USA
Catalog   /   Computing   /   Components   /   Hard Drives

Comparison Seagate BarraCuda Compute ST500DM009 500 GB
32/7200
vs WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500 GB
SATA 3

Add to comparison
Seagate BarraCuda Compute ST500DM009 500 GB 32/7200
WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500 GB SATA 3
Seagate BarraCuda Compute ST500DM009 500 GB
32/7200
WD Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500 GB
SATA 3
Compare prices 1Compare prices 3
User reviews
TOP sellers
Placementbuilt-inbuilt-in
TypeHDDHDD
FeaturespCpC
Size500 GB500 GB
Form factor3.5 "3.5 "
ConnectionSATA3SATA3
Manufacturer's warranty2 years3 years
Technical specs
Cache memory32 MB16 MB
RPM7200 rpm7200 rpm
Data transfer rate156 MB/s126 MB/s
Plates1
Operation power consumption5.3 W6.8 W
Standby power consumption4.6 W0.7 W
Shockproof30 G
Reading noise level33 dB
Standby mode noise level28 dB
MTBF300 K
General
Size147x102x20 mm
Weight400 g690 g
Added to E-Catalogseptember 2016december 2010

Manufacturer's warranty

Manufacturer's warranty provided for this model.

In fact, this is the minimum service life promised by the manufacturer, subject to the rules of operation. Most often, the actual service life of the device is much longer than the guaranteed one.

Cache memory

The amount of internal hard drive memory. This memory is an intermediate link between the high-speed computer RAM and the relatively slow mechanics responsible for reading and writing information on disk platters. In particular, the buffer is used to store the most frequently requested data from the disk — thus, the access time to them is reduced.
Technically, the size of the buffer affects the speed of the hard drive — the larger the buffer, the faster the drive. However, this influence is rather insignificant, and at the level of human perception, a significant difference in performance is noticeable only when the buffer size of the two drives differs many times — for example, 8 MB and 64 MB.

Data transfer rate

The speed of data transfer between the disk and client devices is determined by the type of drive, spindle speed, memory buffer size and connection connectors. The last parameter is the most important, since it is impossible to exceed the bandwidth of a particular interface.

Plates

The number of platters provided in the design of the hard drive.

Physically, a hard disk consists of one or more platters, on which information is recorded. Several plates can be provided in order to achieve the desired volume without increasing the form factor. At the same time, it is also necessary to install an appropriate number of reading heads in such a drive, which complicates the design, reduces its reliability, and increases the cost. Therefore, manufacturers choose the number of plates based on a reasonable compromise between these points, and for selection, this parameter is more of a reference than practically significant.

Operation power consumption

The amount of power consumed by the disk when reading and writing information. In fact, this is the peak power consumption, it is in these modes that the drive consumes the most energy.

HDD power consumption data is needed primarily to calculate the overall system power consumption and power supply requirements for the system. In addition, for laptops that are planned to be used often "in isolation from outlets", it is advisable to choose more economical drives.

Standby power consumption

The amount of power consumed by the disk "idle". In the on state, the disk platters rotate regardless of whether information is being written or read or not — maintaining this rotation takes the energy consumed while waiting.

The lower the power consumption while waiting, the more economical the disk is, the less energy it consumes. At the same time, we note that in fact this parameter is relevant mainly when choosing a drive for a laptop, when energy efficiency is crucial. For stationary PCs, “idle” power consumption does not play a special role, and when calculating the requirements for a power supply, it is necessary to take into account not this indicator, but the power consumption during operation (see above).

Shockproof

A parameter that determines the resistance of the hard drive to drops and shocks during operation (that is, in the on state). Shock resistance is measured in G — units of overload, 1 G corresponds to the usual force of gravity. The higher the G number, the more resistant the disc is to various kinds of concussions and the less likely it is to be damaged, say, in the event of a fall. This setting is especially important for external drives and drives used in laptops.

Reading noise level

The level of noise produced by the disk when reading and/or writing information. The source of sound in this case is the moving plates of the disk, as well as the mechanics that control the reading heads. The lower the noise level, the more comfortable the use of the device. The maximum noise produced by modern hard drives during operation is about 50 dB — this is comparable to the sound background in an average office.

Standby mode noise level

The amount of noise produced by a disk "idle", when no read and/or write operations are performed. The sound source in this case is the plates — they rotate all the time while the disk is on; since no other mechanics are involved, idle noise is generally lower than read/write noise. The lower the noise level, the more comfortable the use of the device. The maximum noise level of modern hard drives in standby mode is about 40 dB — this is comparable to quiet human speech.
Seagate BarraCuda Compute often compared
WD Caviar Blue often compared