10,000 rpm HDD for OS at DVinfo.net

Ervin Farkas · May 7th, 2007, 06:31 AM

Let's say I would like to improve the performance of a PC by replacing a 7,200 rpm hard drive with a 10,000 rpm SATA to host the OS and all applications, but no project files or scratch discs. How much improvement can I count on, is it worth the investment? Will be running Adobe Production Suite under WinXP/SP2.

I am specifically thinking about this WD Raptor, or something in the same cathegory/price range: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136054.

Thanks,

John Godden · May 8th, 2007, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ervin Farkas

Let's say I would like to improve the performance of a PC by replacing a 7,200 rpm hard drive with a 10,000 rpm SATA to host the OS and all applications, but no project files or scratch discs. How much improvement can I count on, is it worth the investment? Will be running Adobe Production Suite under WinXP/SP2.

I am specifically thinking about this WD Raptor, or something in the same cathegory/price range: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136054.

Thanks,

Greetings

I use the 74 GB Raptor as a 'scratch' disk. It's a very fast drive but it is somewhat noisy and it vibrates a bit. i.e. it's NOT particularly "smooth".

FWI: I use Seagate 'perpendicular' SATA drives in a RAID 0 for my OS. These drives (in RAID 0) are a LOT-LOT faster than my Raptor. The burst speed for this volume is over 400 MB/sec. I used HDtach to verify this. These drives are also a LOT quieter and smoother than my Raptor. I also use another pair of these drives for my data volume. If my mobo could do it I'd set up a third RAID 0 volume for my scratch disk and use these same drives. These drives have a very good mtbf BUT I also use Acronis 10 and clone the OS drive. In the rare chance the OS drive goes down I can just swap it out. :-)

Bottom line here is that the Raptors are VERY fast drives but you might find them a bit noisy.
Note: The ULTIMATE HIGH SPEED system would use a pairs of Raptors in RAID 0 configs.

Regards
JohnG

Gints Klimanis · May 8th, 2007, 01:10 PM

I really like the 74GB model, and it rates better in access times than the 36GB. I think you'll see the performance of this drive if you keep it less than half full. While I haven't compared the 74GB to other SATA drives in day-to-day experience, cloning the image of my previous 120GB IDE drive to the Raptor enabled an immediate and obvious improvement in Windows startup and application launch time. There is no way I'm going back.

Jad Meouchy · May 10th, 2007, 01:13 PM

I just picked up four 250GB seagates for $70 shipped each. I'm putting them in a RAID 0+1, which should get the job done for not very high cost.

7200 to 10k will see a minor improvement in sustained transfer, but probably not during most operations (i.e. seek time won't be significantly less).

Gints Klimanis · May 11th, 2007, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jad Meouchy

I just picked up four 250GB seagates for $70 shipped each. I'm putting them in a RAID 0+1, which should get the job done for not very high cost.

7200 to 10k will see a minor improvement in sustained transfer, but probably not during most operations (i.e. seek time won't be significantly less).

Actually, access/seek time is exactly what you're paying more for when you buy a Raptor. Overall, it seems as if the Raptor is more than twice as fast a my previous drives (an IDE 120GB, forget model#). The Raptor makes computing fun again, as much of the real computer productity is hampered by waiting for the disk. Here are the numbers :

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/03/...tor/page8.html

Granted, you basically put together a 500GB system with great performance. If you just want a fast disk for your system and applications, currently, the only way to beat a Raptor is to use two Raptors.
Sustained read/writes are a different story, and your cheap RAID will easily beat a single Raptor, especially as that 74 or 150GB Raptor fills up sooner and drops in performance reading from the outer sectors while you're still reading from the inner sectors on your RAID.

Also, be wary of the benchmarks. A PCI RAID controller will probably not do anywhere as well as SATA on the motherboard.

And ... I bought a hard drive fan (mounted on drive) for my Raptor to keep it cool. I had trouble with the Raptor two years ago and stopped using it when I thought it failed during a hot summer. It turned out to be a cooling problem with my system, so I added more fan power. No trouble this year.

Marcus Marchesseault · May 23rd, 2007, 05:45 PM

The Raptor drives gain benefit mostly in access time. This will help them juggle multiple files simultaneously and read lots of small files quickly. Bootup time has lots of little reads which is why these drives speed things up.

The 10Krpm Raptor drives are essentially SCSI drive mechanisms with a SATA interface. SCSI drives not only tend to have faster rotational speed, but the heads actually seem to move a bit faster as seek time is lower. Unfortunately, I have second-hand knowledge that the rumor of these drives not being as reliable as others is true.

If you want a true increase in speed, go with a 15,000rpm SCSI drive!

Damon Gaskin · May 26th, 2007, 05:31 AM

I agree with Grant for what it's worth as I have both raptors and the Perpindicular SATA Seagates. To be honest, they stomp all over the raptor, in single or/and of course in raid config. The booting times are much faster, the access to applications are much faster(instantaneous depending on what application. Premiere of course, takes a little longer), you don't pay as much for more space, they are quieter and cooler, etc. The one thing to keep in mind about these drives is that they are SATA II unlike the raptors which are SATA I. Don't get me wrong the raptors are fast, and I actually use my raptor now for the cache and pagefile on my system. But I have converted all others to the perpindicular drives, running raid for video and export and an 80 gig for system.

They really are that good, and unless you have one, you don't know how they really are. The numbers are great to look at, but everyday performance and stability are whats really important.

May 7th, 2007, 06:31 AM	#1
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	10,000 rpm HDD for OS Let's say I would like to improve the performance of a PC by replacing a 7,200 rpm hard drive with a 10,000 rpm SATA to host the OS and all applications, but no project files or scratch discs. How much improvement can I count on, is it worth the investment? Will be running Adobe Production Suite under WinXP/SP2. I am specifically thinking about this WD Raptor, or something in the same cathegory/price range: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136054. Thanks, __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

May 10th, 2007, 01:13 PM	#4
Jad Meouchy Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 663	I just picked up four 250GB seagates for $70 shipped each. I'm putting them in a RAID 0+1, which should get the job done for not very high cost. 7200 to 10k will see a minor improvement in sustained transfer, but probably not during most operations (i.e. seek time won't be significantly less). __________________ software engineer

May 8th, 2007, 01:10 PM	#3
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	I really like the 74GB model, and it rates better in access times than the 36GB. I think you'll see the performance of this drive if you keep it less than half full. While I haven't compared the 74GB to other SATA drives in day-to-day experience, cloning the image of my previous 120GB IDE drive to the Raptor enabled an immediate and obvious improvement in Windows startup and application launch time. There is no way I'm going back.

May 23rd, 2007, 05:45 PM	#6
Marcus Marchesseault Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 1,961	The Raptor drives gain benefit mostly in access time. This will help them juggle multiple files simultaneously and read lots of small files quickly. Bootup time has lots of little reads which is why these drives speed things up. The 10Krpm Raptor drives are essentially SCSI drive mechanisms with a SATA interface. SCSI drives not only tend to have faster rotational speed, but the heads actually seem to move a bit faster as seek time is lower. Unfortunately, I have second-hand knowledge that the rumor of these drives not being as reliable as others is true. If you want a true increase in speed, go with a 15,000rpm SCSI drive!

May 26th, 2007, 05:31 AM	#7
Damon Gaskin Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn Hills, USA Posts: 217	I agree with Grant for what it's worth as I have both raptors and the Perpindicular SATA Seagates. To be honest, they stomp all over the raptor, in single or/and of course in raid config. The booting times are much faster, the access to applications are much faster(instantaneous depending on what application. Premiere of course, takes a little longer), you don't pay as much for more space, they are quieter and cooler, etc. The one thing to keep in mind about these drives is that they are SATA II unlike the raptors which are SATA I. Don't get me wrong the raptors are fast, and I actually use my raptor now for the cache and pagefile on my system. But I have converted all others to the perpindicular drives, running raid for video and export and an 80 gig for system. They really are that good, and unless you have one, you don't know how they really are. The numbers are great to look at, but everyday performance and stability are whats really important.