Who has the best prices on 160gb or 250gb?

I just got a 250 GB Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 from compusa.com for $110 with a $30 mail-in rebate (net $80). You have to purchase by March 31st (tomorrow) to get the rebate though. tigerdirect.com has the same deal. (Actually, they seem to be the same company. I think Tiger Direct bought the CompUSA name after they went belly up.)

I hear good things about Hitachi drives, and they have a three year warranty. I just installed it last night and it's working like a champ.

At this point, a hard drive is a hard drive as far as reliability goes. Ever since IBM sold off their HDD manufacturing arm to Hitachi, there isn't anyone that consistantly makes crappy drives.

On the other hand, all disk drives will die.

What about Western Digital Cavier 500gb $100 or Seagate Barracuda 500gb $110 drives?

I aggree about a HD is a HD. Look for the size and price you want. They will all die one day(hopefully not soon) and they are about the same for quality. Make sure you get one that is compatable of course.

I cant speak to reliability but tigerdirect has WD Scorpio 160 for $69.99 & a Hitachi Travelstar 250 for $79.99 that I've had my eye on.The Hitachi has a rebate.


buzz

I just got a 250 GB Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 from compusa.com for $110 with a $30 mail-in rebate (net $80). You have to purchase by March 31st (tomorrow) to get the rebate though. tigerdirect.com has the same deal. (Actually, they seem to be the same company. I think Tiger Direct bought the CompUSA name after they went belly up.)

I hear good things about Hitachi drives, and they have a three year warranty. I just installed it last night and it's working like a champ.

I aggree about a HD is a HD. Look for the size and price you want. They will all die one day(hopefully not soon) and they are about the same for quality. Make sure you get one that is compatable of course.


How do I find out which drives are comptible?

If you're gonna grab that Hitachi, buzz, you'd better act fast. You've got about 40 hours left to still be eligible for that rebate.

Is this one compatible? Hitachi Deskstar P7K500 500GB Hard Drive - 7200, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3529749&Sku=TSD-500H3

How do I find out which drives are comptible?
Pretty much any 2.5" (laptop) SATA drive will work. The PS3 has a SATA-150 interface, but SATA-300 drives (sometimes called SATA-2) will also work.

Try to stick with a 9.5 mm drive height. I've heard about problems getting the 12 mm drives to fit. (Those are usually 500 GB drives. They're thicker because they have extra platters.)

Is this one compatible? Hitachi Deskstar P7K500 500GB Hard Drive - 7200, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3529749&Sku=TSD-500H3
No, that's a 3.5" drive (for desktops).

Also, it's probably better (though not vital) to stick with 5400 RPM drives. The 7200 RPM drives will offer very little performance benefit, and produce a lot more heat.

Is this one compatible? Hitachi Deskstar P7K500 500GB Hard Drive - 7200, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3529749&Sku=TSD-500H3


I think thats a 3.5 inch drive......wont work.



buzz

If you're gonna grab that Hitachi, buzz, you'd better act fast. You've got about 40 hours left to still be eligible for that rebate.

Thanks for the Heads Up!


buzz

http://cgi.*********/NEW-Compact-Flash-CF-to-2-5-SATA-Converter-Adapter_W0QQitemZ170204863268QQihZ007QQcategoryZ74941QQssPag eNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Ebay link. Replace stars with "*********"

I guess if you want the most reliable, then combine some Compact Flash with this. :)

If I were to buy a 500gb HD ...........The PS3 would only allow 250gb to be used correct??

I was under the assumption that the PS3 had a max HD limit of 250gb.......I may be wrong though!!!!

Is this the hitachi drive that will work? Hitachi TravelStar 5K250 250GB 2.5" Mobile Hard Drive - SATA, 5400, 8MB, OEM http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3233378&CatId=1277

This must be a typo, but I found the same hitachi drive posted above for $1979!
https://usm.channelonline.com/rtech/storesite/Products/Overview/?id=M004202854

If I were to buy a 500gb HD ...........The PS3 would only allow 250gb to be used correct??

I was under the assumption that the PS3 had a max HD limit of 250gb.......I may be wrong though!!!!
I'm 99% sure that I've heard of people using 320 GB drives with no problems. I don't think there's a limit on the size of the volume, just the physical size of the drive itself. (The 500 GB drives have more platters and are physically thicker, so they simply won't fit in to the drive slot.) However, as density improves, I'm sure we'll see 500 GB drives, and even 1 TB drives that will fit in the PS3. :)

Is this the hitachi drive that will work? Hitachi TravelStar 5K250 250GB 2.5" Mobile Hard Drive - SATA, 5400, 8MB, OEM http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3233378&CatId=1277
Yup, that's the one I got. So far, so good. ^^

I I think Tiger Direct bought the CompUSA name after they went belly up.)


CompuUSA is $4 cheaper for shipping.

Thanks guys for your help, I just ordered the Hitachi TravelStar 5K250 250GB 2.5" Mobile Hard Drive - SATA, 5400, 8MB, OEM from CompUSA.

I just got a 250 GB Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 from compusa.com for $110 with a $30 mail-in rebate (net $80). You have to purchase by March 31st (tomorrow) to get the rebate though. tigerdirect.com has the same deal. (Actually, they seem to be the same company. I think Tiger Direct bought the CompUSA name after they went belly up.)

I hear good things about Hitachi drives, and they have a three year warranty. I just installed it last night and it's working like a champ.I bought the same one also. No issues. Easier then I thought. Loading her up now with kids DVDs. Couple Pink Floyd's as well. ;)

@serversurfer: This is aix from Ars :), I assume your one in the same.


At this point, a hard drive is a hard drive as far as reliability goes. Ever since IBM sold off their HDD manufacturing arm to Hitachi, there isn't anyone that consistantly makes crappy drives.I've actually have the opposite experience with IBM drives. Unless I'm reading your quote wrong. IMO, best in the business. Since IBM sold that division to them, that's why I went with the Hitachi drive.

Google up "IBM deathstar". You'll find about a bazillion pages about the horrible reliability of a long running series of IBM drives. Hell, why do you think IBM sold their HDD line? :) From '99-'02 they couldn't make a drive worth a damn, and then they sold that division to be rid of it. Up until then, they were great. It took Hitachi a couple years to fix problems, but now they are us reliable as anyone else.

@serversurfer: This is aix from Ars :), I assume your one in the same.
I am indeed. AFAIK, I'm the only one. :)

Edit: So do you just use a random jumble of letters for your nicks? :p

I've actually have the opposite experience with IBM drives. Unless I'm reading your quote wrong. IMO, best in the business. Since IBM sold that division to them, that's why I went with the Hitachi drive.
Wasn't the Deskstar nicknamed the Deathstar back when IBM was producing them?

CompuUSA is $4 cheaper for shipping.
Weird, they were charging the same amount a few days ago.

They reason I think they're the same company is because their sites are exactly the same, save the logo in the corner and the URL. They even have the same backorder: 7-21 days.

http://www.systemax.com/divisions.htm

They are all owned by these guys.

And yeah, CompUSA no longer exists as it did. It really is just a name at this point. Yay! :)

seagate, or WD. Get something with a 5 yr warranty.

I know the OP already ordered a drive (enjoy your purchase), but to answer a question above there is no limit to the size of the hard drive the PS3 recognizes. I have the WD 320 GB notebook drive in my PS3 (a great deal at $160) and it works flawlessly.

Update on Hitachi HD: I ordered on 3/30 and it has been back ordered since. So I called up customer service and they will not be getting those back in, sucks especially since they never notified me.

So I am looking for a new hd for my ps3. What are some other good options for $100 or less?

will this one work? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3617391&CatId=2681

I'll toss in my two cents, from working in the IT industry for many years:

Most reliable: Seagate. Worst: Maxtor.
Now that Seagate owns Maxtor, what happens? Maxtor doesn't make notebook drives so it's a non-issue :-P

Nowadays it's mostly - Most reliable: Seagate. Best performance: Hitachi.

If you're looking for a HDD to be quiet, the WD Scorpio 160GB drives are tested with SPCR to be very quiet. I am running one in my HTPC and have considered swapping between the PS3 and HTPC. 40GB would be plenty for my HTPC that uses a server for storage.

been using the scorpio 250gb in my ps3 for 8-9months, and a scorpio 160gb in my 40gb for about 5 months.

What are some other good options for $100 or less?
Come on dude. Why do you keep asking us to pick a hard drive for you!?! Read the forum, get the requirements in your head (9mm high 2.5" SATA 5400rpm in case you're too lazy too look), and use whatever web shopping tool meets your fancy to find a price you're comfortable paying and get on with life! Buy the biggest you can afford, they all have warranty so stop worrying about whose drive is better than the rest (which is all just anecdotal anyone, there is NO SUCH THING as the best) and just buy one!

Just wanted to give you guys an update to hdd purchase. I got the hitachi 250gb for $97 at compusa. The install was quick & easy. Thanks for everyone's help.

I've got a 20gb ps3 and am thinking of replacing the hdd. Is there a sticky on this? Voids the warranty I assume? What happens if my ps3 craps out with the "swapped drive"? Put the old one back in?

That's been my experience as well. I will NEVER buy anything branded Maxtor. I always buy Seagate.

I'll toss in my two cents, from working in the IT industry for many years:

Most reliable: Seagate. Worst: Maxtor.
Now that Seagate owns Maxtor, what happens? Maxtor doesn't make notebook drives so it's a non-issue :-P

Nowadays it's mostly - Most reliable: Seagate. Best performance: Hitachi.

I've got a 20gb ps3 and am thinking of replacing the hdd. Is there a sticky on this? Voids the warranty I assume? What happens if my ps3 craps out with the "swapped drive"? Put the old one back in?

look in your ps3 instructions. it tells you how to do it and it does not void your warranty. you just need to keep the old hard drive b/c if you have to send your ps3 in for repairs you will need to put the original hdd back in.

look in your ps3 instructions. it tells you how to do it and it does not void your warranty. you just need to keep the old hard drive b/c if you have to send your ps3 in for repairs you will need to put the original hdd back in.

Cool, I must have been living under a rock to not know this. I'm gonna go buy one (hdd) this week. Thanks guys.

Steve