Type of HD to pair with SSD

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spacedog101

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HI, I'm updating my kids build for xmas. Currently I have a PoS Seagate 1TB hd that is having issues.

I've already bought a Crucial M500 240 Gig ssd.
I am also going to get an new HD to pair with it. The board is an Asus p8z68ProGen3.

I'm going back and forth between the WD Red or the Black. The Red is geared towards being used as part of a NAS system , while the Black is "high performance."

My question is since the Gen3 comes with "intel Smart Response Technology" which uses both drives according to need, presumably all high performance uses will be handled by the ssd.

So what are my needs realistically going to be for the secondary hd on this rig?
 
I would look at the seagate hybrid drives. You could boot on the ssd and still have decently fast storage drive.
 
If the drive is going to be used purely for storage go with the Red, if you going to load programs from the mechancial hdd go with the black.
 
Also consider that the Black needs proper cooling. I run 3 2TB Blacks in RAID-0 for editing video and have a 256GB Crucial M4 as my main boot drive. I originally installed the blacks without a fan on them and they were running at 56c and climbed as high as 59. They have a max rated temp of 60c. Not good. I put a 120mm low rpm (quiet) fan on them and now they're running at 40/41/40, which is ok.

I also run a Seagate Barracuda 2TB (ST2000DM001) in my 2600k system and it actually outperforms the Black one on one. The black does 135MBs while the Barracuda pulls 165MBs. The Barracuda also only runs at 30c idle with no fan. The downside to the Barracuda is that it only has a 2 year warranty while the blacks have a 5 year.
 
I might consider the Seagate, but I've had such poor luck with that brand, albeit my sample size is only two.

Really I'm wondering since the ssd is going to be the primary drive and because the mobo will detect usage and put the most used programs onto it, does the speed of the secondary drive matter so much or is stability more important.

BTW the case is the Raven from Silverstone. It's big and has four fans moving air, although I think one is not working correctly.
 
either drive will work. Black will be a bit faster generally. Seagate is another option. Could go for their regular line or the NAS line (which is like a WD Red).
 
I'd try to find a decent 1TB/platter drive if you're not wanting a hybrid SSD cache model.

Or splurge and get a 480+ GB SSD instead. :D
 
kumquat said:
Do you care about HD noise?
Click to expand...

Some.

My initial thought was to use the Desktop as a psuedo NAS until I build a Synology system. My laptop is maxed out of storage and I'm over using external drives, none of which are really big enough. Thats why I was considering the Red as an option, I just wanted to make sure it would work as secondary drive in conjunction with the ssd.

Honestly, I think I might be do too much and might just roll with the Barracuda now and build a proper NAS later.
Having my storage access dependent on my kids rig being on sounds like a pain in the ass.
 
DejaWiz said:
I'd try to find a decent 1TB/platter drive if you're not wanting a hybrid SSD cache model.

Or splurge and get a 480+ GB SSD instead. :D
Click to expand...

I could get the hybrid cache model to work along side my ssd, but is it really necessary? My most used programs (games) and system will be on the 240 gig m500.

Also, how do the hybrid drives compare for heat considerations, cheaper and cooler with the Barracudda mentioned above was sounding good.
 
I've used Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital. My latest build pairs a Samsung 250 SSD with a 1 Tb WD Black. All good.

In fact, in the last 7 years, all I've purchased have been WD Blacks. Maybe 10. I've been very happy. They aren't loud to me.

FWIW.
 
I've tried Hitachi, Samsung, Seagate, and WD, i like WD by far cause i havent had one die on me before the warranty ended, the others on the other hand died within a year or 2
 
dbr1 said:
Are you saying these are very noisy drives?
Click to expand...

WD Black drives are very loud compared to Green and Red drives. Seagate drives tend to be a little quieter than Black drives, but the head noise is loud and the hum is of a pitch that I find more annoying than the WD drives. I go for WD Green and Red drives as a result for pretty much everything these days because of that. It's not a big deal when all the stuff where speed is noticeable is on an SSD.
 
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