I am going to be building a Hackintosh, and my first computer build ever, this fall. I am still in the planning / researching stage, but I wanted your input on the storage. Given that my primary drive will be an SSD, which would you choose as a secondary drive:
- 1. The WD Blue 500GB LPVT single-platter 2.5” 5400 RPM drive with 8MB cache that was reviewed so well here (official specs 17-22 dBA), or
2. The WD Green 500/750GB AZRX 3.5” “IntelliPower" RPM drive with 64MB cache (officially 21-22 dBA)?
I can see so many arguments, pros, and cons for each that I’m really not sure which I like more. Help me out people!
My goal is a relatively small (mATX), decently powerful (4.2 GHz OC, NVidia 670, 16GB RAM), quiet (unlikely to be noticed, not necessarily inaudible) system — one that does well in each of those categories without going overboard in any one (and thus negating the others).
This will be my primary machine, used for general computing / work, RAW photo editing through Aperture, and some gaming. The current parts list is here, but of course it is subject to change:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler ($69.70 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Corsair Force Series GT 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($96.94 @ Adorama)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Green 750GB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.99 @ eCost)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($419.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone FT03S MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($160.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Silverstone 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($166.29 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7690H-01 DVD/CD Writer ($35.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1818.83
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)