Page 1 of 1
5900rpm Seagate Hard Drives: Barracuda LP, Pipeline HD .2
Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:43 pm
by MikeC
Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:09 pm
by dhanson865
I wish the Pipeline and LP models weren't so closely compared. I'm afraid some casual skimming type readers will assume the LP series as a whole will behave the same as the 4 platter 2TB Barracuda LP.
It's worth noting that the 1.5 TB Barracuda LP still uses 4 platters and has the same noise profile as the 2TB Barracuda LP.
http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/supp ... 64361c.pdf
The 1 TB Barracuda LP is a much better compromise on power and noise as it uses 2 less platters.
Code: Select all
Table 3: DC power requirements
Power dissipation (2TB and 1.5TB models) Avg (watts 25° C)
Idle* 4.3
Operating (average) 6.8
Standby 0.5
Sleep 0.5
Power dissipation (1TB models) Avg (watts 25° C)
Idle* 3.0
Operating (average) 5.7
Standby 0.321
Sleep 0.321
Code: Select all
Table 4: Drive A-weighted Sound Power Levels (SWL, BA)
Idle[1] Seek profile
2TB and 1.5TB model 2.5 bels (typ) 2.6 bels (typ)
2.6 bels (max) 2.8 bels (max)
1TB model 1.9 bels (typ) 2.0 bels (typ)
2.1 bels (max) 2.2 bels (max)
I'd steer clear of that 1.5 TB model as it is the worst of both worlds.
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:59 am
by Olle P
What strikes me is the numbers for seek/read/write performance...
Seagate claims the 2TB disk is worse of the bunch, whereas the test shows the 2TB to be the fastest and the 0.5TB the worst.
The latter fits snugly into my own theory that more platters/heads improve performance when all other factors are the same, since it allows more parallel read/write.
(Obviously it's better with fewer platters/heads from a low noise perspective.)
Cheers
Olle
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:39 am
by NeilBlanchard
Hi,
I think this is the 500GB model at NewEgg for $65 plus shipping:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148488
They do not list the RPM, but it looks to be the slim case in the pictures. Is this the same drive?
Here's the 1TB version for $80 with free shipping:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148411
And the 2TB version for $180 with free shipping:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148413
I've had the 2TB model for about a month now, and it has been fine so far. It is in an external case, and it is slightly less quiet than my 24" iMac at idle, and seeks are audible -- but it is sitting on its edge on the tabletop which is going to "reveal" the seek noises because the motion of the heads are perpendicular to the tabletop.
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:50 am
by bozar
Great review as always, the comparison with WD GP made it a lot harder to choose though. A two-platter 1 TB WD GP should be a bit more quiet compared to the 2 TB model, right? 500 GB is a bit to little for me me, otherwise the Pipeline HD .2 would be on my "to buy list".
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:04 am
by Shamgar
Samsung F2 EG is better value with better availability where I live. Best current prices locally were AU$66 for 500GB and $89 for 1TB. I ended up buying the 1TB. WD and Seagate 1TBs usually around $100. I've almost given up deciphering WD's models and submodel variants. I want to believe in Seagate again, as I have fond memories of their drives from times past. Yes, it's an emotional thing. The AAM patent issue was a shame. Good to see they are focusing on quiet drives again. Sadly, most vendors here don't seem to want to stock the low power Seagates. Yet WD GPs are everywhere. Don't know what their strategies are sometimes. Could be due to availability. Although sometimes it's difficult for the average uninformed consumer as many vendors still refuse to advertise lower spinning drives at their actual speed and catalog everything under 3.5" desktop 7200RPM.
For your interest, Seagate recently
gave WD a serve. Gotta chuckle. The Big Fish is back. Fancy fish Caviar better watch out.
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:36 pm
by bendit
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:34 pm
by NeilBlanchard
Thanks, you seem to have found the right one, and the price is much better, too.
Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:20 am
by Kaleid
dhanson865 wrote:
It's worth noting that the 1.5 TB Barracuda LP still uses 4 platters and has the same noise profile as the 2TB Barracuda LP.
http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/supp ... 64361c.pdf
The 1 TB Barracuda LP is a much better compromise on power and noise as it uses 2 less platters.
I'd steer clear of that 1.5 TB model as it is the worst of both worlds.
I can verify this. The 1TB model is much quieter than the 1.5tb model. Anecdotal for sure but..
Another POV on the 2TB LP:
http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/17708
Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:32 am
by MikeC
All dhanson865 is saying is that the 1.5 tb and 2 tb versions of the LP have the same noise signature with 4 platters, while the 1 tb model is quieter, with 2 platters. His PoV is that higher noise is more acceptable with higher capacity. That's not necessarily everyone's perspective. To me, the capacity doesn't matter; if it is "too noisy" I don't care what the capacity is, I won't use it in my desktop PC or anywhere close to me. On the other hand, if it's quiet enough, then higher capacity is a bonus.
Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:44 am
by Kaleid
I fully agree, which is why I sold the 1.5tB drive
Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:36 pm
by Jay_S
Thanks for the review.
The 2TB version is very appealing to me. My current server consists of 1TB WD10EADS drives. I plan to skip 1.5's and go straight for capacity doubling when I upgrade. The 2TB Seagate looks like a good choice. The additional performance over the WD drives is icing on the cake. A bit higher startup current draw: 2A for the 2TB Seagate vs
1.759A for the 2TB WD. Have to be careful with the PSU...
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 11:59 am
by sampo
So would a Seagate LP 1TB be a worse choice than WD Green? Does a two platter 1TB WD Green even exist? I mainly care about idle&seek noise.
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:24 pm
by MikeC
sampo wrote:So would a Seagate LP 1TB be a worse choice than WD Green? Does a two platter 1TB WD Green even exist? I mainly care about idle&seek noise.
It seems that the WD GP drives have
slightly lower seek noise... although I have to say the differences are small enough that other aspects of your system (including HDD mounting) will probably make more difference. Suspension w/ elastic cord is probably necessary for you.
Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:59 pm
by sampo
Thanks. I guess both drives are fine from acoustical standpoint. Trouble finding the right WD variant and load cycle issues(?) are pointing me towards Seagate.
Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 10:53 am
by _MarcoM_
I founded a pipeline 500GB HD2 at a good price. But it is 8MB buffer model, and it's the only difference from the one reviewed.
I will use it as a system drive in my rig, Caviar GP will become a backup drive mounted under the Seagate. Should i care about buffer? Should i care about performance?
Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 7:39 pm
by dhanson865
If you are talking about the one mentioned in this thread
viewtopic.php?t=56436 it has 16MB cache not 8MB and I'd say it's a worth buying if the price is cheap.
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:41 am
by _MarcoM_
No, i'm talking about the Pipeline hd.2, similar to the model reviewed by SPCR in this article, except the buffer size:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/seagate-5 ... ard-drives