TOP 6 best hard drives: specifications, reviews

Classic hard drives are considered by many to be the last century. Much faster solid-state drives are replacing them everywhere. But mechanical hard drives are not yet completely extinct. And in the near future it does not threaten them yet. They also have a couple of advantages over SSDs. First of all, this is a much lower price. Also, HDDs of large capacity (2 TB and higher) are much easier to find on sale than solid-state drives with such parameters. And the HDD is still used as file storage. So it's too early to talk about their death.

Mechanical disks have a lower transfer rate than solid-state disks because they consist of a magnetic surface on which the read head runs. Naturally, its speed cannot be very high. The operation of the entire device is controlled by an electronic controller. Such knowledge is necessary in order to understand which hard drive is better to choose for everyday tasks. Inexperienced users may have certain problems with this. Therefore, we will help you determine the characteristics that you need to pay attention to in the first place.

Rating TOP 6 best HDD

You may not have to scrupulously study the characteristics of hard drives in order to choose the right product. The fact is that we have selected six of the best models available on the free sale and we want to tell you about them now. Perhaps you can find the device you are looking for on our list? Either way, it's worth a try. And if all else fails, then you just study our recommendations for choosing a mechanical drive. And then you will definitely succeed.

Western Digital WD Blue 1 TB (WD10EZEX)

3.5 "hard drive for a classic personal computer. It has a terabyte capacity and a buffer that increases the speed of work by 64 MB. The spindle rotation speed is 7200 rpm. To connect to the motherboard, the SATA 6Gbit / s interface is used with a theoretical speed of 600 MB / s. At the same time, the real write and read speed is 150 megabits per second.

During operation, the hard drive can withstand mechanical stress up to 30 G. At rest, this figure rises to 350 G. During operation, the hard drive produces noise at a level of 30 dB and consumes 6.80 watts of energy. The device weighs 450 grams. The manufacturer provides a guarantee for its device. It lasts 2 years from the moment the drive is installed in the computer. The approximate lifespan of the hard drive is 730 days.

I purchased this hard drive as a storage for files. He copes with this work perfectly: it works quietly, does not heat up, there is enough volume. But for the operating system, it is slow. However, it copies large files rather quickly. And he doesn't think about the little ones too long. Previous HDDs from the same manufacturer have served for over 5 years. So I am confident in the brand.

Seagate ST1000DM003

Another high-quality PC storage (3.5 ”form factor). A terabyte disk is ideal for storing data. There is a 64 MB buffer. The spindle speed is 7200 rpm. This allows you to get to the files you need faster.The drive has one magnetic plate and two readheads. They significantly speed up work with large amounts of data.

The drive is connected using the SATA 6Gbit / s interface. Its theoretical speed (interface only) is 600 MB / s. At the same time, the real one does not exceed 150 megabits. There is full support for NCQ. The average data access time is 8.5 ms. During operation, the drive consumes 8 watts of energy. The disc weighs 400 grams. At rest, the device can withstand mechanical stress up to 350 G.

Although I bought it to store files, some of the nuances upset me. First, there is an incredibly strong hum of the bearing. It is not treated with anything at all. Secondly, when copying large amounts of data, the drive gets very hot. Thirdly, sometimes there are glitches when working in AHCI mode. But in general, the hard drive does its job well. Theoretically, even a system could be put on it.

Western Digital WD Caviar Green 2 TB (WD20EARS)

Desktop drive that complies with the 3.5-inch standard. It has three readheads, three magnetic plates and 2 terabytes of volume. In this case, the buffer is 64 MB. The device is connected to the motherboard using the previous generation of the SATA 3Gbit / s interface. Its theoretical speed is about 300 megabits per second. The real one does not exceed 150 Mbps. These are standard parameters for a disk of this size.

When idle, the hard drive can withstand shocks and other mechanical influences up to 250 G. During operation, this value is reduced to 30 G. So during operation you need to be extremely careful. The noise level during operation is at around 29 dB. This is a normal result. The spindle rotation speed is 5400 rpm. The hard disk requires 5.30 watts of power to operate. The device weighs 730 grams.

I bought the HDD for a long time. Only now I am writing a review. For several years of work, no troubles have happened. Winchester is cold enough, quiet. Doesn't make noise even under heavy load. I use it as a file storage. For this, his capabilities are enough. But do not try to put a 5400 rpm system on it, coupled with the second generation SATA, will make the work almost impossible.

Western Digital WD Red 2 TB (WD20EFRX)

The first hard drive in the review dedicated to the server. It has a form factor of 3.5 inches and a volume of 2000 GB. This is a drive with three magnetic platters and the same number of readheads. The spindle rotation speed is 5400 rpm. The buffer size is 64 MB. The connection interface used by this mechanical hard drive is SATA 6Gbit / s. The speed of the interface itself can reach 600 Mbps. But the real one is much less.

The drive has full support for NCQ technology. MTBF (actual disk life) is 1,000,000 hours. The device is designed to work in NAS systems for home and small office with 1-8 disk bays. It is also possible to work in a PC with RAID arrays. The transfer speed inside the drive reaches 147 MB ​​/ s.The hard drive consumes 4.40 W of energy. The warranty period established by the manufacturer is 3 years.

Purchased specifically for NAS. He does this job well. Works in a group with two more similar drives and no complaints. Some may think the speed is low. But these disks are not for the OS. They are for completely different tasks, with which they cope perfectly. This hard drive practically does not heat up, does not make noise and is distinguished by its durability (tested on our own experience). I recommend to purchase.

Toshiba DT01ACA100

Option for a terabyte desktop. The buffer memory is only 32 MB. But for file storage, this is not so important. Winchester consists of one magnetic plate and two readheads. The spindle rotates at 7200 rpm. A completely modern SATA 6Gbit / s interface with a total speed of 600 megabits per second is used. But the real read speed is at around 145 MB / s.

Track to track access time is only 0.6 ms. At rest, the drive can withstand impacts up to 350 G. And during operation, this value is 70 G. So far, this is the most durable drive in our review. The noise level during operation does not exceed 26 dB. Which is good considering the spindle speed. The device weighs 450 grams. The manufacturer has set the warranty period in accordance with the approximate life of the device - 730 days.

I bought it to build a new PC. The disk was assigned the role of file storage. And he coped with it perfectly well. Although I would not put the OS on it. In general, everything is satisfactory in terms of speed. The drive works very quietly and hardly heats up. But the high level of vibration confuses. When the hard drive spins up, the system unit literally shakes. You need to buy special anti-vibration pads. In this way, the possible consequences can be minimized.

Toshiba DT01ACA300

A 3 terabyte disk designed for use in classic desktop computers. Complies with 3.5 ”standard. It has three magnetic plates and the same number of reading heads. The spindle with bearings rotates at 7200 rpm. The buffer size is 64 MB. The interface through which the data transfer is carried out is SATA 6Gbit / s. Its speed is 600 megabits per second. But it is far from real.

Track to track access time is only 0.5ms. During intensive work, the drive heats up weakly. The noise level is also relatively low. In the operating mode, the shock resistance of the hard drive is at the level of 70 G. And at rest it is able to withstand shocks up to 300 G. The drive weighs 680 grams. Its dimensions allow it to be installed only in a certain compartment (3.5). there are no alternatives. The warranty is valid for two years.

I've always used Toshiba drives: reliable, durable and without unnecessary bells and whistles. I bought this drive recently. And I didn’t regret it.It heats up weakly even with intense exercise. And if it is used as a file storage, then there is no heating at all. Quiet operation is also a good plus. But sometimes you can hear the heads crack. However, there is nothing wrong with that. In general, this manufacturer has some of the highest quality hard drives.

How to choose a hard drive

Examining the characteristics of a particular hard drive is not all. It often happens that some parameters are completely useless for the average user. After going to the store, it becomes clear that completely different characteristics should be taken into account. After all, mechanical hard drives are quite complex devices with their own characteristics. Let's take a look at what to look for when choosing.

• Form Factor It is worth paying attention to this if you are choosing a drive for a laptop. It must fit a certain size. In the world of hard drives, there are two sizes: 2.5 "and 3.5". The first option is designed just for laptops, since it is compact in size. And the second one is suitable for installation exclusively in classic computers. By the way, an interesting fact: with proper skill, a laptop disk can be installed in a PC. But the 3.5 ”model cannot be squeezed into a laptop.
• Spindle speed. This parameter determines how fast information will be read from the disk surface. If speed is critical to you, then you need to choose models with a value of 7200 rpm. But keep in mind that variants with 5400 rpm wear out more slowly, heat up less and make less noise. If you choose a disk exclusively for storing files, then you can safely buy an option with a lower indicator. It will not affect the overall speed of the system in any way. But the lifespan of the hard drive will be significantly higher.
• Buffer memory. The higher the value, the better. Memory of this type is responsible for how many routine actions (for example, opening programs or certain files) will fit in the flash memory of the hard drive. Actions that get there are performed much faster, since the memory is much faster than the disk surface. Therefore, it is better to purchase models with this value of 64 MB and above. You can also buy versions with 32 MB of buffer. But if there is an alternative with a higher value, then it is better to choose that one.
• Volume. You need to choose it in accordance with your needs. If you plan to collect a collection of Full HD movies and music in Lossless format, then in this case you need a hard drive with a maximum capacity (from 2-3 TB and above). And if this is just a storage for files of various types (photos, books, documents, and so on), then the option with a terabyte on the disk surface is quite enough. However, you can safely take a model with a large number of gigabytes. Free space will definitely not be superfluous.
• Connection interface. Choose only those drives that use the SATA 6Gbit / s interface for data transfer. It is the most advanced and modern. Accordingly, it has more acceptable characteristics. But the SATA interfaces of previous generations may well significantly slow down the operation of the entire computer. So it's best to check right away which interface the mechanical hard drive supports and if your motherboard works with it. In this way, unpleasant situations associated with a drop in the performance of the entire system can be avoided.
• Noise level. Measured in decibels. This characteristic determines how loudly the magnetic disk spins in the drive and how clearly the chattering of the reading heads is heard. The normal value for an average hard drive is 29-30 dB. Models with this parameter above should be avoided. Otherwise, the loud noise (and even hum) from the hard drive will not let you work calmly. There are models in which the noise level is at around 24 dB and below. If possible, then choose just such options.