more)

Western Digital Scorpio Black 250/320GB ( 37€/47€)

(The 320GB versions are oneplatter as well for sure and a bit faster than the 250GB versions?)

What i don't want at all is the aggressive headparking induced spikes/freezes in game. So this will rule out the Scorpio? I read that it is a typical "feature" of WD.
And what about those HDtune benches? I have seen quite the variations for the seemingly same type of drive.

I know many will suggest the MomentusXT , but i have to pay atleast the double, the 320GB Version costs about 90€ and with the 500GB version about 105€.
So i really would rather avoid this for a temporary solutions until a real SSD finds its way into this device.

 

What's wrong with your current drive? How does it bench?

I gotta say I didn't notice much of a difference upgrading from a Fujitsu 320GB 5400RPM drive to the 7K500 500GB.

 

Well, i don't have a backup drive anyways, and my current drive is a WD Scorpio Blue 640GB.
So i thought i would use that as an external drive.

HDtune? The benches are actually looking quite good, but in RL performance , it feels kinda slow.
Also the problem with the aggresive parking of the head which results in clicking noise and the momentary freezes in games.

 

Have you already tried Notebook Hardware Control?

 

I can solve it using QuietHDD tool and disable AAM and APM completely, but that's annoying.

 

At the time, from some review that I read, the 7K500 seemed to have better real performance than the 7200.4. No idea about the Scorpio Black.

My 7K500 had random head parking, but I didn't read about that anywhere... Hopefully it wasn't a lemon.

 

Did you experience spikes/freezes in games?

 

Sorry, I don't game.

 

WD Scorpio Black 500GB is the fastest traditional HDD.

The 320GB uses two platters, I do not recommend it.

The WD6400bevt is quite slow. I do recommend upgrading it. A 250GB Seagate Momentus XT would be my choice.

 

I know you said you didn't want to hear this... But as an SSD owner, I can tell you that you really couldn't go wrong by just buying a Seagate Momentus XT 500GB and call it a day. It's a great price for the performance and capacity that it offers, both today and in the future.

If you absolutely must replace, then I would get either the Hitachi 7K500 (which, btw, is a 7200rpm 500GB hard drive... the 250GB and 320GB versions are the 7K250 and 7K320, respectively) or a Western Digital Scorpio Black. I have owned both Hitachi Travelstar 7Kxxx and Western Digital Scorpio Blacks, and have been happy with both. They will both perform identically in real-world scenarios, so just get whichever one you can get a better deal on.

If price is equivalent, then go with the Western Digital Scorpio Black. I like Western Digital.

 

For the record, Hitachi 7K500 comes in several capacities. It uses 250GB per platter.

The 7K320 is an older model that uses 160GB per platter.

 

I too would go with the WD. I've had countless HDD in the past...my Hitachi's got loud after a while but lasted...seagates were hit or miss, but my WD's have all stood the test of time...

At home right now I have WD's in my NAS, and Seagates in my PC...(just cause i had seagates lying around)

 

What about the Scorpio Black 250GB or the Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 250GB?
That should be a single platter or?

Though when i fill let's say half of the capacity, then it will slow down on the same level as the drive i am using now.

Hmm, or i can try the Hitachi Z7K320 320GB with 7mm , though i am not too pleased with its average access time.

 

Hitachi Travelstar 7K500 250GB is definitely single platter.

I think there should be a 250GB Scorpio Black single platter too, but I don't know how to recognize it. The WD2500bekt tends do be a two platter model.

 

The Scorpio Black is a 2-platter too, according WD Scorpio Black 500GB Notebook Hard Drive Review - WD Scorpio Black 500GB Laptop HDD - Legit Reviews

So it seems you can get lucky and get a 1-platter and when you are unlucky a 2-platter sometimes?

What about the 7200.4 Momentus series? They also offer 250GB and 320GB versions.

 

The 500GB Scorpio Black is always two platter because it's 2x 250GB.

I'm saying there could be a single platter 250GB Scorpio black around.

 

I would go with the Western Digital Scorpio Black 320GB.

 

Personally , i'd get the Seagate Momentus XT.. its cheap , affordable compared to SSD's and u get fast load up times... alternative would be Hitachi 7K500 500GB for best reliability etc.

 

Ok, i have to say, never WD.

This freaking drive has convinced me not to invest anything into WD drives.

QuietHDD doesn't work anymore. The drives keep parking the head.
And when i am playing online, this freezes pisses me off, for real.

I will go for Hitachi/Samsung/Seagate/Toshiba, but not WD.

 

Bad luck with your WD, my friend...