Hard Drive in Sata II computer: which one to choose

[BadGoldEagle]

Hi all,

My computer used to be a server, it has 2 Xeons running at 3,33GHz that are still more than capable for games, but it has a Sata II interface. 

 

I currently have a 1TB 860 Pro SSD (works great!) and I've ran out of storage. I don't have the kind of money to invest in a 4TB 860 plus I want to use this drive for a bit of everything, games but also to backup my video library. I already have a backup (external) but I'd like to use this new HD to create a second backup. So it needs to be fast enough to playback 1080p video and it also needs to be reliable (no seagates then?). I also want to install Forza Motorsport 7 on it. Last but not least, because this is probably the most important factor, I don't want a noisy hard drive, otherwise I would have gotten a WD black and that would have been the end of it. 

 

If I had to list what's the most important it would be like this: 1/ Noise 2/ Speed 3/Reliability

I also understand that the perfect hard drive doesn't exist, so I am ready to make sacrifices. It has to be a 4TB drive.

 

I am currently hesitating between a TOSHIBA X300, the WD Blue, the WD Black (if that's indeed the best and if it isn't as noisy as it used to be...), or the Barracuda (if they are more reliable than they used to be...).

What would you guys recommend?

 

Thanks for your help.

Cheers,

BGE

[Electronics Wizardy]

11 minutes ago, BadGoldEagle said:

(no seagates then

Seagates are fine.

 

11 minutes ago, BadGoldEagle said:

fast enough to playback 1080p video

Any hdd can do this, normal 1080p video is like 4mB/s max, hdds can handle 100mB/s or more.

 

Id personally go with something like a barracuda here, the speed will be fine, and relability is fine aswell.

 

Or shuck one of those 8tb externla drives, there pretty cheap and good drives for a simmilar price to some of these options.

[BadGoldEagle]

Thanks for your reply.

I have seen some reports of ST4000DM000 failing with a 2% rate. But to be honest, I've seen WD drives go bad for no reason.

So should I go with one of those Barracudas? I can have an ST4000DMZ04/DM004 for 100 euros (110 bucks) shipped. 

 

And last question, are they really quiet? I know there is no such thing as a completely silent hard drive, but I sit a meter away from the box and I don't want to hear it purring all day. The fans are pretty silent on this machine.

[Electronics Wizardy]

1 minute ago, BadGoldEagle said:

Thanks for your reply.

I have seen some reports of ST4000DM000 failing with a 2% rate. But to be honest, I've seen WD drives go bad for no reason.

So should I go with one of those Barracudas? I can have an ST4000DMZ04/DM004 for 100 euros (110 bucks) shipped. 

 

And last question, are they really quiet? I know there is no such thing as a completely silent hard drive, but I sit a meter away from the box and I don't want to hear it purring all day. The fans are pretty silent on this machine.

they shoud be pretty quiet, probably wont hear it idle, but you might hear seek noise?

 

2% failure rate seems average, i wouldn't worry about that, just keep backups and your fine.

[BadGoldEagle]

Okay. The one I just mentioned is a 5400rpm drive. Is this okay or should I go with a 7200rpm one? That'll probably introduce even more noise, right?

[SSD Sean]

7200RPM drives are typically louder than 5400RPM. I have some 8TB Seagate Ironwolf drives here and they can be quite noisy on my desktop in an external two-bay enclosure. During a defrag they are almost like a garbage disposal lol. Tho, I am used to the silence of SSDs and a silent PC. 

[BadGoldEagle]

Quick follow up: I got myself a 4TB Barracuda, and I cannot hear it spinning from where I'm sitting. If I put my head against the case I can hear the drive seek but it's really quiet. Thanks for your recommendation @Electronics Wizardy. It's exactly what I wanted. 

 

@SSD Sean I collect old computers, so I know how it feels to have a massive 5 ¼ inch stepper motor monster on my bench. I'm glad HDs have evolved since the 80s.