Samsung SpinPoint P120 SP2014N 200 GB

Advantages: Low noise, generally low vibration, fairly cool for a 250gb drive, reliability
Disadvantages: Not as cool or quiet as the HA250JC, but considerably cheaper

...Following on from the success of the now-legendary HA250JC, Samsung have updated their 250gb product line with this excellent drive. Although it is a 7200rpm drive (unlike the HA250JC which is 5400rpm) this drive still runs pretty cool for a 250gb drive, and with generally low rotational vibration which can lead to hum with some drives when installed in media centre, Sky+ or TiVo. When "quiet" mode is enabled (using Samsung's HUTIL utility) the seek noise of this drive is extremely soft and quiet - among the quietest 250gb drives we have tested. Reliability should be good too, as all Samsung drives are generally very reliable - so this should just go on and on in your TiVo or media PC... All round rating: B+... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Very Quiet, Long-Lasting
Disadvantages: None!

...Here we are, a superb hard disk. Quiet, durable and fast. With a 7200rpm spin speed and its SATA interface, this drive is the perfect desktop hard disk. I've now installed two of these in a RAID stripe, and they've always been fast and reliable. However, that's all good and dandy and stuff, but many, many hard disks last a very long time, serving their computer impeccably year after year. What should make this one different? At the end of the day, it's a manufacturer's average performance that allows you to spot a quality hard disk. For instance, I've purchased 4 Maxtor hard disks in my time, and 3 of them have failed all within the first year of operation. On the other hand, I've purchased 5 Samsung SpinPoint drives and they're all still going. The first was a 120GB ATA-133 jobby, which was bought 2 years ago. This remains reliable... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Speed
Disadvantages: None

...I purchased this drive earlier this month to replace 2x Maxtor 200gb drives, I chose this drive after reading a review in a computer magazine. As with all SATA drives installation was a simple case of connection the SATA and power connectors (as this drive is OEM it does not come with any cables so make sure you already have them or purchase them separately). The drive is almost silent in operation, even during intensive use and it is very fast compared to my old 200gb drives and even faster than a 250gb Seagate SATA2 drive I have in another computer. I have only had the drive a month so will have to wait and see how reliable it is but initial first impressions are very positive and I would recommend this drive to anybody wanting a lot of space.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful