Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of milo62
milo62

asked on

Hard drive/8mb vs. 2 mb

In choosing between these two HD's at the same price, would I want to give up am 8mb buffer for the second one that has Fluid Dyamic Bearings, but only a 2 MB buffer?  How important is the buffer?



Western Digital Special Edition 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD800JB, OEM Drive Only


- Specifications -

Capacity: 80GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Features: High-performance with 8MB Buffer
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Remark: OEM Drive Only  

Model#: WD800JB
Item#: N82E16822144122  

  $77.00  
 
 
  Western Digital 80GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD800LB, OEM Drive only


- Specifications -

Capacity: 80GB
Average Seek Time: 8.9 ms
Buffer: 2MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA100
Features: Fluid Dyamic Bearings (FDB)
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year
Remark: OEM Drive only  

Model#: WD800LB
Item#: N82E16822144331
Avatar of Ifixstuff
Ifixstuff

Very important.  It helps with speed.
Avatar of milo62

ASKER

what does the buffer do?
Avatar of milo62

ASKER

is that like a "read ahead" thing?
SOLUTION
Avatar of ChrisPy
ChrisPy

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Oh, and I would definetly go for the 8MB cache :)

And I am not sure if some HDs perform predictive caching, which means anticipating what you might need and having it ready, even if you haven't asked for it before. I think so.

ChrisPy
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Avatar of milo62

ASKER

Thanks, this is for a friend.  If I tell him to spend $425 just on the HD, I think he will scream!

I appreciate the help.  So many times when I ask a question, all I get are a bunch of links.  I can do a web search.  I come here for personal knowlege and expertise from experience.

I think I am going to split up the points between Mlynch and Chris for 2 well explained answers.

Anybody have any experiece/opinions on those Fluid Dynamic Bearings?
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial