Hello

I have a laptop ASUS K456U (K456UJ). There are 2 DDs : 1 "turning" DD of 1To and a SSD of 128Giga. When the pc was installed, the 1To DD was used as "data" storage. All the linux working software system and all apps were installed on the 128giga SSD.
It runs under linux mint.

Linux warned me that the 1To DD was going to crash, therefore I have removed it (the pc works much better now - ha ha).

I want to buy a new DD to replace the old one but there are 2 elements for which I do not know what to choose:

parameters of the existing DD:
- HDD: 1 To
- SATA (connexion)
- 2,5"
- 5400 RPM
- 6.0 Gb/s
- Cash memory : I do not know

I have looked to buy a new DD but I do not know what would be best concerning 2 parameters:
- cash memory: what to choose ?
- turning speed: 5400 or 7200 RPM
(I do not mind if it does not turn fast as long as it does not crash). I sometimes add video subtitles and one rare occasion I do CAD stuff, otherwise I access internet, emails, documents, speadsheets, drawings, presentations etc (nothing fantastically demanding).

Here in France there is a shop called LDLC, you can buy online or you can go to the real shop (there is such a shop 50 minutes away from where I live).

https://www.ldlc.com/informatique/pi...45.html?sort=1

I have all these choices (web link above) with different turning speeds and cash.

I will buy 1To, not 2To (the bigger it is, the more things to back-up !!!)

So can someone tell me what turning speed and cash would be best and why (what does it really change ?)

For example, indicated on the "Fiche technique" (technical sheet): for the cash memory (in French: taille du cache): there is 128Mo or 64Mo or 8 Mo or 16 Mo
and for the rotating speed (vitesse de rotation): there is 5400 or 7200rpm

So what to chose ? What does it change ? Which make is better (if one can be considered being better ! ha ha, I guess not these days).

Thanks

Joelle

Depends what data you store on that drive. Apparently your system runs from the SSD, so browsing etc. is not affected at all.
Typically one would store large files (media) on such a data drive. If you have never encountered problems regarding that, then you can safely go for the slower one.

Those values per se have no bearing on durability.

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First we had 5400rpm drives, then came 7200, so go for 7200 unless 5400 is a real bargain. You usually don't have to sweat about cache. That becomes vital when you're using raid 0 or suchlike.

There's 1TB SSDs for cheap now, so make sure you're not buying old stock. SSDs from reputable manufacturers have improved longevity, so you could buy 1Tb SSD also. Now is a good time to buy, before the worldwide chip shortage feeds back into increased storage prices.

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Yes the system runs from the SSD (my pc is still working now without the 1To DD), the 1To DD is only used as storage.

Slower ok: thanks.

I had to look at what RAID is, so no I do not use raid.

I was wondering about a 1To SSD, but as you mention longevity: yes I heard they do not last long, but you say now is better. I will look at the price difference on that web site where I looked at prices. Is the size (physical size) of the DD the same, can I fit it in the same dedicated space area in the laptop ?

How do you know if you are buying old or new stock ?
Would old stock not be as good or last less longer ?

The SSD DD are much more expensive than the "turning" ones. I only looked on the LDLC web page because I will buy it from there (because they have real shops, so if I have an issue, I can run there and cry for help). I did not look on more concurential web sites.

A 1To "turning" DD costs between 50€ and 70€.
A 1To SSD DD costs between 100€ and 255€.
And I got my answer about the physical size of the SSD DD, yes they are the same size and even the connectors fit (they thought it all through )

I guess it is cheaper than what it used to be, but for doing what I do, I think I will remain with the cheap "turning" DD.
I thought "turning DD" were more likely to crash ? is it true ?

And since solar winds are getting stronger and getting closer to earth, when the next wind comes too close and all electric/electronic device die, I will have lost less money ha ha

Thanks for your answers.

I've been around PCs since the 1990s and disk drives have come a long way. Turning or rotating drives (as they are normally called) have improved tremendously in speed, access times & reliability. Smartctl handles maintenance issues for you, instead of complicated juggling with disk tools. Many 'facts' which were true of old drives (like them crashing) simply don't hold true any more.

I would expect 5-7 years at least from any disk drive (rotating or SSD), and probably longer from rotating drives. No, you are not using raid, and I wouldn't advise it. I simply remarked cache size wasn't hugely important. It's usually big enough.

Whenever a drive fails these days, it's usually about time to replace it. In times gone by, repairs on rotating drives were done manually, but now smartctl does a lot. So by the time you find out there's a problem, it's time to rescue your data and replace the disk. SSD in 5-10 times as fast, but you do pay a bit more.

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Thanks a lot business_kid for your answers.
It is great.
Speed is not essential so I will stick with a rotating drive (thanks for the vocabulary).

I was looking at a SEAGATE disk but some people posted on the web that seagate was no longer as good as before and their equipment was not really good, and that "Western Digital" is a better make (I did not know of that make before, I wanted to buy seagate because I have some large external DD from seagate and they still work (you know, the big ones) and they are cheap). maybe too cheap is not good !
ha ha, always the difficulty to assess price and quality on top of good or bad luck.

Do you know the make "Western Digital"?

Well, while I am at it, as I said I still have some old large external DDs. Someone told me that they are not safe and should not be used, because sometimes they get stuck (they stop rotating) and you lose your data. Is that true ? I have 3 of those.

Thanks

If they are old ide or scsi drives, they are well past their 'best before' date. The manufacturing tolerances have improved a lot. You weren't going to use them anyhow, because you are buying. Yes, they do get stuck, go slow and make mistakes. Do you always keep junk?

To tell how old something is, look for a date on the Integrated circuits. It is a 4 digit code in the form "YYWW" where Y=year and W=work week. So 2102 is the second work week in January 2021. Find the newest batch date, add three months, and that's a guess at when the part was sold. So something with 2102 batch date wouls have been sold in April 2021, at a guess. Junk any disk if you date isn't within the last 10 years.

When I built a desktop in 2005, I got the best rotating drive I could afford — it was guaranteed for 5 years and it lasted for 14. My laptop drive is 18 years old and has no bad sectors, but that isn't used often and it is a genuine IBM. In other words, buy quality products, not "bargains", and you won't be disappointed.

You might want to edit that; you're telling us your drive finally died in 2029…

Forgot to say: Some chip manufacturer's date codes are 3 digits, and they are "YWW." They repeat every 10 years.

BIG WORD OF WARNING! If you get a spinner, do your research on SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording). In short, it's a ridiculous technology that allows the drive to write twice the data on a drive. Example: You buy a 1TB drive with SMR. It's actually a 500GB drive. Once you fill about 500GB the SMR kicks in. And once SMR kicks in the throughput drops through the floor. Probably ok for backups, but I wouldn't want it for a live drive.

On manufacture of hardware ... It's all a big guess where anything is really manufactured these days, and what the real quality is. It wouldn't surprise me to hear that Western Digital, Seagate and Samsung all came from the same set of stock with different stickers.

Spinners do tend to last a long while, as long as they aren't subjected to physical stresses. But as they are mechanical, have bearings, and other moving bits, allowing a drive to sit very long may result in dried grease or other general ceasing of the parts. I don't know if we really have any long term data concerning storage of SSDs over long periods and data retention.

These days, I would trust the longevity of SSD about as much as a spinner, and they definitely have faster I/O! But based on what you're doing, they might be overkill for you, especially if the difference of $50-100 is important.