07-07-2004, 01:12 AM
I just want to make a comment regarding Fragbait's list.
Although the only item on the list that I 100% agree with is the Plextor drive, I have a bit of an issue with the hard disk selection.
Although the Raptor WD740GD is a fast drive, the cost is a bit out of line. Here's a comparison, prices are Canadian wholesale from today:
WD 74GB 10000RPM SATA (U150) 8M - RAPTORS SERIES $267.00 (the pick)
WD 250Gb 7200rpm 8MB U150 SATA (#2500JD) $239.00 (comparable price, almost 3 times the storage)
WD 80Gb 7200rpm IDE 8M U150 SATA (#800JD) $92.00 (comparable size, close to one third the cost)
WD 160Gb 7200rpm IDE 8M SATA U150 (#1600JD) $138.00 (current best cost per storage unit)
Okay. My pick here for overall cost and performance is the Caviar 250 Gig. I haven't seen the benchmarks lately, but generally you can figure that a larger capacity drive will see real-world performance benefit because there is simply more data passing under the heads per revolution. I suspect that may bring the performance up to where it won't be far off from the Raptor. And, besides being almost triple the storage capacity, it's cheaper.
If they really, REALLY, want to pick based primarily on performance, they would have gone with one of the 15,000 RPM, U320 SCSI drives. The cost would be higher, but the performance would be a lot better.
If I was laying out a system where the storage capacity is not a real concern, that is, 73 gig was plenty; and I really needed to kick up the drive performance without spending too much, I would probably use the Raptor. That would be an unusual situation, though.
Although the only item on the list that I 100% agree with is the Plextor drive, I have a bit of an issue with the hard disk selection.
Although the Raptor WD740GD is a fast drive, the cost is a bit out of line. Here's a comparison, prices are Canadian wholesale from today:
WD 74GB 10000RPM SATA (U150) 8M - RAPTORS SERIES $267.00 (the pick)
WD 250Gb 7200rpm 8MB U150 SATA (#2500JD) $239.00 (comparable price, almost 3 times the storage)
WD 80Gb 7200rpm IDE 8M U150 SATA (#800JD) $92.00 (comparable size, close to one third the cost)
WD 160Gb 7200rpm IDE 8M SATA U150 (#1600JD) $138.00 (current best cost per storage unit)
Okay. My pick here for overall cost and performance is the Caviar 250 Gig. I haven't seen the benchmarks lately, but generally you can figure that a larger capacity drive will see real-world performance benefit because there is simply more data passing under the heads per revolution. I suspect that may bring the performance up to where it won't be far off from the Raptor. And, besides being almost triple the storage capacity, it's cheaper.
If they really, REALLY, want to pick based primarily on performance, they would have gone with one of the 15,000 RPM, U320 SCSI drives. The cost would be higher, but the performance would be a lot better.
If I was laying out a system where the storage capacity is not a real concern, that is, 73 gig was plenty; and I really needed to kick up the drive performance without spending too much, I would probably use the Raptor. That would be an unusual situation, though.