IBM 40GB 7200rpm... worth $120?

[SaveYourself]

I am upgrading my hard disk and want to know if an IBM 40GB 7200rpm hard drive is worth the $120 that it will cost at my local pro computer place. Thanks in advance.

[Mr. NoOne]

You can get better prices buying over the internet, here's two I use all the time:

www.buy.com

www.egghead.com

[Nighthawk]

www.newegg.com has a 60gxp IBM 40gb for $111 after shipping.

[Richard_Cranium72]

I think that's a fair price especially for a local B&M store.

egghead's price is $129.99 + s&h
http://www.egghead.com/ShowPage.dll?page=prod_page_p&ItemEDP=110069


www.newegg.com edges them out at $111.00 shipped.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=14&manufactory=1302


WD's flagship drive is $107.00

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=14&manufactory=1306

Either way you won't go wrong, till prices drop again,, or go UP :)

DrVette

[Potlicker]

With the price of computer components dropping everyday, you just have to scour the internet, bite the bullet and buy it. Then don't look back.

[Scorpio69]

Check www.pricewatch.com.

Is there a reason you need that particular drive? You can get a 40GB for around $90 shipped.

I just bought an 80 GB. I found it to be the best size/cost ratio at the moment, though I was tempted to buy a 100GB.

[Richard_Cranium72]

I can't remember where,, but I saw an article that some of the 40+gb HD's were having teething problems.

Stuff like running HOT, or lost data etc.

With the size of the net I probably can't find it.

I've advised my peers to stay with sub 30gb drives for the time till the new "dense" HD's get sorted out.

Seems as if SOCAL and Wart-10 and others had some probs with the IBM GXP 75- 45gb drives a few months back.

DrVette

[shahani]

I bought a Maxtor 40GB a few months ago at CompUSA for $100 after rebate of $50. So I think around $100 for 40 GB is a good price, give or take. Remember if you buy at the local store, it'll be easier to exchange/return should anything go wrong.

The internet sites shown above are good though and reliable. Keep in mind the Shipping & Handling, though.

[voogru]

60gxp IBM 40gb for $111 after shipping

stay away from IBM! they SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

[TechDude]

I think i bought my 60gb 7200 rpm IBM hdd for about the same price.

[Potlicker]

Go ask SoCalGal about IBM harddrives, she apparently won't be getting that job with IBM consumer products:D

[Fingers]

Yeah... you don't have to go ask her... she's made her opinion public... :D

IBM RANT! (http://www.sysopt.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=85935)

EVERY drive manufacturer has some trouble now and then, but IBM is definitely headed the wrong way with their customer service, .... perhaps that's also true of their quality?

[DemonKnight]

I got two 40GB GXP drives from newegg one arrived DOA the other is doing fine (Newegg gave me an RMA in about 5 minutes.) Up till recently (reading Socal's post) I thought IBM drives were some of the best...

[KennyPolo]

i think wd or seagate is a better brand than ibm.. you can find a 40gb 7200rpm from those brands for about the same cost.. anywhere from 90$ to $110 shipped but you have to constantly look

[KennyPolo]

BTW IBM and MAXTOR suck.. stay away from them :p they crash pretty frequently.. usually somewhere from 1-3 yrs

WD and SG will usually last over 5-6 yrs with no probs :)

[Antix]

:mad:
You're full of it, Maxtors don't suck.
After joing with Quantum, the hard drives have been more reliable.

I have a DiamondMax 45 ATA100 20GB. Its been FDISK'd, formatted, beaten with EXT2, FAT32, FAT partitioning over and over again, virus infected once.

Never gave me any problems.

[Scorpio69]

Woah. Hold it there, Turbo. You can find someone who likes or dislikes any brand. The truth is that all of the name brands mentioned above are good.

I happen to like Western Digital. You know what? The very first one I bought was defective. I had it replaced. No big, it happens. I have stuck with them for over six years and I love 'em. I do this for a hobby, for a living, on the side for friends, etc. I always buy Western Digital if I have a choice. I have no plans to change.

It's the same arguement as Ford vs. Chevy vs. Mopar, or whatever. Someone has had a bad one, and someone else has had no problems. Somewhere in the world there is (probably) a Yugo with 400,000 original miles on it. Somewhere there's (maybe) a Ferrari that broke down on the way home from the showroom.

[shahani]

Hey, Antix, DUDE. take it easy. No one is full of it. Everyone has their personal opinion based on their experience. I also had a bad time with a 5GB Maxtor 3 years ago when a brand new diamondMAX had 0.6MB bad sectors. After I mapped them out using a low level utility, it worked fine and the bad sectors didn't spread.

I can't understand why diverse opinions are frowned upon. Isn't that the very purpose of a forum like this? Allows people with different experiences to share their experiences and make everyone better informed.

On a different note, only a handful of manufacturers world wide have the technology to make hard drives. And this product is pretty matured in its life cycle: all drives are basically the same and have comparable MTBF. Different people may get a lemon at times, but that's part of life. I have an IBM 15 GB bought 2 years ago for $150. Workhorse. No problem at all. Same for the 40BG Maxtor I got for less than $100 a few months ago. Same for the 30GB Seagate. They're all good unless you get unlucky and get a defective one.

[Antix]

I find that most people hate a brand due to bad experiences, as other people have posted.

It also makes sense to stay away from places like Sam's Club, UBID, etc. Most of the stuff that comes out of there is "refurbished" so to speak, parts that have been used and have less life expectancy.:rolleyes:

[shahani]

I'd go with Antix re. Sams Club/Costco,,, and also watch out for the bundle type of deals at Staples/Office Depot/CompUSA.. for a scanner plus printer at $79. These are all floor models or refurbished. One just has to be a little cautious.

I found even Compaq uses the cheapes components-SIS video cards and so on. Same with HP. Dell and IBM generally have better quality components.

[LostBok]

In reply to:

Originally posted by Richard_Cranium72
I can't remember where,, but I saw an article that some of the 40+gb HD's were having teething problems.

Stuff like running HOT, or lost data etc.

I've advised my peers to stay with sub 30gb drives for the time till the new "dense" HD's get sorted out.

DrVette

Yes, soem of them were - about six months ago or more.... the IBM 75GXP drives were VERY fast and also incredibly hot and noisy.... I know of a few of these that have been okay, but normally worth spending the extra on a 60GXP and getting a drive that is jsut as fast, but is quiet and running cool (without active cooling, etc...) - definitely worth it!