Hard Drives for mac pro. What to get?

[Edgwaldo]

I just got a mac pro. I want to buy a nice 1tb hard drive for it. Preferably something not ridiculously expensive. A friend of mine told me that the Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm 32 MB cache SATA 3.0Gb/s was a good drive to get for a mac pro. Just did some research and i've been getting some mixed reviews. Can anyone help me out?

[Apple Ink]

The Seagate is a nice drive!
Other options are the WD Caviar Black ($249 officially) and Caviar Green ($229 officially)

Of course expect them cheaper at Newegg and other places!

[ventro]

Here are the most popular options among Mac Pro Users today:

1. Velociraptor $300
- currently the fastest SATA drive on the planet
- insanely low seek times
- a bit louder than your typical 7K rpm drive, but not nearly as loud as the first Raptor
- needs a drive sled / adaptor which costs $50 from macupgrades

2. WD 640GB ~$150
- quiet
- mediocre seek times
- fast, but not as fast as the VR
- lower seek times than the...

3. Samsung F1 1TB ~$150
- extremely quiet
- extremely fast long transfers
- poor boot drive due to long seek times

If performance is #1 for you, then get the VR. If cost and silence are more important, get the WD.

I think everybody's next drive after this generation is going to be a SSD, so don't get anything too big for a boot drive.

[fredr500]

Here are the most popular options among Mac Pro Users today:



2. WD 640GB ~$150
- quiet
- mediocre seek times
- fast, but not as fast as the VR
- lower seek times than the...



This drive should be more like $85.

[nanofrog]

I spotted the WD6400AAKS on NewEgg.com (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218&Tpk=WD6400AAKS) for $84.99 USD. :)
Seems like a really good price. ;)

[Thiol]

1. Velociraptor $300
- currently the fastest SATA drive on the planet
- insanely low seek times
- a bit louder than your typical 7K rpm drive, but not nearly as loud as the first Raptor
- needs a drive sled / adaptor which costs $50 from macupgrades

There is now a Mac Pro compatible Velociraptor that does not need an adaptor. The product was announced recently, but I still haven't seen it out for sale...

[rhett7660]

I picked up four of the WD drives. Not the ones mentioned thou. I picked up two of the 750 32buffer and 2 500 32 buffer drives. No complaints so far.

[nanofrog]

There is now a Mac Pro compatible Velociraptor that does not need an adaptor. The product was announced recently, but I still haven't seen it out for sale...
From what I can tell, most places seem to be using the Velociraptor pages they had. For example, newegg, makes no mention of the newer drive, but in the user reviews, some have indicated they received the newer units (Rev. B, IIRC) was how they described the drive.

I'd call first and verify the drive revision before ordering. ;)

[Thiol]

From what I can tell, most places seem to be using the Velociraptor pages they had. For example, newegg, makes no mention of the newer drive, but in the user reviews, some have indicated they received the newer units (Rev. B, IIRC) was how they described the drive.

I'd call first and verify the drive revision before ordering. ;)

Oh, just found the new one on CDW...

[nanofrog]

Oh, just found the new one on CDW...
Yikes! CDW wants $395.99 (http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1548979)! :mad: They're nuts! :D :p

Call newegg if you're looking to buy now, especially if they really do have the new version. Even if you got the old one and added the MaxUpgrade Mac Pro mount, it's less expensive (~$350USD). ;)

[OZMP]

Seagate 7200.11 32mb cache makes a great boot drive :cool:

[Thiol]

Yikes! CDW wants $395.99 (http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1548979)! :mad: They're nuts! :D :p

Call newegg if you're looking to buy now, especially if they really do have the new version. Even if you got the old one and added the MaxUpgrade Mac Pro mount, it's less expensive (~$350USD). ;)

I know, CDW is always annoyingly a little more expensive than needed. I thought OWC would have them by now, but still no word from there.

[nanofrog]

I know, CDW is always annoyingly a little more expensive than needed. I thought OWC would have them by now, but still no word from there.
I've bought from CDW before, and the price increases seem to be growing. To the point I avoid them if possible.

Again, check newegg before placing an order. Or anywhere you can locate the drive for that matter. It's not like there is a Mac specific unit. (Not considering the backplane version you need for it to fit). ;) :p

Or worse case, use a non backplane drive ($300) and a mount from MaxUpgrades (http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=180) ($50). They even sell the drive and mount as a kit ($345).

To me, it just seems pointless to waste money at CDW when there are other places that sell the same part for less. :D