Steam HDD Recommendation Please?

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SamuraiInBlack

Supreme [H]ardness
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Oct 10, 2003
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So I have an aging Seagate 2TB drive (quick Google search on the model # ST2000DM001-9YN164 puts this around 5-6 years if I'm reading it right) that I am using for all my games on my Steam drive. It's time to upgrade in capacity as I'm running low on space even with deleting games I'm not actively playing.

Not looking for a performance beast, just something reasonable under $250. I'll go up to 300 if the capacity or performance difference warrants it.

I would like to keep to Amazon since I have Prime, but also have a Best Buy in the area by me too. I'll shop NewEgg if they have a significantly better price than Amazon, or are the only trustworthy seller.

I was eyeing this drive here, but wasn't sure if it'd be wise to pull the trigger on it:
https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Performance-Desktop-Internal-HDWF180XZSTA/dp/B074BTZ2YJ

Any thoughts, suggestions, or recommendations welcome. Thanks!
 
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The toshiba drives have been pretty good overall. I have a couple of the 3tb and 4tb models with no problems. Price/perf they seem to win out over others most of the time. The only thing I worry about is the customer service on warranties. There have been reports here on the forum that their RMA process is not good and you get a visa gift card back instead of the traditional replacement drive (let alone advance replacement). For best performance since its for gaming just make sure its a 7200rpm drive and the WD Black's or Seagate Barracuda Pro are the best there, with 5 year warranties usually but cost more.

See here: https://hardforum.com/threads/850-pro-failure-a-samsung-rma-testamony.1946802/#post-1043291383
 
Ranulfo said:
The toshiba drives have been pretty good overall. I have a couple of the 3tb and 4tb models with no problems. Price/perf they seem to win out over others most of the time. The only thing I worry about is the customer service on warranties. There have been reports here on the forum that their RMA process is not good and you get a visa gift card back instead of the traditional replacement drive (let alone advance replacement). For best performance since its for gaming just make sure its a 7200rpm drive and the WD Black's or Seagate Barracuda Pro are the best there, with 5 year warranties usually but cost more.

See here: https://hardforum.com/threads/850-pro-failure-a-samsung-rma-testamony.1946802/#post-1043291383
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Agreed on the WD blacks. That 5 year warranty is one of the best you can get and the drives are excellent. I've owned many (have 2 right now) and they've rarely failed on me.
 
Hi SamuralinBlack! Seagate here. Take a look at the Barracuda Pro. It is made for just what you are looking for and there are several models available that suit your needs. These drives come with 5 years warranty, 2 free years of rescue service, large cache so you may load your applications faster and 7200 RPM’s. We also include a find a retailer option which will provide you with prices and locations where you can purchase these drives. Regardless of which brand you choose, we thank you for considering Seagate.
 
^ Seagate BarrPro or WD Blk, 4-8TB range should fit in your budget range quite easily.
 
Seagate_Surfer said:
Hi SamuralinBlack! Seagate here. Take a look at the Barracuda Pro. It is made for just what you are looking for and there are several models available that suit your needs. These drives come with 5 years warranty, 2 free years of rescue service, large cache so you may load your applications faster and 7200 RPM’s. We also include a find a retailer option which will provide you with prices and locations where you can purchase these drives. Regardless of which brand you choose, we thank you for considering Seagate.
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very classy man! part of why I like Seagate :)

DejaWiz said:
^ Seagate BarrPro or WD Blk, 4-8TB range should fit in your budget range quite easily.
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^what they said
 
Big_Rig_Stig said:
Sometimes one needs to flex the budget a bit to make a good long-term investment into one's equipment.
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While I typically agree, two of them would be approaching double the limit. I can understand maybe 10-20% more, but not near 200%. :)
 
DejaWiz said:
While I typically agree, two of them would be approaching double the limit. I can understand maybe 10-20% more, but not near 200%. :)
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I had zero plans at the moment for an SSD at all, until that deal came up. I scraped enough together to do that and order a Xeon for my rig. Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do.
 
Big_Rig_Stig said:
I had zero plans at the moment for an SSD at all, until that deal came up. I scraped enough together to do that and order a Xeon for my rig. Sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do.
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I hear ya...that's how a $280 1TB SSD wound up in my system just for storage/games...planned on around $100 for a 2-3TB spindle drive at the time. So happy I'm spindle free in all my home computers.
 
DejaWiz said:
I hear ya...that's how a $280 1TB SSD wound up in my system just for storage/games...planned on around $100 for a 2-3TB spindle drive at the time. So happy I'm spindle free in all my home computers.
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I went back & reread his opening post, and what he really needs is a 2tb main drive, and this SSD fits the bill if he stretches his budget by about $50 or so (as latest price on the Micron is about $350).
 
Big_Rig_Stig said:
I went back & reread his opening post, and what he really needs is a 2tb main drive, and this SSD fits the bill if he stretches his budget by about $50 or so (as latest price on the Micron is about $350).
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Would be ideal, for sure. But I get why spindle drives are still viable - the cost vs capacity for an SSD is rather absurd, despite being a fraction of what it was 5-6 years ago. I still remember 480-512GB sized SSDs back then being north of $700. Hell, I paid $200 for my very first SSD back then: 128GB Samsung 830.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I wound up going with a Seagate Barracuda Pro 8TB. It's a little over my $250 budget, but based on the input here, and the price differences between comparable drives, the extra money seemed justified. I will have significantly more capacity now and I'm certain a significant jump in performance over what I have now with a solid warranty.

I'd love to go full SSD someday, but my need for mass storage outweighs my need for massive speed. I have a 1TB SSD as a main drive so I am familiar with how great having one is. But, given the pricing/capacity ratio, an SSD for a Steam drive, or even a pair of them, just isn't feasible. I don't have any games that would really stand to benefit from being on an SSD, and even if I did, I could easily move them to my main drive. Maybe someday if 4TB SSD's didn't cost as much as a full blown system, I would consider getting one or two for storage purposes. But that day is not today.
 
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Nice! As with any HDD, be sure to register it with the manufacturer after you get it installed and it checks out OK.
 
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