Need help selecting a(n) HDD(s)

[LoC]

ok my next comp is going to be a gaming machine, and i know that you need a good HDD in order to get good performance out of your whole system. i am thinking of getting a 36.7GB 15,000 RPM HDD for all games and applications requiring higher speeds and a cheaper, larger HDD for everything else. as well, whats the difference between an 80-pin and 68-pin HDD? What is considered a decent latency time for HDDs now? EDIT: is there a significant difference between 10,000 RPM and 15,000 RPM?

[flanzig1]

15k rpm drives are SCSI drives which means you would need a SCSI card. Best bet is go with 10k rpm SATA drives. As for games, the area of importance is the video card.

[rspassey]

I only have about 6 big game installed on a 300 gb harddrive and have filled almost 32gb.. you will probably want a lot more space, IMO I would say get a 10,00 rpm raptor at with more harddrive space.

[LoC]

hmmm. i have read that, and think, that perhaps a HDD might have some effect on performance?

[glc]

Sure - but have you checked the prices on 15k rpm SCSI drives and SCSI adapters? All a faster drive is going to do is load your games a few seconds faster.

[LoC]

aye. i have figured that out now. ok next question, what is the difference between: ATA 3.0Gb/s, Serial ATA150 and DE Ultra ATA133. on another note, if i have two HDD's i assume i install an OS on both, which will be XP Pro, and everything will just fine?

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by LoC ok next question, what is the difference between: ATA 3.0Gb/s, Serial ATA150 and DE Ultra ATA133.

ATA 3.0Gb/s is just a faster Serial ATA standard. SATA 150 was the standard SATA that came out a few years ago but has slower transfer rates than SATA 300. Ultra ATA133 is the fastest PATA transfer rate. If you're building a new computer stick with SATA hard drives as PATA is old technology.

Originally Posted by LoC on another note, if i have two HDD's i assume i install an OS on both

Nope...you just install the OS on the primary master HDD. The other HDD doesn't need a OS on it (unless you're dual booting with another OS like Linux), it's just there for data storage.

Cricket

[LoC]

thank you very much! that really helps me select. i had a few that were SATA and ATA whatnot and i wasnt sure.

[LoC]

Ok, posted below are two drives i am considering: it is one or the other. is the Western Digital Raptor WD360GD justifiably $60 more than the other? and how much slower is the Western Digital Caviar SE WD400JD 40GB than the Western Digital Raptor WD360GD?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...SubCategory=14

[rspassey]

Originally Posted by LoC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...SubCategory=14

fixed the link

okay here is the difference (and yes you will be able to notice it)

-----------------------7200rpm-------10000 rpm
Average Seek Time------8.9ms--------5.2ms
Average Write Time-----10.9ms--------5.9ms
Average Latency--------4.2ms---------2.99ms

I still think you will want more that 36gb harddrive space; that isn't very much by todays standards (especially for heavy gaming)

Is it worth the extra? Some would say yes (I would say yes). I know you will tell a difference, but others might say not and suggest paying for more space but for a 7200rpm one.

[MaxRat]

Not really ....unless you are into seconds in loading...

depends on you system..roughly 20-60mbs

[LoC]

specs:
AMD 64 3700+ San Diego
2GB OCZ
Primary Drive: Western Digital Raptor WD360GD (fast for gaming/OS/pertinent apps.)
Secondary Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1200JS (music/pictures/other games/etc...)

i am curious as too how much difference. i.e. 3-5 seconds or something.

[MaxRat]

may a 1/2 second...or little more..