Need 1 or 1.5 TB internal SATA drive, new ones don't have good reviews?

[macx]

I built my desktop about 4 or so years ago, don't put all that many hours on it, used WD drives. Recently had to unplug one before it quit altogether and one of the other 2 is getting pretty noisy.

Started researching for a good dependable drive, with new models coming out so frequently what was a good drive last year may not be true any more.

I had looked at Seagate Barracuda LP 5900 rpm drives, but have read some user reviews that say they haven't lasted long for some users. Haven't read any reviews of the WD LP 5400 drives yet.

Seek time isn't as important as drive dependability - don't want to have to buy 2
drives just to ensure I don't lose data. I know drives can fail, but being you folks
probly have a good read on what's considered the most reliable new drives in the
1 to 1.5 TB size, I'm asking.

Thanks!!

EDIT: Kept reading reviews, WD Green or Blue or Black didn't exist yet last time i got into this in depth.
Read a bunch of reviews, decided on the Black because of the warranty & reviews.
Wanted a 1.5TB but they don't make a Caviar Black in that size.
But a good price at $99, I'll probly add another one sometime later.

 

[raybay]

We have several hundred Seagate, Western Digital, and Samsung drives out there with nary a problem. Failure rate in the first year is lower than our old numbers on 80 GB and 160GB. It is true that there were a few problems on the early 1.5 1 TB drives, but since the advent of the 3.0 devices with 1 TB up to 1.5 TB, there have been no issues. 2 TB drives are a different issue, however.

 

[tipstir]

I had just ordered 3 new SATA II HDD, but the TB reviews weren't that great and the issues with some Seagate HDD had put me off with the TB. So I just got the most popular WD Blue. I wanted them quiet but fast. The WD Green a low everything and the WD Black are to loud.

 

[macx]

Thanks for the info on the 1 & 1.5 TB drives being - now - reliable.

I'll file that away for when I replace my other 250g storage drive and
my 80g C drive - one of them is starting to make noise so it probly
won't be long.

 

[tipstir]

Thanks for the info on the 1 & 1.5 TB drives being - now - reliable.

I'll file that away for when I replace my other 250g storage drive and
my 80g C drive - one of them is starting to make noise so it probly
won't be long.

What type of noise? Also I got some good deals on 640GB SATA II WD Blue. Newegg and Amazon have them dirt cheap. But Amazon has a limit though of 3 per customer. The 750GB reviews weren't that great. The 640GB is quicker than the 500GB. Go figure. My old SATA 200GB still going strong was made by Maxtor prior to Seagate taking over the company.

 

[matrix86]

I have the Western Digital Caviar Black 1T 7200rpm (got it at newegg at the time for $70) and it runs nice and quiet. So far i've had no issues with it. I bought it not realizing the my desktop actually runs IDE and not SATA (despite the fact that I knew this, lol), but I just bought an external enclosure that hooks up to to my desktop via USB cable. This thing runs great and like I said, it's quiet (even when it picks up speed, all you hear is a little purr and that's it...almost makes me want to pet it, lol).

I've had this now for about a year and it still runs like new. But as it is with anything you buy, there are those who think it is the worst thing since anthrax and those who think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Some people have bad experiences, some people have good experiences. The biggest thing you need to look for is warranty and customer service (although sometimes those are just like the hardware...some say they're terrible, some say they're good).

So I guess what i'm really trying to say is that when comes to buying anything electronic, you never know what you're going to get. It's about how lucky you are. And so far i've been lucky with every piece of hardware i've ever bought (if only I could be this lucky with the lottery, lol).

 

[raybay]

The WD Blue is substantially lower in quality than the WD Black... the price difference is worth it.

Most of the stuff you read on the reviews is junk, because the reviews are on new units... not those put to good use.

Good luck.

 

[matrix86]

of the stuff you read on the reviews is junk, because the reviews are on new units... not those put to good use.

Good luck.

Indeed. The best reviews are those from people who have had to RMA and those who have had the item for a year or more (which is why I always wait a little over a year before buying new technology...i'll let the other people get screwed so I don't end up wasting money, lol). I ignore all the other reviews in between.

Oh, you should also watch out for those who say things like "I went in not expecting much from this company..." because those people are just looking for a reason to give bad reviews. They are already biased.