SATA or SCSI?

[alghazanth]

So I was looking to get a new HDD and use it as a bootdisc, and decided upon a 10,000RPM goodness drive.

But my question is, which is better? The WD Raptor which is SATA or the Maxtor Quantum which is SCSI? Does one perform faster then the other, or is there even a difference? I'm new to SCSI and SATA btw..

 

[aug1516]

If you want to stick with 10krpm drives then stay with SATA. I don't think many of the 10k SCSI drives can perform better than the Raptor when it comes to single user situations. If you are willing to spend a little more money than a 15k SCSI hard drive would be faster than a Raptor.

 

[djskankho]

The raptor would be a much better choice for a single user machine. It costs a lot less than a good scsi setup and is as good or better than 10k rpm scsi drives. In fact, storagereview.com named the 74gb raptor the fastest drive including 15k rpm scsi drives for non-server use.

 

[Dark Ember]

If you are willing to spend a little more money than a 15k SCSI hard drive would be faster than a Raptor.

Actually, even that isn't entirely true. Take a look at the benches over at storage review:

http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200401/20040126WD740GD_1.html

Thats their review of the WD740 raptor... and they concluded that it is the fastest drive PERIOD in a single user environment. You can also take a look at their performance database there to compare prospective drives you're interested in:

http://storagereview.com/comparison.html

If it was me, I would go the raptor route, no questions asks. Dollar for dollar, the raptor is a better value, as you'll get more storage space and faster speeds (in most cases - single user environment) than you would out of a 10k or 15k scsi device. However, there would be other benefits of having the scsi around in your computer as well, for future expandibility. But, if that doesn't concern you...

Anyway, my 2 cents.

 

[DeepFreeze]

from a SCSI user point, IDE is garbage, its laggy, its often latent when other drives need access, and to top it off. Most drives have now only 1 year warranty.

From owning the fastest hard drive on earth. I am quite happy. but I do intensive things.
for a gamer/internet junkie, a RAPTOR is fine.

D e e p F r e e z e

 

[Dark Ember]

Most drives have now only 1 year warranty.

I tend to agree with your other arguments, however raptors do come with a 5 year warranty.

 

[AMD T-type]

I tend to agree with your other arguments, however raptors do come with a 5 year warranty.

He did say "most"

however i still agree with you

 

[aug1516]

Actually, even that isn't entirely true. Take a look at the benches over at storage review:

http://www.storagereview.com/articles/200401/20040126WD740GD_1.html

Thats their review of the WD740 raptor... and they concluded that it is the fastest drive PERIOD in a single user environment. You can also take a look at their performance database there to compare prospective drives you're interested in:

http://storagereview.com/comparison.html

Not trying to turn this into a 15k SCSI vs Raptor thread but if you actually look at the benchmarks you are referring to, you will see that the top 2 15k SCSI drives do actually perform better in both server (obviously) and single-user enviroments. The suite that seems to show single-user scenarios the best would be their Desktop/Workstation suite. If you compare the Raptor to the Atlas 15k, the Atlas 15k drive beats the raptor in 7 of the 9 benchmarks. If you compare the Raptor to the slightly slower Fujitsu 15k drive, it still gets beat in 6 of the 9 benchmarks they ran. About the only 15k drive the Raptor can take on is the Seagate 15k.3. There is actually another factor that would make the 15k drive a better choice, access times. The faster access times of a 15k SCSI drive is noticable compared to a Raptor. Everything in windows happens a little quicker and things just feel a little bit snappier. I actually sold my 15k SCSI setup telling myself that I really didn't need the increased speed and that a Raptor would be just fine. 3 weeks later I had to sell my Raptor and go back to SCSI because I really could notice a difference in speed and the response of windows. The Raptor are great drives and would certainly be the best choice for 10k hard drives. However if you have the money and want the best there is, then a top of the line 15k SCSI drive is your best bet. Keep an eye out for the new Maxtor Atlas 15kII, it should be even faster than the current model.

 

[DeepFreeze]

Not trying to turn this into a 15k SCSI vs Raptor thread but if you actually look at the benchmarks you are referring to, you will see that the top 2 15k SCSI drives do actually perform better in both server (obviously) and single-user enviroments. The suite that seems to show single-user scenarios the best would be their Desktop/Workstation suite. If you compare the Raptor to the Atlas 15k, the Atlas 15k drive beats the raptor in 7 of the 9 benchmarks. If you compare the Raptor to the slightly slower Fujitsu 15k drive, it still gets beat in 6 of the 9 benchmarks they ran. About the only 15k drive the Raptor can take on is the Seagate 15k.3. There is actually another factor that would make the 15k drive a better choice, access times. The faster access times of a 15k SCSI drive is noticable compared to a Raptor. Everything in windows happens a little quicker and things just feel a little bit snappier. I actually sold my 15k SCSI setup telling myself that I really didn't need the increased speed and that a Raptor would be just fine. 3 weeks later I had to sell my Raptor and go back to SCSI because I really could notice a difference in speed and the response of windows. The Raptor are great drives and would certainly be the best choice for 10k hard drives. However if you have the money and want the best there is, then a top of the line 15k SCSI drive is your best bet. Keep an eye out for the new Maxtor Atlas 15kII, it should be even faster than the current model.

ditto.