I'm considering buying the newer 7200.7 ST3120026A 120GB /w 8MB Cache.

Silicon Acoustics seems to be the only one carrying the older Cuda V ST3120024A 120GB /w 8MB Cache. But at $170, OUCH!

Is the newer 7200.7 louder or quieter?
I've noticed that the 7200.7 series no longer has the "Sea-shield".

-Ed

All reports that I've read have said the 7200.7 is slightly louder than the V series. Note also that the V's still have acoustic management available, whereas 7200.7's do not.

Try searching the forum and you'll see plenty of more info on it.

[Edited to correct error on SATA V's.]

Au contrare monfrare The SATA V's AAM can be turned on via the Hitachi Feature tool. See hopester's posts in WARNING - no 'quiet seek' for Barracuda V SATA! Despite the name of the thread

Also may want to look up Dru's 7200.7 review in the Storage section of the main site.

I'll second what aphonos wrote. You can indeed enable AAM on the SATA Barracuda V. I've done it using the Hitachi Feature tool that he mentioned.

And as far as availability of the 120GB Barracuda V SATAs, I don't know where you live but Fry's Electronics has the retail boxed version (comes safely packed in foam with SATA cable and power adapter) for $160. They have tons of them in stock in the several Fry's I've been to in the last week or so.

I live near the Manhattan Beach Fry's. Ugh, I hate that Fry's, it's so cramped.

I found the 8MB Cache PATA ST3120024A for $128. Is this one comparable to the Cuda V SATA? Storagereview.com seems to point to the extra cache as the source of the added performance rather than the SATA interface.

How much louder (perceptibly) is the 120GB Cuda V compared to the 60GB Cuda V?

-Ed

D'oh. Thanks for correcting my error then. I haven't kept up with the info on the Barracudas after I decided to go Samsung.

Computers4Sure.com has 120GB Barracuda Serial ATA V w/ 8MB cache for $150 and shows 151 in stock.

I've spent a lot of money with C4Sure with no problems - but watch their limited return policy on certain items, including Seagate drives.

(I've already warned my wife that I'll be spending some of my "next upgrade" money a bit early if their stock of the 80GB SATA V drives drops too low.)

Manhattan Beach Fry's sucks. Low ceilings, cramped floor space, disoraganized stock, that awful Tiki theme = yeech!

Yes, that PATA 8MB Cuda V is the twin of the SATA Cuda V. But, search the posts here and/or at Storagereview.com because I think some folks are having problems with the 8MB PATA Cuda V's.

should perform the same sata vs pata adds very little :\
nice cables, and hotswap.
my 7200.7 dont whine, its suspended, seaks are probably louder htan previous, but still quiet

Cramped? I feel sorry for you guys down there. All the local Fry's in the Bay Area (about 5 of them?) are so spacious. The 2 I've been to in Arizona are also very spacious.

But then again, the first, "original" Fry's I used to visit in Sunnyvale was "tiny-tiny". That was back around the late 1980s I believe. It was the only electronics store around where you'd have a huge candy isle by the checkout.

I still work less than a mile away from that original Fry's and the "revamped" Fry's is across the street from where I work (in Sunnyvale still). I'm such a Fry's junkie!