Laptop Hard Drive roundup?

bradc · Post by **bradc** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:57 pm

I sent an email to Mike a few weeks ago and I didn't get a reply, it most likely disappeared into a spam account.

Anyway, I was thinking that there are a number of 5400 and even a few 7200rpm 500gb laptop drives now available that it would be a good time to round them up. SPCR is about the only site on the web in which people even talk about laptop drives for use on desktop PC's, and I think an article that compared as many models as possible would be great.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:22 am

I agree it would be great but then again who is going to pay for all the samples? Meanwhile the best would be to check out Tom's Hardware 2.5 inch HDD charts and see how good each of these 2.5 inch drives perform.

The problem with Tom's Hardware and Storage Review and many others is that they do not measure acoustics and even if they did not with as good devices as those of SPCR. So for now you will have to rely on what people say about their 2.5 inch HDDs. Problem with this is that even a noisy WD Raptor can be "inaudible" to someone with an already noisy system and to someone else only SSDs are inaudible (which they sure are). I know I picked the most extreme situations but that's how the human ear works.

Personally I don't give a **** to power consumption regarding 2.5 inch HDDs. I mean, a desktop 3.5 inch HDD will consume at least ten times more watts than most 2.5 inch HDDs. So the problem with most reviews is that they are based on a laptop users point-of-view.

Personally I had three choices: the Seagate Momentus 7200.3, the WD Scorpio Black and the Samsung MP2. The Samsung is not as fast as the Momentus and I do not have any confirmation of how many platters each version uses... The Scorpio Black is as most of you know, great for workstation type I/O. However my system is a desktop and like I have seen, the Scorpio Black performs poorly compared to the Momentus in desktop use. Not only that but the Scorpio Black is overpriced! So I was left with the Momentus line. The new 7200.4 series only offer 500GB and 250GB capacities, which are very highly priced so I opted for the "earlier" generation. According to Seagate specifications, the 160GB version is the biggest in the series to incorporate a single-platter design so I got one.

When I get the Momentus I'll make my own review of it for you all. It's a single platter 160GB 7200RPM 2.5 inch HDD, should be pretty quiet I guess. I won't be doing any fancy NoVibes or Scythe Quiet Drive nor will I suspend it in any way. It's going to be hard mounted.

As a side note I have a question: how can the WD VelociRaptor, running at 10000RPM be *any* quieter than a 7200RPM 2.5 inch HDD? I simply can't believe the measurements SPCR have made... Oh well...

aztec · Post by **aztec** » Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:38 pm

I vote for a roundup as well.

I need to replace the HD in my wife's MacBook Pro soon and have been looking the Fujitsu MHZ2320BJ.

All the reviews regarding it better acoustically (vibration and otherwise) compared to the WD drives have been anectdotal at best.

Thanks!

line · Post by **line** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 6:01 am

I agree, now that 250GB-per-platter drives are out it is a good time for a roundup, but I wouldn't bother with older series.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 8:01 am

LodeHacker wrote:the Seagate Momentus 7200.3, the WD Scorpio Black and the Samsung MP2. The Samsung is not as fast as the Momentus and I do not have any confirmation of how many platters each version uses... The Scorpio Black is as most of you know, great for workstation type I/O. However my system is a desktop and like I have seen, the Scorpio Black performs poorly compared to the Momentus in desktop use. Not only that but the Scorpio Black is overpriced!

The 320GB 7200.3 and Scorpio Black are 2 platters. I got a refurbished WD3200BEKT from Newegg for $65.78. If that hadn't been available I probably would have gone for the 500GB Scorpio Blue.

I am not sure where you are getting that the Seagates are better for desktop use. The Seagates seem to be the lowest power 3.5" drives. My replacement Eee PC 1000HA came with a 160GB single platter 5400.5. The original had a 2-platter 5400.4. The Scorpio Black seems quieter than either Seagate.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:38 pm

Well it could be falling into the error margin of most reviews which list I/O speed. I recall having read at least 2 reviews stating the Momentus is "clearly" faster and better than the Scorpio black... Oh well for the money I got a Samsung F1 (I know, 3.5" drive...) please check it out!

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:45 pm

Notebook HDD's are quickly becomming a niche market. A hardcore silencer is going to jump on the SSD bandwagon, and someone who needs large amounts of mass storage is going to stick with 5400rpm 3.5" drives.

Really the only people who even consider notebook drives are the silencers on a budget.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:49 pm

Aris wrote:Really the only people who even consider notebook drives are the silencers on a budget.

What about the power differences?

If the rest of system is <20W, a 3.5" harddrive requires a lot of power.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 10:42 pm

Aris I think your sentence doesn't make sense -- you didn't explain it well to make sense

A "hardcore" silencer or better yet a "wise" silencer won't get an SSD. First there is this SLC vs MLC thing next you need to take care of the SSD more often than you need to take care of an HDD (referring to write cycles). Also, SSD technology is still fairly new with only the highest end models being reliable to some point but then again for roughly 150â‚¬ you get "just" 16GB. Pay 50â‚¬ less and you get just 8GB. That's just too tight for even an operating system drive. Last time I checked my plain XP installation with all software I need to get going was roughly 10GB and my new Vista installation took by default more than 16GB space. Maybe if you put Linux on an SSD; each to their own. EDIT: So you don't get confused with the listed prices, it was Transcend SLC SSD I was looking at; MLC is the cheaper SSD type.

For 150â‚¬ I could get the WD Scorpio Blue 500GB, which currently is one of the speediest 2.5" 5400RPM drives with performance comparable to 7200RPM drives! Put that into a Scythe Quiet Drive or Nexus Drive-A-Way and you have a virtually silent option with more than 3000% storage compared to that 16GB SSD! So only a very rich or very dumb silencer will get an SSD now. It's better to wait for the technology to evolve and use what's best right now and not what will be the best in a couple of years.

Also I think someone with the need of much space will get a NAS anyway probably placed in a separate room or at any other place far enough to not bother with noise. EDIT: Forgot to mention access times. Those with SSDs be happy with your access times, I still think getting an SSD is a bad idea. Rather invest the money into a already quiet Velociraptor.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:10 pm

I dont make sense? Most of your reply doesnt make sense at all.

what slc vs mlc "thing" are you speaking of?

what about an ssd do i need to "take care of more often"??

the 500gb 2.5" you refered to is $110. the 80gb intel ssd is now $370. Around 3.5 times more expensive. Sure its more space, but as i stated earlier, if you need mass storage your going to go with 3.5" 5400rpm drives since its even cheaper than 2.5" drives per GB. So all you really need is enough space for your OS, a few programs, possibly some games and a modest music collection. All of which you can fit on less than 80gb. So then speaking of just an OS drive, the cost per GB doesnt matter, just the overall cost of ownership as long as the minimum space required is met. People were gladly spending $300 for the velociraptor when it first came out to get a quiet OS drive that still performed well, the intel SSD isnt that much more and its actually silent and not just quiet. Not to mention much faster.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:37 pm

Don't have the Intel SSD to make any benchmarks but each to their own I guess

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:42 pm

LodeHacker wrote:Don't have the Intel SSD to make any benchmarks but each to their own I guess

have you been living under a rock for the past 6 months?

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/in ... spx?i=3403

heres where the benchmarks begin:
http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/in ... =3403&p=11

Do a search on google for "x25-m review", you'll get at least a dozen.

Heres the current price on newegg:
Intel X25-m SSD
As of this posting its $369 for the 80gb version with free shipping.

LodeHacker · Post by **LodeHacker** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 6:24 am

If you believe in numbers posted on review websites then good luck. Real world experience > numbers on paper. I haven't been living under a rock, I do now about Intel's new offerings but I have had no experience with them to judge whether SSDs are worth the premium right now.

Aris · Post by **Aris** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 10:25 am

LodeHacker wrote:If you believe in numbers posted on review websites then good luck. Real world experience > numbers on paper. I haven't been living under a rock, I do now about Intel's new offerings but I have had no experience with them to judge whether SSDs are worth the premium right now.

You obviously didnt read the review. They arnt just numbers on papers.

If i continue your logic of "if i havnt personally seen it, then it might as well not exist", then we'd all still be using 5400rpm 5.25" HDD's from the 80's. Because heaven forbid you believe what anyone else tells you.

aztec · Post by **aztec** » Tue Feb 17, 2009 1:35 am

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/storag ... undup.html

sadly, nothing worthwhile measuring noise.

BTW. Does anyone know if the Fujitsu MHZ2320BJ is a single-platter HD? I've checked the data sheet and no indication.

Thanks!