Best 3TB Hard Drive

The Top 3 Best 3TB Internal Hard Drive For 2011

Enthusiast and gamers are always on the look for the fastest drive they can get, as well as having huge capacity. If you’re one of them, it’s time for you to discover the top 3 best 3TB hard drive. There are 3 manufacturers that currently released the 3TB hard drive, Seagate, Hitachi and Western Digital.As you read on you’ll discover each capability of these drives, which one will perfectly suit your needs?

In today’s computer world, software’s, games, HD movies and other file formats increases the demands for greater storage. The best solution to this is to have a huge disk space for those files. A 3TB hard drive will perfectly fit the bill, because it’s the biggest size available on the market up to date.

Unfortunately, there are some issues concerning those more than 2.2TB hard drives. Each of these three hard drive manufacturers has their own solution for you to fully utilize the 3TB disk space. I hope you find one that suits you the best.

1. Seagate Barracuda 3TB Review – Faster Improve Version

If you’re craving for huge disk space and the fastest hard drive at the same time the new Seagate Barracuda 3TB perfectly suits your needs. After the success of Barracuda XT 3TB that gives us solid performance, the new improve version offers more superior.

This drive is pack with huge 3TB capacity, disk space in not a problem anymore. Aside from its speed, this is the world’s first 1TB disk per platter drive in the form of ST3000DM001. This is available for only $184, Click Here to get it up to 32% price off.

Denser And Faster

Seagate sticks in a 3TB disk space with this new version but, it has the advantage of a denser platter. Having 1TB in contrast with a 600GB in the older XT drive, the new one is reduced to only 3-platter instead of using a 5-platter drive.

Although, they already launched the 4TB drive if we take a look inside of it, they still contains a 5-disk drive same as the XT but, having an 800GB per platter. With this kind of technology Seagate has to offer, a 5TB drive is expected to be out sooner.

Fewer disk means lighter, less bulky and low power consumption. Likewise, denser drives always have the advantage of quicker seeking time due to lesser distance the read/write heads will travel. As a result, a faster performance can be expected. Beside from a denser platter, it spins at 7,200rpm that runs in a SATA 6GB/s interface. In addition to that is a 64MB cache is included to handle most frequent access data’s.

Better Features

Seagate has introduce several state of the art features such as the SmartAlign that helps older computers compatible with 4K sectors, the OptiCache makes the cache processor more effective. The thing that I like here is the inclusion of the DiscWizard, this makes it possible for a 32-bit OS such as Windows XP to its full usage. Likewise, older computers that don’t support more than 2TB drive will took advantage of it.

Faster Than The Previous Model

Seagate have listed a read speed of 210MB/s, from here on you can notice a vast increase over its predecessor with only 149MB/s in a 5-platter design drive. The 1TB disk model has 61MB/s faster on paper but, is it achievable in its actual performance? Let’s find out.

Using an IOMeter for a 2MB sequential transfer speed to test its performance, the results are far better than the older model but, it doesn’t hit the written specs. It measures 164.96MB/s and 165.17MB/s in read/write while the 5-platter disk recorded at 146.78MB/s and 145.5MB/s respectively.

On the Random Transfer Speed test, keeping a 2MB data transfer in the IOMeter the new version still on the lead with 70.4MB/s for read and 57.4MB/s in write while the previous version has an average of only 54MB/s.

Another aspect to consider that affects the drive performance is the inner and outer part of the platter. We have to take note that the new Barracuda 3TB has a highly dense drive at 1TB per platter, therefore we’re expecting a faster transfer speed here. It reaches a maximum speed close to 200MB/s which is nearly at 210MB/s specified in their specs. This is a very strong lead over the older version that records at only 149MB/s.

Low Power Consumption

Anyone who’s looking to save power on a high capacity drive, you can depend on the new Seagate Barracuda 3TB. By introducing a fewer disk on the drive it provides less current draw to start a 3-platter compare to a 5-platter design. The drive has a power draw from 7.96W to 8.5W during heavy read/write task, this is close to its listed value of 8W during operations and 5.4W during idle. This is also true during startup, it requires only 19W as oppose to 23W for a 5-platter drive.

Customer’s Review

Actually beats my SSD in large file transfers, great upgrade even for older computers, November 24, 2011 By Richard C. Drew “Anaal Nathra/Uthe vas Bethod… (Oak Lawn, IL USA)

“My MOBO is about two years old and does not natively support SATA-III, so I purchased a SATA-III card to support the newer drives. The older MOBO does not have the throughput of a newer one with faster bus, etc. So if you have an older PC and want to add some speed, read on!

This is a blazingly fast drive. Because I’m on an older system I can’t utilize it to it’s full potential – but it does really increase performance on my older system – it’s a great alternative to a SSD! Add a SATA-III card to your computer and this drive, and you’ll dramatically speed up read and write speeds.

If you’re using a computer with native SATA-III support, you’re tests will be even better!

Installation was a snap – Windows 7 disk manager detected and formatted in no time. The SSD I compared it to is a Crucial 64 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT064M4SSD2” >>Click Here to read more reviews

Conclusion

The new Seagate Barracuda 3TB delivers a strong lead over the previous version, this is due to its highly dense platter. This drive took all the advantage from speed, lightness and less power consumption. However, not in terms of capacity but a quick jump over its performance is extremely significant. This is definitely good news for consumers who’s looking for high capacity and speed demon drive.

With this kind of advance technology, this earns the fastest 7,200rpm drive on the market today. The price it offers is highly competitive and a 5-year bonus warranty upon purchase making it easy to recommend and definitely an enthusiast level drive. What else can we ask for the best 3TB hard drive? Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!

2. Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB – Is It The Fastest 3TB Internal Hard Drive?

What Is It In the New Seagate Barracuda 3TB XT?

Hungry for space Enthusiasts are consistently searching for the biggest hard drive of today. 3TB drives are currently dominating the market after it has beaten the 2TB mark. With the release of Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB, it offers a 50% additional space to fill in more room for your important files. The Barracuda XT series is a fast drive that spins at 7,200rpm. It provides a 64MB of cache memory with the latest 6GB/s interface. Seagate took all these advantage that contributes to its faster data transfer.

As we all know that, previous XT versions with the 2TB makes a big statement on how well this drives performs. With the Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB version, it shows off more improvements over the later versions. This is perfect if you’re planning to use it as your primary drive, compare with the high priced SSD and yet small in size.

The Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB uses a 5 platter disk, making it 600GB each with 10 read/write heads. Despite of using 5 platters, it consumes relatively low power during idle and heavy operations. Seagate have listed a 7.37 Watts at idle conditions and 9.23 Watts during read/writes operations and only 0.55 Watts at stand by.

Specs

Spindle Speed (RPM) 7200

Interface – SATA III

Cache – 64MB

Max Sustained Data Rate – 149MB/s

Average Latency – 4.16 ms

Random read seek time – 8.5ms

Random write seek time – 9.5ms

I/O data transfer rate – 600MB/s

Heads/Disks – 10/5

Bytes per Sector – 512

Load/Unload Cycles – 300K

Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) – 0.34%

Mean Time Between Failures (hours) – 750,000

Limited Warranty – 5 years

Startup Current +12 Peak (A, ±10%) – 2.0A (24W)

Standby – 0.55W

Operating Average – 9.23W

Idle – 7.37W

Acoustics (Idle Volume) – 28 dB

Acoustics (Seek Volume) – 32 dB

Disk Size – 3.5 inch

Seagate’s Solution To Issues With 3TB Hard Drive

Most 3TB hard drive today are facing issues, various manufacturers have their own solution for this. But, the question is, what would be the best solution that suits you. We have problems concerning this with the OS issues. Windows XP users and some 32-bit Operating System doesn’t support those drives with more than 2.2TB drives because, 32-bit is 2^32 which is only equivalent to 2.19TB addressable memory. This makes it impossible for us to use a 3TB hard drive; in most cases they can’t recognize it at all.

Western Digital approach this issue by providing an additional hardware that serves as HBA (Host Bus Adapter) in their 3TB drives in Caviar Green. On the other hand, Hitachi Deskstar 3TB leaves it to the consumer without providing any software and hardware thus requires a newer motherboard with a 64-bit OS that will support the 3TB drives. Seagate approaches it differently, by providing software driver which they called “DiscWizard”.

The DiscWizard includes the updated version of their previous tried and tested software support, with the intel’s 10.1 Rapid Storage Technology driver package, it allows compatible chipset to support hard drives with more than 2.2TB. The Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB causes the delay of its release maybe because they waiting for the intel’s driver pack. But whatever it is, they have done a great job for becoming the first one who releases the most convenient way solution for these issues.

If you’re using a newer version of motherboard with UEFI BIOS and a 64-bit Windows 7 Operating System, you don’t have problems with drives more than 2.2TB because, they are fully supported with it. If not, the Seagate DiscWizard comes to the rescue.

With the upgraded version of DiscWizard, if you still want to stick with Windows XP using the old MBR, this is definitely good news for you. This will also install driver that allows your hard drive to become bootable. In the partition table, you will notice a 2048GB usable space and the remaining 768GB will appear as a second drive. Although, you can’t use the single drive in one partition, you can do as many partitions as you can and the entire 3TB disk space are usable.

Conclusion

The Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB is fast enough and a huge hard drive at the same time. This drive ideal as your boot drive without the need of the high priced SSD, also perfect for storage as well. We all know about Seagate’s legacy and the flagship behind its name is definitely solid. A big improvement over the previous XT 2TB is worth a jump to upgrade with this beast. It also offers the best solution for today’s issues concerning with more than 2.2TB drives using a DiscWizard, without the need for additional hardware even if you’re still using the old Windows XP OS.

Seagate offers a 5 year warranty for this drive in contrast with other brands with only 3 year warranty. Seagate lowers its prices since the day it was first released, due to its growing number of competition. Consumers will be happy for this because it is becoming more affordable to everyone. Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!

3. Hitachi Deskstar 3TB – What Makes It The Best Selling 3TB Hard Drive?

What Do We Expect from The New Hitachi Desktar 3TB?

Aside from the world’s first 3TB 7,200rpm drive, it supports the SATA III 6GB/s interface to take full advantage over their SATA II counterpart. Putting up a 64MB Cache that adds an extra speed for your most frequent accessed data’s. This drive has 5 platters making it 600GB each and 10 read/write heads.

Hitachi announced that, this drive provides an increase of 27% in speed compare to its previous product. To sum up all these features of the Hitachi Deskstar 3TB, this is what makes them a fast drive.

Issues With The Hitachi Desktar 3TB

Most 32-bit Windows based computers have facing problems with hard drives more than 2TB, but if you’re using a Mac OS or Linux you’re free from that. The Hitachi Deskstar 3TB is no exemption to that, you need to have a 64-bit OS for Windows 7 and Vista to fully support this drive. But, if you still using the old XP OS, forget the Deskstar 3TB drive because it doesn’t support that big disk space.

Other brand hard drives like the Western Digital have provided an HBA that allows the legacy BIOS motherboards to support above 2TB drives. The Hitachi Deskstar 3TB don’t have it, therefore, you need to have a GPT (GUID Partition Table) instead of the usual MBR (Master Boot Record). Newer motherboard version with UEFI (Unified Extensive Firmware Interface) supports these huge drives, mostly for Sandy Bridge processors.

Conclusion

The Hitachi Deskstar 3TB is perfect for your large data storage needs, as well as a boot drive. Hitachi engineers did a great job in putting all the best features to create an excellent drive up to date. Maybe the idea behind the issues its facing is that, they’re probably thinking about the future generation of computers not for the backward compatibility. If you have a newer motherboard with UEFI BIOS and you’re using a 32-bit Windows, this is perfect for you.

Test results shows that it can beat its high priced competitors. It means that, a big leap in technology is what the Hitachi 3TB Deskstar is made of. Acoustics would be the most common problems with mechanical drives having fast rpm. The Hitachi 3TB Deskstar despite with the 7,000rpm, is being one of the coolest and the quietest drive in line.

What about the price? The price would be the most sensible part in buying the best hard drive for your PC. This drive comes in unbelievable price range; I should say that, this is a big bargain! With all of these, we find no other reasons why it is the best selling 3TB 7,200rpm drive in the market today. Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!

4.Western Digital 3TB Caviar Green – The Coolest Drive For Your Storage Needs

If you’re one of those enthusiast who always in needs of huge disk space for your treasured files, the Western Digital 3TB Caviar Green is perfect for your massive storage requirements. Due to the increasing demands for large storage, Western Digital breaks the 2TB mark and introduced the first 3TB internal hard drive.

What Is It In The WD 3TB Caviar Green Hard Drive?

The Western Digital 3TB Caviar Green runs at 5,400rpm with SATA II 3GB/s interface. It uses the same 4 platters just like their previous 2TB drives, but this time it has 750GB each. This drive is quiet; it doesn’t produce that loud annoying sound. The noise level is only at 24dB at idle and a maximum of 29dB during read/write operations.

It consumes relatively less power which is good for energy savvy, 5.5W at idle, only 6W during read/write operations and 0.8W for sleep/standby. This drive is also cool; the temp ranges from 5 to 60 Degrees Celsius. With all of these features, comes the idea behind a green hard drive.

The Western Digital 3TB Caviar Green is not a fast drive, not a hungry for speed stuff but rather a perfect backup storage. This drive is excellent for office and HTPC applications, also great for external drive. It is best when combined with the super fast SSD as your boot drive and the Caviar Green would be your secondary drive. Another perfect application for this drive is for Network Attached Storage (NAS).

WD Solution To 3TB Hard Drives Issues

There are issues regarding hard drives with more than 2TB, the Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB is no exemption to that. This issues concerns in the older OS versions, older system using Master Boot Record (MBR) partition table doesn’t support these especially the 32-bit. Because, 2^32 gives up only 2,199,023,255,252 bytes or equivalent to 2.19TB, this is the maximum addressable on the disk.

To resolve these issues, Western Digital hard drives with more than 2TB provide an Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI)-compliant Host Bus Adapter (HBA). This will help the OS to use drivers with support of larger drives. This is in the form of PCI-E 2.0 1x adapter card with SATA III controller.

With this huge disk space, Western Digital move out from 512byte to 4Kb (4096 to be exact) sector size. The old 512byte is being use by a long time traditional MBR and the new one they called Advanced Format (AF) technology. The AF is not compatible with Windows XP and older version OS. Windows Vista and windows 7 users can take full advantage on the HBA to properly recognize the 3TB drive.

On the other hand, Apple OSX fully supports those drives with more than 2TB without the need of the HBA. However, if you’re using a newer version of motherboards with GUID Partition Table (GPT) or UEFI BIOS support system, you don’t need this adapter card, because they are design to accommodate these huge hard drives. If you want to use it as a primary boot disk, you’ll need a 64-bit version of windows OS.

Conclusion

Western Digital 3TB Caviar Green is design for low power, low noise, less heat and above all huge capacity drive. These categories are what they excel most. They can’t compete against the newer 7,000rpm but a lot faster than the 5,400rpm competitors. This drive is perfect for data hungry enthusiast that serves as your secondary drive, but not as a primary boot disk. Combining it with the super fast SSD for your OS and the Caviar Green 3TB as your backup, this will make it a powerful duo.

A big improvement over the previous 2TB version, I think it is due to its larger capacity per disk platter. A 750GB each platter for the 3TB, in contrast with only 500GB for 2TB is what makes the difference. It means that, a more dense platter have less traveling time for the heads to read/write the data’s, therefore a faster access time is expected.

The inclusion of the 2 port SATA PCI-E card for the HBA is a big plus, in this case, no need to worry if you’re using an older board to support this drive. The price point for this drive is within the reach but, far behind compare with the 2TB version. I guess their trying to justify its latest breakthrough in putting up this huge drive. At least they lowering it now since the day of its released, this is good news for consumers, as it becoming more competitive with other brands.

Overall, this is a great drive and very dependable as we already know the Western Digital’s reputations in this industry. Cool, quiet, energy saver, efficient and high capacity, all the advantage in a single solid performing drive. This is what the Western Digital 3TB Caviar Green drive is all about. Click Here to get it at its Lowest Price!

Testing The Big 3 Hard Drives

All drives are tested using the same common computer specs. As you can see, the following results are clearly shown in the graphs. Three tests are performed, the large file transfer in read/write performance, OpenOffice 3.2 install/uninstall process and the Adobe Photoshop CS2/Nero 7 Ultra edition script.

All drives perform well in the read tests, very close to each other. Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 rules the write category and Seagate Barracuda XT comes in second. But, the WD Caviar Green 3TB slows down in write, this is the fact that it runs only at 5,400rpm and design mostly for energy saving.

In running scripts and installing programs, the WD Caviar Green 3TB also having a hard time. The two are having fun, but the Hitachi Deskstar performs much faster than the Barracuda XT for about 10 percent.

Source: PC World

Final Words

Overall, the Deskstar 7k3000 3TB stands out in the series of tests. Despite of its great performance, surprisingly, it’s got a bargain price in line. This is worthy to be as your primary drive without the need of the pricey SSD.

The Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB is also a great contender; they offer the most convenient solution to the issues concerning a large drive with more than 2.2TB. Fast enough to be used as your boot drive, Seagate legacy as we all know are very dependable and trusted by many enthusiast out there.

WD Caviar Green is not the fastest drive in line, but, rather the best backup you can have. This is design to have a cool, quiet, energy saver drive and large enough to handle those huge files of yours. Also a very dependable drive with the lowest price you can get.