Samsung EcoGreen or WD Green drives

[greshoff]

How do the Samsung EcoGreen 1Tb compare with the 1TB WD Green drives in terms of quietness & preformance?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Perhaps it is worth also checking the silentpcreview forums too.

[TooNice]

I've looked and looked and looked about a month or two ago when I had to make a decision, and to my surprise (given how relatively successful the GP series is, and the F1 making a name for Samsung) I found virtually no review of the EcoGreen F2, let alone one that compares with the WD Green Power (things may have changed, but I have also looked/asked in SPCR back then). I only found one screenshot posted by someone in a forum (not sure which anymore), showing the EcoGreen beating the GP in sequential transfers. That doesn't say anything about noise though and having only the F2, I can only to say that it's quieter than the system fans on low in a P182 case. Basically, it's inaudible in a fairly quiet system.

[smargh]

1TB F2 is better than my 1TB WD10EACS. However, the EACS version of the WD10 is a bit crap anyway - it has a big problem with excessive load-unload cycles which are impossible (for me) to prevent, even with scripted 8-second writing, and the non-solder-covered PCB traces on the it look terrible and don't give a good impression of longetivity.

I haven't done any speed tests on my two 1TB F2 drives, but I can if you want. I use them because of their quietness and coolness, not their speed. I run many VMs from them and don't notice any slowdown.

Temperature and sound-wise, the F2 is awesome. 28C right now, with no cooling in a warm 25C room. My 300GB Velociraptor is 36C (underneath the two F2s), and my WD 1TB EACS would normally be about 35.

For me, WD completely lost it with the whole "RPM lucky dip" and load-unload cycles thing.... but I'll still always use their Velociraptors until the price of Intel's SSD goes down.

[greshoff]

Would be interested in a speed comparison between the two

[smargh]

You'll need to tell me which speed testing apps you prefer - I think I've only ever used HDTach.

[TooNice]

However, the EACS version of the WD10 is a bit crap anyway - it has a big problem with excessive load-unload cycles which are impossible (for me) to prevent

Yeah, I've read about that on SPCR. That, combined to the allegedly faster performance in the only benchmark I've seen (though I am not too bothered, I'll go SSD for my system drive as soon as price falls enough), and lower price were what shifted me towards the Samsung.
To be fair, I've not heard of any failure due to the excessive load-unload cycle, but still not that desirable.

[Singh400]

There was a fantastic review pitting these drives and others together. And the results varied from what you wanted from each drive. I'll see if I can dig it out for you.

[greshoff]

There was a fantastic review pitting these drives and others together. And the results varied from what you wanted from each drive. I'll see if I can dig it out for you.

I did look on SPCR but couldn't find the article you mentioned. If you could give a link I would appreciate it. Thanks

[Singh400]

I did look on SPCR but couldn't find the article you mentioned. If you could give a link I would appreciate it. Thanks

I'm pretty sure this was it. I'll keep hunting though.

[greshoff]

Thanks, I'll give it a read

[mikerr]

my two 1TB F2 drives,
I use them because of their quietness and coolness,

My 300GB Velociraptor is 36C (underneath the two F2s)

So you use the F2s because of their quietness,
but they'd be drowned out by the noisy raptor anyway ?

I might return to samsung - I've been suing samsung for years, and it was the quiet WD gP drives that tempted me away

[greshoff]

I might return to samsung - I've been suing samsung for years, and it was the quiet WD gP drives that tempted me away

Same here

[sammorris]

The WD green drives I own (I have all three, VS,CS,DS) are all excellent. What they offer over the Samsungs is superior vibration, which in the vast majority of systems is what causes a significant part of the noise. Airborne acoustic tests will not pick this up so looking at the dB of the drive alone isn't that useful. Samsung drives are as quiet as they get for seek, but the worst of almost all manufacturers for vibration, so much so that one F1 Samsung is clearly audible over two HD4870X2 graphics cards under load in a case.

I have yet to hear of any WD drive actually fail because of the head loading, and I have seen a large number of Samsung 1TB F1 drives fail (one of my friends bought 5 and all 5 failed within a few weeks) It may not affect the F2, but since the problem was controller based not disk-based, there's every chance it could.

[smargh]

So you use the F2s because of their quietness,
but they'd be drowned out by the noisy raptor anyway ?

I might return to samsung - I've been suing samsung for years, and it was the quiet WD gP drives that tempted me away

My Velociraptors (WD3000HLFS and GLFS) are both dead quiet. Although they are 10,000RPM, they are virtually silent - probably quieter than the F2s, and only very slightly less quiet with the seeking.

[sammorris]

Unless you removed the Icepacks and then mounted the drives in acoustic dampening enclosures, I can assure you the noise of Velociraptors is average at best. Most HDDs are quieter. They're still much better than the old Raptors, but almost any non-Seagate 7200rpm drive is quieter, let alone 5400rpm.