Seagate Drives - performance

[Maxx]

Hi All, I've used seagate drives in the past with great success so I'm sticking to them and buying a new one and going with a firewire HD docking station. http://www.vantecusa.com/front/product/view_detail/297" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I didn't realize there were so many (barracuda) models to choose from.

Any specifics I should look for - for smooth performance from you pro's?

Running DP 7.11, 828 - recording a max of 8 tracks in at once if that. Imac 2.66 Ghz intell core 2 duo. 2 Gig Ram

EG:
Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 7200rpm 16M 3.5" Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gbps 3.5" w/ 16MB Cache - 4.16ms Avg Latency $50.00

Barracuda ES.2 500GB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA 3.0Gbps w/ 32MB Cache 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gbps 3.5" w/ 32MB Cache - 105MB/s Sustained - 4.16ms Avg Latency $115.00

http://www.atic.ca/index.php?search=bar ... e&x=29&y=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SmilesLots]

Those prices seem a little high. I just saw on eBay a 1.5 TB drive for $115 - and it's "buy it now."

http://cgi.ebay.com/SEAGATE-SATA-3-5-1- ... 916wt_1167" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Put it in a suitable enclosure, like from OWC, and you are good to go.
The main things to look for are 7200 rpm and sata 2. A ot of the other stuff is just whether it comes in a retail package. Others I'm sure may know lots more and can offer more suggestions.

[newrigel]

I've heard some horror stories from some friends about ebay. I'd buy directly from a known, respectable tier 1 vendor in sealed package. Plus, 1.5 TB is quite a bit. If you plan on filling it, it's going to slow it down considerably... especially using FW. I have 1 TB drives but they are archive drives... I'd never work off them because they are way too slow because you have the space... your going to obviously use it and all that data slows things down. Are DP sessions all your going to have on the drive? I'd keep the capacity lower so it's quicker to access the small segmented files. I never skimp on drives because it's my work, and I'd be screwed without it... might want to look @ some other solutions in between if the Velociraptors are too much $$. I'd rather get a 150GB velociraptor for $150 than a 1 TB Seagate any day for recording audio to. The 1 TB+ HD's are great for archiving IMO but for high performance... they don't cut it. Sure you can use them but when you use a 10K drive you never go back. Some people are hobbyist and it don't matter to them but to do anything serious, you need the best you can possibly afford.