Which Hard Drive Should I Buy?

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With the cost of data storage devices these days, more Photographers are able to have plenty of space, and more importantly, a solid back-up. When searching for a hard drive, remember that price does matter. This is one case where the brand name makes a difference, and even so it goes beyond the brand down to the particular model. Some drives are simply built stronger and can last a lifetime. Yes, a lifetime! Two of the most popular brands are Western Digital and Seagate. Are there better options, maybe, but expect to pay at least 3x the cost but receive little to no performance increase, or any other real benefits for that matter.

When searching for a drive, you first need to consider your performance requirements. Drives come in 5400RPM and go up to 15000RPM+. Think of it as a motor, 1000RPM is slower than 2000RPM. The standard is 7200RPM and is usually capable of any day to day computing, including editing.

Next, you need to know what type of connection you have. Most new systems will include SATA 3 connection, but check your motherboard to be sure. And remember an important step to take before installing any components is to check for clearance issues. Sometimes other components may get in the way of your connectors. When you have 3 or 4 of these in a case, it starts to get crowded.

Beyond this, cache and size are almost irrelevant. Any decent drive will have at least a 16MB cache and you simply purchase the size drive you need. Perhaps a 250GB for the Operating System, and 2x1TB drives for data storage and backup. Remember, the drives that will be in active use should be at least 7200RPM.

Last but not least, check the warranty. Some drives include a 5 year warranty, some a 3 year and almost all others come with a 1 year. The cost difference is usually within $30, so try to get the longest available. Sure there may be some drives that are just so cheap that you won't care if it fails in a couple years, but then you have to go through the hassle of replacing more often. Time is money. Also drives usually fail unexpectedly, but here are a few warning signs.

Till this day I see no benefit in having a Glyph or similar priced drive. The only true benefit I see is their sleek designs and free recovery service. This entitles the original owner to two years of free recovery and service of a faulty drive. But consider the following: 1) Back up your data 2) Should you worry about a drive like this failing in 2 years? 3) They still offer no guarantee. Before opting for one of these drives, I would consider something like a Drobo. This device allows you to connect multiple drives as one, simply replacing a single drive should it fail.