USA
Catalog   /   Computing   /   Components   /   Hard Drives

Comparison Toshiba X300 HDWE140EZSTA 4 TB vs Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000524AS 1 TB

Add to comparison
Toshiba X300 HDWE140EZSTA 4 TB
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000524AS 1 TB
Toshiba X300 HDWE140EZSTA 4 TBSeagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000524AS 1 TB
Compare prices 1Compare prices 1
TOP sellers
Placementbuilt-inbuilt-in
TypeHDDHDD
FeaturespCpC
Size4000 GB1000 GB
Form factor3.5 "3.5 "
ConnectionSATA3SATA3
Manufacturer's warranty2 years2 years
Technical specs
Cache memory128 MB32 MB
RPM7200 rpm7200 rpm
Average search time4 ms9 ms
Operation power consumption11.3 W9.4 W
Standby power consumption6 W5 W
Shockproof70 G70 G
Reading noise level27 dB
Standby mode noise level31 dB25 dB
MTBF0.75 M h
MTBF50 K
General
Size147x102x26 mm
Weight720 g
Added to E-Catalognovember 2015april 2011

Size

Rated capacity is one of the key parameters of a hard drive, which determines how much information can fit on it. For SSHD, this item indicates the capacity of only the hard drive, for RAID arrays, the total capacity of the array.

The volume of information in the modern world is constantly growing and require more and more capacious drives. So in most cases it makes sense to choose a larger disk. In fact, the question of choosing this parameter often rests only on the price: the cost of the drive directly depends on the volume.

If the question is in such a way that you need to choose a disk "smaller and cheaper, but that's enough" — it's worth evaluating the amount of information that you have to deal with and the specifics of use. For example, for an ordinary office PC, designed mainly for working with documents, an internal drive of 2 TB and even 1 TB will be more than enough, and an enthusiastic gamer will need 4 TB, 6 TB and even 8 TB will not be superfluous. If you use a disc for recording from camcorders, then you can get a 10 TB, 12 TB, 14 TB, 16 TB, 18 TB or more HDD.

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.

Average search time

The time it takes for the hard disk mechanics to find random requested data to read. For each specific case, the search time is different, as it depends on the location of the data on the surface of the disk and the position of the read head, therefore, the average value is indicated in the characteristics of hard drives. The lower the average seek time, the faster the disk works, all other things being equal.

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).

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.

MTBF

Guaranteed (minimum) hard drive uptime. The longer the time between failures, the more durable and reliable the device. At the same time, we note that after this time, the drive will not necessarily fail immediately — most models remain operational even after the claimed resource has been exhausted, but the manufacturer does not give any guarantees here.

MTBF

Guaranteed (minimum) number of hard drive on-off cycles after which it will remain operational. The higher this number, the more reliable the drive.
Toshiba X300 often compared
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 often compared