Two hard drive options....

[Itronix]

Hey everyone,

I've been out of the computer scene for a while now, so forgive me for asking simple questions. I need a new hard drive, mine is almost full. I've used the same WD drive for the past five plus years and it's never skipped a beat. So, I found this one on Newegg for $99.99:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533

However, I found that the local Best Buy has this one for $89.99(Newegg link has more info):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2148321-_-NA&gclid=CMXYqrXKwrQCFYl7Qgodg3EALg


The main difference between the two is that the WD drive has 64mb cache, while the Seagate has 32mb cache. Also, Best Buy says that the Seagate comes with a 5 year parts/labor guarantee, like the WD, but Newegg says it's only 1 year. I realize both of these are SATA 6.0 gb/s, and I can only take advantage of 3.0, however, I understand that 6 is backwards compatible with three and I also may upgrade the board at some point in the future.

My questions are, is the 64mb cache a much better performer than the 32mb? Also, I don't have any experience with Seagate. Is Seagate as reliable as WD?

The reason why I like the Best Buy (Seagate) drive is:
1. It is right here and in stock, so I can work on the computer while I'm off work for the holidays.
2. I have a $25 gift card to Best Buy, so the drive would cost me a whopping $65 before tax .

I'd rather pay the extra for a drive that will be a solid performer and that will last another 5 years, but trying to see if the Seagate should meet those expectations.

Thanks,
Dan

Edit: It looks like the WD has dual processors as well. I don't know if that will make a real noticeable difference.

 

[OvenMaster]

I personally have never noticed any difference in operation due to cache size. What's mattered most to me has been disk speed.
My two cents is that a few bucks more for a 5 year warranty over a 1 year warranty is worth it. Seagates or WDs are both fine performers; I have both in my system, they have gotten heavy daily use for at least the past four years without a single bad sector, and they're built like tanks.

 

[Cromewell]

Either looks ok to me.

I've got lots of Seagate drives, never had any problem with them. Of course someone will come along and tell you they suck and will be dead out of the box. But someone else will have the same story about WD. I think the Seagate warranty was dropped from 5 year to 1 or 3.

I'd expect similar performance out of both as well, with all the fancy dodads they are still just a mechanical drive.

 

[Itronix]

Thank you to both of you! I looked more into the warranty and it looks as if the Seagate may actually have a 3 year warranty, which is better than 1, but not as nice as a 5. It's not so much the warranty, but how they stand behind their product. I've had good luck with Western Digital (never had one I installed fail, even after multiple builds and years of use), so I think I'll spend a little extra and get that WD I've been eyeballing for the last couple months. If anything, my own piece of mind is worth $30.

Thanks,
Dan