HD-ATA33/66?5400/7200?

[dawgtuff]

My WD3.2 Caviar is about full. I want to buy a HD in the 20-22 gig range(non-SCSI).This ATA33/66 has got me puzzled though.The reviews I've read say the 66 is only marginally better than the 33.Reviews say the 66 can transfer from the buffer to the system a lot faster but, can't read off the platter any better than a 33.In fact, the best 33's only read 20mb off the platter, and this is well below the 33 spec.Would I be better off going with a good 33? Also,is 7200 rpm really needed?....My choices so far are:IBM,WD,or Fugitsu....any help would be appreciated as I'm running out of HD space!

[Stan]

Hi

It is true that the difference between 33 and 66 is hardly noticeable.
But, definitely go for 7200rpm and a big 2Mb cache.

My 1st choice is IBM: any 22Gxp or 34Gxp series will do. They are fast and reliable.
I have 2 IBM 22Gxp 9.1Gb hooked on a RAID controller: fast, fast, fast !!!

Stan

[Stan]

One last thing: these HD's are running quite hot (because 7200rpm), so a drive cooler is more than welcome !

Stan

[dawgtuff]

Stan:If the difference is minimal,should I get a 66 controller for it? After SDRAM prices come down, I'm upgrading my 'puter and it will have a MB that has the 66 controller built in.Also, I all ready have a I-Storm HD cooler for the new HD.
NavyDood:Thanks for the input, I'll keep a Quantum in mind.
Since I'm looking for a 20-22 gig drive, I still neeed some input.....Hellllp!

[NavyDood_ F/A18_Mech]

I'm a Quantum HD fan myself. I just bought a Quantum Fireball KAplus 6.4 7200 R.P.M. for my new system. This thing screams. I love it.
Check out www.allstarshop.com
They have the same hard drive but it's 9.1 gig for $117.

Jim

[This message has been edited by NavyDood_ F/A18_Mech (edited 10-14-99).]

[Stan]

Dawgtuff

If your plan is to buy a controller and have 20Gb of HD space, here is what I did for my PC.
I bought a FastTrack RAID IDE controller (from promise, www.promise.com (http://www.promise.com) ) and 2 IBM 22Gxp 9.1Gb (22Gxp series come in different flavour: 9.1, 13.5, 18, 22Gb)
I configured the HD in a RAID0 array (stripe) and this disk sub-system is faster than a single U2W disk !!!
Believe me, I have done enough testing and benchmarks...

Stan

[This message has been edited by Stan (edited 10-15-99).]

[socalgal]

I bought an IBM Deskstar 22GXP 7200/66 (18G), which has been running almost a week now. I don't have an ATA/66 controller installed however. I'm going to wait for a mainboard that supports.

I immediately noticed much improved speed with loading apps and everything happens quicker with this drive, compared to my WD 13G 5400/66, and I am so far quite happy with it.

It's also quiet.

Stan, any suggestions for a drive cooler?

[Stan]

Socalgal,

I bought 2 "triple fan HD cooler" from www.3dcool.com (http://www.3dcool.com) ( http://www.3dcool.com/triplefanharddrivecooler.shtml ).
These are really good. I can touch the HD (when PC is on) and it does not feel warm at all.

Stan

[dawgtuff]

Stan-Don't think my mid ATX will take 3 HD's,I'll have to look.I decided to wait on the controller and get it built in with my new MB.
SoCalGal-I'm looking at that GXP 22gig...hmmm.
Thanks ya'll for your help.BTW,I'm still running Win95B.Doesn't that just handle up to 8gig's per partition?

[socalgal]

Thank you, Stan. Based on your recommendation, I'll be getting one. /forum/smile.gif

[dawgtuff]

SocalGal,
Don't mean to cut Stan,but you may want to check out the I-Storm HD cooler.It doesn't use blades,it's like a long squirrel cage blower.It moves a lot of air, extremely quite, and has a 5 yr. warranty.It fits in a 5.25" slot and has brackets to mount the HD.It's a bit expensive-$50,but the price may have come down since I bought mine.....DawgTuff.

[Chiles4]

I've got a Quantum Fireball Plus KA 13gb drive and it flys. If you're going to upgrade eventually anyway, get a ATA-66 drive and download the utility from Quantum (or whomever) and temporarily change the drive to ATA-33. Then change it back when you upgrade to a board with ATA-66. I'd save your money and forget about the ATA-66 controller card. Definitely, get the 7200rpm drive. They scream. Good cooling sites: www.2cooltek.com (http://www.2cooltek.com) and www.3dfxcool.com. (http://www.3dfxcool.com.)