2TB internal drive: 2.5" or 3.5"?

[BSim500]

I need a 2TB internal drive for (non RAID) mostly music / video / secondary game storage (I have a 512GB SSD as primary) but just can't decide what to do:-

- 2.5" Samsung M9T (3x 667GB platters), or
- 3.5" WD Red/Green/Blue (2x 1TB platters)

Now the latter is cheaper for same capacity (or 3TB for almost same price) but which is more quiet & especially more reliable? Both are 5,400/5,900rpm. The M9T is popular (due to the PS4) but a lot of people say many of this model put out a sporadic "beep", "squeal" or "chirp":-
https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/co ... ermittent/

WD's are said to be the quietest 3.5" but after reading viewtopic.php?f=7&t=68764 and viewtopic.php?p=582935#p582935 threads, that seems highly variable even between the same model & capacity due to manufacturer variance and WD recently disabling AAM? Then there's the Red vs Green vs Blue thing, which apparently Blue's now literally are rebadged Green's...
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=68776

I'm willing to put up with a small amount of seek noise under load for better reliability, but then which is more objectively reliable? Is 3x platters squeezed into a 9.5mm height 2.5" drive going to be less reliable than 2x platters in a 3.5"? Can't believe that something as simple as a HDD needs so much research. Or how hard those answers are to find. Thanks.

[Abula]

I own a three of M9T (one my pS4, one on an external enclosure and one on a laptop) imo if you need a 2.5 drive with big storage is a good option, SPCR did review it Samsung M9T 2TB (2.5-inch) & Seagate SSHD 2TB. But if you have the space for 3.5, i would recommend you check the 3tb WD Red, SPCR reviewed it Western Digital Red 3TB & 1TB Hard Drives and go the editors choice, i own one hard mounted and its pretty decent drive, on average will cost you about $10 more than M9T but you gain a quieter drive and 1tb more.

[BSim500]

Is there any noticeable difference in speed between 2TB M9T and 3TB WD Red? And do any of your three M9T's make that random "beep" sound several people have commented on? Thanks.

[Abula]

Is there any noticeable difference in speed between 2TB M9T and 3TB WD Red? And do any of your three M9T's make that random "beep" sound several people have commented on? Thanks.

I have never heard a beep or chirp on my 3x M9T, not saying it wont happen, but my guess depends on the setup and maybe the firmware of the hdds, to me 2.5 hhds have lost relevance, specially because there 2.5 ssd that have reached 2tb capacity, given that price is what still makes the difference, there isnt much interest on hdd manufactures on increasing their 2.5 offerings.

So its up to you, to me its an easy choice, if i have the space for 3.5, i would go with WD Red 3tb, it has been reviewed by SPCR and gotten the editors choice, and there are a lot of of SPCR users that have bought them with good results/feedback, there are no silent mechanical hdds, but under my conditions its not perceivable, but remember not all setups are the same, we all have different placements, ambient noise, hearing, preferences and tolerances.

That said, if i were not to have the 3.5 slot available, let say im building on mini itx something like the Antec 110, or for example building on Fractal Design Define R5 and i want to place the ssd and mechanical on the back of the motherboard, i would chose the M9T.

About the speed, the 3.5 should have better sequential, but both are low rpm drives, their latencies are very slow, but the 2.5 should be even worst, i dont recommend them for OS/Games/Programs/Apps, for me this type of drives are mainly for pure storage of videos, movies, pictures, music, etc. I would recommend you consider upgrading your ssd if in fact your will be above 500gb ssd in terms of programs/aps/os/games.

[quest_for_silence]

Now the latter is cheaper for same capacity (or 3TB for almost same price) but which is more quiet & especially more reliable?

Quietness wise, the 2.5" any given day, IMHO.
Reliability wise, compare the data, MTBF, AFR, load/unload cycling, and so on.

[quest_for_silence]

on average will cost you about $10 more than M9T but you gain a quieter drive and 1tb more.

I wouldn't bet the WD is less perceptible on seek, Abula.

[BSim500]

Thanks for your replies guys. I think what's driving me round in circles is the contradictory reviews. Eg, most WD Red reviews are from around launch time and you see a plethora of positive comments like : "Red's are even quieter than green's", "completely quiet, no vibration", etc. But now in 2015, you're starting to see comments like:-

• - I returned 2 x Red because of that. But it [AAM] is not "by default disabled", you can not enable it at all. And that is what I can't understand, if they at least enable AAM configuration for users.
  
  - i bought WD Red because reviews of its quietness. well its far quieter alright when its idle compare to my external 3.5" mybook (green). but when it's seeking / saving / playing games from it, the clicking sound is loud.
  
  - I wish I had found this thread earlier. The "new" WD Reds are awful. Even with one drive the seek noise is annoying but when you load a NAS with them it is unbearable.
  
  - My "old" 3TB Reds are very quiet but I've now tried new 3, 4, 5 and 6TB models are they all have loud seeks.
  
  - Why on earth did WD stop the user from changing AAM settings? This would have been easy to fix if we could.

So it looks like WD may have toyed with the AAM settings to boost performance (which drives up seek noise) on the very newest models. Those with older drives say they're silent, those with newer drives say the seek is louder, and both of them may be right. Blue's are unknown since hardly anyone seems to review them. Green's have pretty much become new Blue's anyway.

I think I'll buy the Samsung M9T. Best case - it's reliable and quiet. Worst case - it's too loud and I'll just put it in an external USB caddy and use it for backups. Either way, it won't be wasted.

[quest_for_silence]

I think what's driving me round in circles is the contradictory reviews. Eg, most WD Red reviews are from around launch time and you see a plethora of positive comments like : "Red's are even quieter than green's", "completely quiet, no vibration", etc. But now in 2015, you're starting to see comments like:-

I add mines: 1TB Green, 2TB Green, 2TB Red, bought from June to October, all they have loud seeks (for my taste).

[BSim500]

OK, just an update. Samsung M9T turned up today. Totally silent both idle & seek. Temps 27c idle, 30c heavy load (the HDD not the CPU). I thought it would run warmer than that with 3x platters squeezed into 9.5mm. That's in a Micro-ATX Sharkoon MA-M1000 case with 1x 120mm CPU fan + 1x 120 exhaust fan both at 700-800rpm and a Seasonic G360. Not a trace of "chirping, beeping or squealing". I think I read somewhere there's a theory those odd noises occur more in laptops when the battery is low (could be voltage regulation related). Dead quiet in a desktop. APM (aggressive load/unload head parking) disables easily with HDDScan. I'm very pleased overall. Thanks for your input guys.