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Simple Hard Drive Question
mlalena:
As for the drive manufacturer "he said, she said" issue, even the best manufacturers have crappy drives. I trust newegg.com reviews more than most. I love WD Caviar Blacks, but when their larger 1TB + Greens first came out they were crap.
As for the heat issue, you can get USB enclosures with fans. The ones with the big fans on top spin slow enough that they make no noise. You can find these for ~ $20. I always get enclosures with fans just to be safe, but then again they are 1TB+ 7200RPM drives in USB/ESATA enclosures. I once tried using one of those thermaltake docking stations to copy a huge drive and nearly burned myself on the drive when the copy was done.
And yes, always keep backups.
WhereEaglesDare:
--- Quote from: mlalena on March 16, 2010, 05:52:23 pm ---And yes, always keep backups.
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+1
mvsfan:
--- Quote from: mlalena on March 16, 2010, 05:52:23 pm ---As for the drive manufacturer "he said, she said" issue, even the best manufacturers have crappy drives. I trust newegg.com reviews more than most. I love WD Caviar Blacks, but when their larger 1TB + Greens first came out they were crap.
As for the heat issue, you can get USB enclosures with fans. The ones with the big fans on top spin slow enough that they make no noise. You can find these for ~ $20. I always get enclosures with fans just to be safe, but then again they are 1TB+ 7200RPM drives in USB/ESATA enclosures. I once tried using one of those thermaltake docking stations to copy a huge drive and nearly burned myself on the drive when the copy was done.
Speaking of this, one of the best things you can do is get a big, say, 4.5 big 120V variable speed fan, and a proper finger grille to go on top of it for your cabinet. then mount it as high as possible on the back of the cabinet. The reason for that is simple. Hot air rises, and you want it out of your cabinet. The reason for going with a variable speed 120v fan is cause its operation is basically like an average, cheap 3 foot square box fan bought at Wal Mart or target.
It will move the most air the quickest, and will make more and more noise the faster you spin it.
Basically, with a variable, 120v fan, you need to turn on your arcade system with the sound set as loud as you really want it to be, play a few games, etc and adjust that fan to figure out the comfortable point where that 120v, 4 inch fan starts to make itself known.
truthfully, when you are doing maintenance to your mame system and its quiet, who really cares how loud the fan is. The basic principle is that you dont want your sound to get drowned out when you start The Simpsons, insert game here.
And yes, always keep backups.
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TeutonicDarkness:
I second that on Seagate drives being bad!
I remember 2 going out in a week. I have Several Maxtors over 10 years old
and still working 100%. Ever Seagate I have ever owned have been noisy junk.
They all eventually failed.
I 'm kind of neutral on Western Digital. I have had a few that have worked
quite well but some were noisy. If I had to choose though I would take
a WD over Seagate any day! I have just had way too many die.
Never had one last longer than a year or 2.
Having ten drives go out over a 1 year period isn't good is it? ::)
Well I guess opinions are like..... :censored:
drventure:
+1 on the western digital. Those and Samsung's I've had the best luck with.
Seagate and maxtor by far the worst luck for me, but ymmv