Which storage option should I pick? 2 x 2TB HDD, or 1 x 4TB HDD?

[Almer]

So I'm looking for an HDD to keep files and large games in it. I found two options I could go for.

 

(1) 2 x Seagate BarraCuda 2TB 7200 RPM for $99.98

or

(2) 1 x Seagate IronWolf Pro 4TB 7200RPM for $115.59

 

I am planning to go for the first option because it's cheaper. But I don't know the benefits or disadvantages of both these options so I'm not sure if I'm picking the right one.

 

This storage will be mostly used to keep videos, pictures, documents, and some large-sized games.

 

Any advice on this? Should I keep my choice or go for the second option?

 

You are also very welcome to let me know if anything else is wrong with the other parts I've picked. I haven't purchased any of them yet so I can still change things. Thank you!

 

Here is my PC:

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/nRLbF8

 

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor  ($519.00 @ Newegg) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler  ($109.95 @ Amazon) 
Thermal Compound: Noctua NT-H1 3.5 g Thermal Paste  ($8.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (WI-FI) ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($184.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($124.99 @ Corsair) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory  ($124.99 @ Corsair) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($139.90 @ Dell) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 3080 10 GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card  (Purchased For $999.99) 
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox TD500 ARGB ATX Mid Tower Case  ($114.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 
Case Fan: Noctua F12 PWM chromax.black.swap 54.97 CFM 120 mm Fan  ($22.90 @ Amazon) 
Total: $2480.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-11-10 12:15 EST-0500

[Electronics Wizardy]

Id get the single larger drive. You don't hve to deal with smr, nd its easier to manage files.

 

Isn't there a 4k barracuda thats cheaper? 

[Almer]

4 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Id get the single larger drive. You don't hve to deal with smr, nd its easier to manage files.

 

Isn't there a 4k barracuda thats cheaper? 

There are a 4TB HDDs that are cheaper, but they don't have 7200 RPM. That's the reason I chose these drives.

[RONOTHAN##]

If you're trying to get 4TB of data, go for the single drive as it's less points of failure. I'd only go for the 2 drives if you're trying to go for redundancy. 

[Blai5e]

3 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

Id get the single larger drive. You don't hve to deal with smr, nd its easier to manage files.

 

Isn't there a 4k barracuda thats cheaper? 

I think he wants the 7200rpm spindle speed; once you go above 2TB, the Barracuda drops to 5900rpm where as the Iron Wolf Pro is 7200rpm. That said, there used to be a Barracuda Pro but it was discontinued (Seagate has promised a replacement).

[Electronics Wizardy]

2 minutes ago, Almer said:

There are a 4TB HDDs that are cheaper, but they don't have 7200 RPM. That's the reason I chose these drives.

THe 5400rpm 4tb is gonna be faster thn the 2tb 7200 rpm drives. Id just get one of those.

[Almer]

4 minutes ago, Blai5e said:

I think he wants the 7200rpm spindle speed; once you go above 2TB, the Barracuda drops to 5900rpm where as the Iron Wolf Pro is 7200rpm. That said, there used to be a Barracuda Pro but it was discontinued (Seagate has promised a replacement).

So you think IronWolf is the better option?

[Blai5e]

7 minutes ago, Almer said:

So you think IronWolf is the better option?

I have a 4TB Ironwolf Pro in my 12900k build (not finished yet... waiting for RAM to come back in stock) so I can't say one way or the other. I only bought it because it was on special at the time but I do have a Barracuda 4TB 5900rpm in my current 9900k build and it powers along just fine. (I keep a mechanical drive in a build to handle Windows' Tmp/Temp and swap file duties.) Remember, if you have and SSD or NVMe in your system, a mechanical drive is going to seem slow by comparison whether 5900 or 7200rpm.

[Almer]

1 hour ago, Blai5e said:

I have a 4TB Ironwolf Pro in my 12900k build (not finished yet... waiting for RAM to come back in stock) so I can't say one way or the other. I only bought it because it was on special at the time but I do have a Barracuda 4TB 5900rpm in my current 9900k build and it powers along just fine. (I keep a mechanical drive in a build to handle Windows' Tmp/Temp and swap file duties.) Remember, if you have and SSD or NVMe in your system, a mechanical drive is going to seem slow by comparison whether 5900 or 7200rpm.

I won't be using the HDD for serious tasks anyways so I don't mind that. That's still an upgrade from my current 5200 RPM drive on my laptop.