maxtor

[POL-tec2002]

when i go on pricewatch i go under 20gig hard drives and most of the hdds are maxtors( 20gig 5400rpm ATA100)and they are at a very low price. Are these hdds any good and are they fast.

[AntiHeiss]

The speed of the hard drive depends on the rpms...usually 7200rpm or 5400rpm. 7200rpm is faster. And the ATA interface. New Maxtors come ATA133, that is all they make now. But you may come across an ATA100 or ATA66. Of course ATA133 is the fastest and can burst up to 133MB per second, and ATA100 is 100MB per second. So a 7200rpm ATA133 hard drive is going to be the fastest. And Maxtor's current top of the line is the D740X line of hard drives. These drives are fast, reliable, quiet, and at an excellent price. If you look at the poll in the top of the storage area you will see that most people prefer Maxtor drives. I know I do. I have 3 D740X and I love each one of them. So if you manage to snag an ATA133 7200rpm D740X then that is a great drive to have. Just be careful on pricewatch...you don't always know if those companies are legit. Most are, just be cautious. If all else fails go with Newegg.com (http://www.newegg.com) , they have great prices and service to boot.

*edit* Just looked this up...they have 40GB Maxtor D740X Hard Drives going for $71 not shipped HERE (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=14&manufactory=1304&DEPA=1)

:D Good luck.

[A380]

The 7200rpm's should be fast, but also a bit louder than the 5400rpm's.
Don't get your self confused with ATA100 ATA133...... the difference isn'T that big! The best to do is to read some test about the speed: www.tomshardware.com or search for the brand of hd you'd like to buy.

If a hd is any good, you'll see when you have it ;)
There are always "black sheeps", but normally Maxtor is OK!
CU
A380

[FireMogle]

With 5400 RPM it will be a bit slower than the average drive, but still be good for media or backup purposes.