Seagate Barracuda acoustics - 160 vs. 200 GB

echo1434 · Post by **echo1434** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 9:21 am

I currently have a 160 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA hard drive that has recently gone bad. I'm thinking about upgrading to the equivalent 200 GB model, but I am concerned about the possibility of extra noise. My 160 is just right for me. I wouldn't want anything a smidge louder.

According to the specs on Seagate's site, these are rated the same for acoustics. However, I am a bit skeptical of their ratings, as many models are always rated exactly the same, and often with nice even numbers (25 dB idle in this case).

Does anyone know first hand if there is a difference in the 200 vs. 160 GB models? I'm especially interested in how these compare when under heavy load.

Thanks in advance.

sthayashi · Post by **sthayashi** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:49 pm

Any reason why you don't wish to consider the Samsung 200GB hard drive, which WILL be quieter than the Seagate 7200.x?

echo1434 · Post by **echo1434** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:17 pm

Well... Yes!

First, I had read bad things about Samsung drives. I even noticed people on here mentioning that they are very liable to crash.

As I was looking for something quiet, I figured I'd take the risk and have a couple installed in my new computer from ARM Systems (may they rest in peace).

These were Samsung Spinpoint 160's. Within a week, my computer crashed. I sent it back to the manufacturer, and they told me the drive was bad. They happily replaced both drives with Seagate Barracuda 160's.

So... the Barracudas lasted almost 2 years, and the Samsung a week...

It was probably some of my doing that I made the thing crash. I work my computer to the bone on a regular basis. I also installed and uninstalled so many programs during that time. I won't need to do that anymore, now that I know which ones work for me!

If I were smart, I'd just get the exact same drive. I never have good luck with change. I want the extra space, but not the noise. It's a gamble...

Mariner · Post by **Mariner** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 2:30 am

I must say that I've never heard of any problems with Samsung discs.

I've a couple in different PCs and have no complaints.

scruzbeachbum · Post by **scruzbeachbum** » Mon Jul 18, 2005 7:22 am

Samsung hard drives: thumbs up - quiet and reliable so far.
Samsund optical drives: thumbs down - 2 deaths in 1 year.