I know here are a few computer builders on here as well as computer savvy bods.

I ma looking to replace my WD 80 GB 5400 rpm drive with larger capacity 7200 drive and .... just when I had decided which drive I am going to purchase, I came across Seagate, for less $$$ , about 20% less (also had read good things about Seagate too...)

So in short, which would be a better buy? Looking for high performance and lowest noise plus ofcourse best reliablity - not asking for much. eh?

Both are 2.5 inch 320 GB, 7200 rpm, with shock protection

Seagate Momentus 7200.3 320GB 2.5'' SATA Internal Hard Drive
Part No: ST9320421ASG
Price: £52.99 inc VAT
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=320047&CatId=3094


Western Digital Scorpio Black 320GB 2.5 SATA Internal Hard Drive
Part No: WD3200BJKT
Price: £60.00 inc VAT
http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=328134&CatId=0

... or are there other big bands that I should conisder?

or anywhere else to buy cheaper - misco is cheaper than amazon.

[Edited on 21/7/09 by 02GF74]

I would go with the Seagate as it has a higher data transfer rate. This will give you an overall higher response time than the WD. You won't notice it on small files, but if you are loading anything large, like a GB movie or Autocad file for instance you will notice a big improvement. They are both good drives though.

I like the Western Digital one as it has –

Free-fall sensor - As an added layer of protection, if the drive (or the system it's in) is dropped while in use, WD's free-fall sensor detects that the drive is falling and, in less than 200 milliseconds, parks the head to help prevent damage and data loss.

handy on a lap top, I've already dropped mine (fortunately it was turned off at the time)

Is this for a laptop? Desktop hard drives are usually 3.5" and much cheaper/faster/bigger.

Also be sure you have a SATA compatible motherboard as well as it's completely different to the older ATA connection.

i always buy WD hard drives. Ive never had one let me down yet.

The Black editions are the higher spec of their 7200rpm drives which is what i always use

no it is laptop.

I have dell e6400 (my own) which has 80 GB WD drive and dell e6500 (works) which has 80 GB segate drive; pretty sure both drives are comaptible regarding SATA.

The segate also has the drop sensor:

Seagate Momentus hard drive is ready for the rigours of a life on the road thanks to advanced G-Force Protection. This drive has an optional drop sensor, protecting against shock by sensing when the system is in a free-fall state, moving the heads off the platter and locking them in place — all within three-tenths of a second.

100 ms slowere then WD but .....

doesn't seem to be much in it, apart from £ 7 and maybe the seagate bing a tiny tad faster.