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Top 10 Internal Hard Drives

Need more storage? The top-ranked internal hard drives will fill the bill. Ratings and rankings can change due to pricing and technology changes, so check back frequently for the latest info.

Edited by Melissa Perenson

Friday, November 30, 2007, 10:00 PM PST
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Rank Name PCW Rating
1
BEST BUY
Western Digital Caviar SE16 750 GB
Drive size (GB): 750
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.31
Price When Reviewed: $230
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Bottom Line: Top-flight performer posted some of the fastest write times we've seen.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
87.1Very Good
2
Samsung SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ
Drive size (GB): 500
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 16
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.3
Price When Reviewed: $149
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Bottom Line: Among the 500GB competitors, Samsung's model performed the best and cost the least.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
84.0Very Good
3
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB SATA
Drive size (GB): 1000
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 32
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.36
Price When Reviewed: $363
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Bottom Line: Gargantuan drive is a fast write performer; carries industry-leading 5 year warranty.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
82.4Very Good
4
Hitachi Deskstar 7K750
Drive size (GB): 750
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 32
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.4
Price When Reviewed: $299
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Bottom Line: Plenty of capacity in a single, speedy drive; but, you'll pay more than you would for a couple of smaller capacity drives.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
81.6Very Good
5
Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000
Drive size (GB): 1000
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 32
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.4
Price When Reviewed: $399
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Bottom Line: Super-sized model performs well, but you'll pay for having all that storage in one drive.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Full ReviewTest Report
80.7Very Good
6
Western Digital Caviar GP WD10EACS
Drive size (GB): 1000
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 16
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.31
Price When Reviewed: $310
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Bottom Line: First drive to bill itself as eco-friendly with low-power consumption proves it can stand with the big boys.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
78.6Good
7
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB
Drive size (GB): 500
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 16
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.28
Price When Reviewed: $140
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Bottom Line: This inexpensive 500GB model is fast and comes loaded with the free Google Desktop software.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
75.3Good
8
Hitachi Deskstar T7K500
Drive size (GB): 500
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 16
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.32
Price When Reviewed: $159
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Bottom Line: It's difficult to recommend this drive when other 500GB models are cheaper and faster.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
74.9Good
9
Hitachi Deskstar 7K400
Drive size (GB): 400
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 16
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.3
Price When Reviewed: $120
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Bottom Line: Hitachi's inexpensive 400GB drive performs well, but 500GB drives are comparable in cost these days.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
73.7Good
10
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 500GB SATA
Drive size (GB): 500
Supported Interface(s): SATA-300
Speed (RPM): 7200
Buffer Size (MB): 8
Cost per Gigabyte: $0.31
Price When Reviewed: $156
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Bottom Line: This model, with only an 8MB cache, was an average performer. It carries a five-year warranty, however.
(Last Rated: November 28, 2007)
Test Report
73.6Good
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