IBM Harddrive

[JohnT]

Which is the better harddrive and why.
I'm planning on using it for gaming. I mean gaming will demand the most of the harddisk.
Two options:
18.0 GB IBM UDMA 66 7200 RPM DJNA 371800
20.0 GB IBM UDMA 66 7200 RPM DPTA 372050

What's the difference between the two and what kind of cooling do I need?

Thanks already,
John

[Stan]

Hi

First of all, I am glad to see that you are thinking of buying IBM... they are the best.

I can not tell what's the difference between the 22Gxp (DJNA) and 34Gxp (DPTA) series. They are all 7200rpm, 2Mb cache and UDMA66.
Apart from sizes, the heads are probably better on the 34Gxp.
For more info: www.storage.ibm.com (http://www.storage.ibm.com)

Now, if you really want performance, buy yourself a Promise FastTrack RAID controller ( www.promise.com (http://www.promise.com) ). Install 2 HD (for ex, 2 IBM 34Gxp 13.6Gb) and configure them in RAID0 (stripe).
You will see what speed really means...

I have 2 FastTrack controllers with 4 IBM 22Gxp in my PC (RAID0 array)... the SCSI RAID5 server we have in our office seems rather sluggish...

Stan

[This message has been edited by Stan (edited 01-27-2000).]

[Stan]

Forgot about cooling...

These HD are ruunning quite hot (7200rpm...)
I have 4 Triple Fans HD Cooler from www.3dcool.com (http://www.3dcool.com) .
The HD's feel very cool when running !

Stan

[Vernon Frazee]

Between the IBM Deskstar 22GXP DJNA-371800 (http://www.storage.ibm.com/hardsoft/diskdrdl/desk/2522data.htm) (7200 RPM 18.0 GB) and the
IBM Deskstar 34GXP DPTA-372050 (http://www.storage.ibm.com/hardsoft/diskdrdl/desk/37gp34gxpdata.htm) (7200 RPM 20.5 GB), I'd grab the latter.

Why? In a nutshell, the 20.5 holds more data, has fewer moving parts,
crams more data into the same amount of space -- which makes it faster,
can withstand more abuse and, it's cheaper.

Here's more detail:

o Obviously the 20.5 GB holds 2,500 MB more data than the 18.0 GB.

o The 20.5 GB has less heads/platters, 6/3 versus 8/4, which means less
   to go wrong and, that it weighs a bit less, 20.5 versus (vs.) 22.2
   ounces.

o The 20.5 GB holds more data per square inch, 5154 vs. 3432 Mbits. This
   means the drive doesn't have to do as much work to read/write the same
   amount of data which leads to faster access.

o The 20.5 GB is faster with a media transfer rate of 284 vs. 223.4 max
   Mbits/sec as well as a sustained data transfer rate of 13.8-22.9 vs.
   10.7-17.9 MB/sec.

o The 20.5 GB can withstand more shock, 200 G/2ms versus 175 G/2ms.

o And, a quick search on PriceWatch.com revealed that the 20.5GB is
   actually a bit cheaper, $173.95 (http://www.gogocity.com//product_details.asp?dept%5Fid=211&pf%5Fid=CO02HDD0161&mscssid=411NFU7GSUSH2N0700JP42PFCLR4BDF3) vs. $189.00 (http://www.accubyte.com/IDEDrives.htm).

If you're interested in researching differences like these between other
IBM HDs, their IBM Hard disk drives | Support | Hard Disk Drive Table (http://www.storage.ibm.com/techsup/hddtech/table.htm) is
an excellent starting point.