What is a good hard drive to use for video editing?

[ShaneJensen]

Last April (2004) I got myself the Maxtor 250GB hard drive exclusively for video editing only and it was great. I did a lot of video editing with his like crazy since April as I'm converting old home movie tapes to DVD as well as my MiniDV tapes to DVD. I've also done several video presentations as well, so it's not only converting home movies that I'm doing. Last week the hard drive croaked and no longer works, it displays the drive, but no data can be read or even seen.

I want to get a new hard drive to replace it because I have a few urgent video projects that I have to do in the next few weeks. Should I go with the same type of hard drive or does anyone recommend a different one that is more reliable than the one I had?

I have three hard drives in my computer. An 80GB Maxtor just for the OS and program files to install, a 120GB IBM for general storage, then the 250GB Maxtor for video editing only. The bigger the hard drive the hotter it gets, the 250GB ran really hot, almost too hot to touch. Is that what could have killed it along the heavy video editing load I always put on it? It's still sort of new since I only had it since April. The 120GB runs hot, but I've had that one for over two years since November of 2002 and haven't had any problems with it. I do not, however, put any load on the 120GB and only use it for storage. Anything that required lots of processing I always did on the 250GB to save my 120GB storage drive the trouble. It looks like it paid off, but it makes me wonder if it's not only the usage but the brand. The 120GB is IBM while the 250GB is Maxtor.

So, in short my final question. What brand of hard drive is better for video editing? Should I go with an external to keep it cooler? I've been planning on installing more fans inside my computer case, but that is a project that I've been putting off. If I used an external I'm thinking to myself that it would run cooler not being inside the hot computer case if it were to stand alone on my desk in a cool room.

What does anyone think about this? Any good suggestions as to what I should do and what hard drive would be best for me to get? I'm asking here before I order a new one to get a better idea.

Thanks in advance.

[budz]

In my experience the bigger hard drives seem to have more corrupt files or errors on it compared to smaller internal drives like a 120 gb. I did have a Maxtor 200gb hard drive that was housed in a hard drive rack case enclosure that fit into one of my bays. It failed in 3 months but I got a 250gb as a replacement from Maxtor. I put that 250 gb in a aluminum external firewire case that has a built in fan. I also have a SATA Maxtor 200 gb hard drive but it has a Vantec hard drive cooler attached to it for better cooling. I also have a 120gb external Maxtor firewire hard drive which I haven't had any problems with.

In my opinion make sure there is adequate cooling on the bigger hard drives. I know there are others that think Maxtor & Western Digital are junky brands but all brands of hard drives will have their share of failed drives. I have seen on other forum sites that Seagate, IBM, Samsung, etc, all have their share of failed drives. Rule of thumb is backup your data.

If you're on a budget then get a internal drive and house it in a aluminium firewire case. If not then purchase a external hard drive. You can purchase a internal MAXTOR or WESTERN DIGITAL from Newegg.com and choose the OEM versions because it carries a 3 year warranty vs retail warranty is just 1 year. SEAGATE & HITACHI have 5 year warranties for some of their drives. That's just my 2 cents!

[ShaneJensen]

Where can I get these external firewire cases for internal hard drives?

I'm not really on a buget, so I can afford an external. Would an external be better?

[budz]

they have 250gb externals for about $280.00 at COMPUSA.
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=305837&pfp=BROWSE

you can purchase a external aluminum firewire case from newegg.com. you would need to make sure the external case is compatible with a internal 250gb.

if you have a costco or sams club they have external hard drives as well. i got my maxtor external 120 gb hd from costco about a year and half ago.

[nathanaa]

I've got the external Maxtor 250 and it runs fairly warm. I use the USB connection and not the firewire, so I think perhaps it doesn't run as fast or get hit as often as it would if I were using the firewire. Maybe that's just my own cockamamie belief though. I put it up on the little stand it came with, laying it flat instead of standing it up. That way air gets under it as well, and I imagine the disc can run easier.

I've noticed if I've been using it a lot it gets very warm, but not HOT. It could be the cause of your problem is having the three big internals, especially your biggest being the one you used most often, all right next to each other - the heat they generate is cooking each other? Was it at the top of your tower too, where all the heat would rise?

I like having the external, it seems to stay cooler than the old 20gig internal I've got in my desktop tower if I've been running it for hours.

Good luck, hope you find something that works well for you. Seagate I believe has a 100gig laptop drive that you could put into a small external case and keep cool pretty easy.

[Soopafresh]

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-067&depa=1

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=35-118-215&depa=0

or

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-173-003&depa=0


The Seagates and Hitachis (IBM) have been pretty reliable.

If you do decide to go external, go firewire.

[Jester700]

Bigger drives OF THE SAME LINE have more platters, and so generate slightly more heat, noise, etc. Of course, a new 200GB drive will be better than an older model 200GB one, and probably better than an older 120GB one as well.

I've had good & bad with lots of brands; IME reliability isn't tied to brand - it's tied to individual models, lines, or even manufacturing runs. Problem is, by the time this data comes out, the troublesome line has usually been supplanted by a new one. So I say just get one with a decent warranty and back up important stuff.

[TBoneit]

IMHO it sounds like you need a good case. A Good Case will hold several hard drives in a position where a front mounted fan can cool them. A good case will dupport 1 or more fans in the front and 1 or more fans in the rear. The fans that blow over the drives blow in to bring cool air over the drives. The Rear fans blow out to exhause the heated air. A better case will also feature a side mounted fan that blows outside air in through a duct direct to the processor to give it the best cooling vs using warmer air from inside the case. I use cases here at work that hold 10 total drives. 4 optical and 6 3.5" drives, the lower drives are in the airflow path from the front fan. The side mounted fan feeds air striaght onto the CPU which runs nice and cool even when encoding video.

Cost of this case with good solid metal (Not tinny) $49 extra fans not much. I use either of two cases black or beige with high speed processors. No fancy lighted fans, no windows. Just a good solid fit and feel.

Change cases and your drives will last longer, they should run slightly warm at most to the touch. Myself I use a Lian-Li that came with 2 fans that cool a 5 drive bay in the front and 1 in the back for exhaust. My drives run slightly warm. Total drives it can hold = 12. A Good case will run you a long time. I've had this one since my 1200Mhz Athlon days.

Cheers

[funkguy4]

Seagate and Samsung is where it's at.
Western Digital, not so much. IBM/Hitachi neither. Any bigger than 120gb and u should get a hard dirve cooler/external casing.

[ShaneJensen]

Seagate and Samsung is where it's at.
Western Digital, not so much. IBM/Hitachi neither. Any bigger than 120gb and u should get a hard dirve cooler/external casing.

So many choices. I'm thinking of using the external case, I like that. Seagate and Samsung are very reliable? Are they reliable over Maxtor as well?

[vico1]

COOLMAX 5.25" USB2.0 & IEEE1394 BLACK Aluminum Enclosure,
Model "CD-510B-Combo"

I`ve got two of these...both with 200gb Seagates.
Comes with active cooling. (1 x 4cm cooling fan)
Having both USB2.0 & IEEE1394 on these babies is a big plus too!

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-146-019&depa=9


*******************************
The Devil`s always.....in the Details!

[Soopafresh]

Looks like we can all agree on Seagate....

Ditch Maxtor this time around. Get Seagate and install it in an Aluminun enclosure. Aluminum will keep the unit cooler.

[edDV]

...

...Last week the hard drive croaked and no longer works, it displays the drive, but no data can be read or even seen.

...

So, in short my final question. What brand of hard drive is better for video editing? Should I go with an external to keep it cooler? I've been planning on installing more fans inside my computer case, but that is a project that I've been putting off. If I used an external I'm thinking to myself that it would run cooler not being inside the hot computer case if it were to stand alone on my desk in a cool room.

What does anyone think about this? Any good suggestions as to what I should do and what hard drive would be best for me to get? I'm asking here before I order a new one to get a better idea.

I've never had a drive fail this way. Unless your case is unusually hot, a new drive should work fine. Otherwise add fans or get a better designed case.

External drives often have poor cooling but are also far more problematic for DV stream transfer for other reasons. I would stay with internal drives for critical DV stream transfers where possible.

This applies only to realtime DV transfers from and to the DV camera where dropouts can occur. Once the video is in a file and under control of the OS, then external drives can be used for editing.

[lordsmurf]

Maxtor = crap.

Western Digital and Seagate drives would have lasted longer. Any 100-200GB drive should be fine. Spend whatever you can.

Important rules = 7200rpm and then 8MB cache is good too (although 2MB may also work).

Just be sure the drive has enough air passthrough around it, to not overheat. Contact with the case is also important, to help distribute the heat (like a heatsink).

Keep the drive internal if you can. Avoid external unless it's required (laptop, small case, etc).

[jtommyj]

Less than a year old and no RMA ? Or did i miss something ? Get the free replacement and put it in your external case.

I had a Maxtor that died after 30 months and they gave me no trouble on the RMA process.

Tom

[budz]

Maxtor = crap.

in your opinion.....

as someone already pointed out if your failed maxtor drive is less than a year old contact maxtor to get a replacement drive......i got my replacement in a week and a half..

[Capmaster]

Seagate =

[budz]

All brands of hard drive fail one way or another. It's a waste of time trying to say which brand is better than another because everyone's experience with those brands will be different. This thread can go on and on and end up no where. Simple just buy what you can afford. I have read on other computer forums report that seagate, ibm and western digital hard drives fail just as much as maxtor hard drives. The comment of why buy a drive with good replacement plan......how about why buy a drive like seagate that has a 5 year warranty......in my opinion buying a drive with a long warranty seems the company does not have the confidence the drive will last....just my 2 cents on that....

[Capmaster]

budz,
Yeah. People get emotional about their picks in hard drives. Just like their platform, OS, or DVD-R versus DVD+R.

No drive is perfect ...they all fail. Good thing some of them come with good replacement policies and warranties so we aren't out any money ...just a little time

[funkguy4]

i've had WD fail, and they're usually louder/slower to me
we've got a buncha maxtors up in here, none have failed to date.
they're all several years old and 7200 rpm

Seagate!!!!! they are for hard drives what kraft is for cheese
sadly, i'm too poor to have owned more than one seagate in my day

[Jester700]

Maxtor = crap.

Western Digital and Seagate drives would have lasted longer. Any 100-200GB drive should be fine. Spend whatever you can.

Important rules = 7200rpm and then 8MB cache is good too (although 2MB may also work).

Just be sure the drive has enough air passthrough around it, to not overheat. Contact with the case is also important, to help distribute the heat (like a heatsink).

Keep the drive internal if you can. Avoid external unless it's required (laptop, small case, etc).

I've had good luck with Maxtors, except for one 40GB 7200RPM model that was OEM in PCs at work - and only 2 manufacturing dates of that model. Unfortunately, we bought a shitload of those! No bad Seagates, though the ones I've had were a bit noisy.

If the drive is only for big vid files, 2MB should be fine, though the 8MB ones are only a few bucks more, so I'll agree with lordsmurf.

If you go external (I've had no issues, even with external cases containing removeable drive bays), consider aluminum ones for the heat issues lordsmurf mentioned.

[funkguy4]

i'ma make a copper external case!! shuldn't these things be piss-easy to make anyway? why the hell do they cost so much.

ide controller
usb interface
power supply
fan
heatsink
stylish (or ugly, as the case may be) covering

[Denvers Dawgs]

I myself use seagate harddrives, very reliable. I also use one in an external case bought from newegg for $40 I think.

http://secure.newegg.com/app/CustratingReview.asp?DEPA=1&item=17-146-602

[ShaneJensen]

IMHO it sounds like you need a good case. A Good Case will hold several hard drives in a position where a front mounted fan can cool them. A good case will dupport 1 or more fans in the front and 1 or more fans in the rear. The fans that blow over the drives blow in to bring cool air over the drives. The Rear fans blow out to exhause the heated air. A better case will also feature a side mounted fan that blows outside air in through a duct direct to the processor to give it the best cooling vs using warmer air from inside the case. I use cases here at work that hold 10 total drives. 4 optical and 6 3.5" drives, the lower drives are in the airflow path from the front fan. The side mounted fan feeds air striaght onto the CPU which runs nice and cool even when encoding video.

Cost of this case with good solid metal (Not tinny) $49 extra fans not much. I use either of two cases black or beige with high speed processors. No fancy lighted fans, no windows. Just a good solid fit and feel.

Change cases and your drives will last longer, they should run slightly warm at most to the touch. Myself I use a Lian-Li that came with 2 fans that cool a 5 drive bay in the front and 1 in the back for exhaust. My drives run slightly warm. Total drives it can hold = 12. A Good case will run you a long time. I've had this one since my 1200Mhz Athlon days.

Cheers

I have a good case, it's just like the one you are talking about. This is the case I have: http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=11-150-049&depa=1

I can put up to four fans on the front inside and two fans in the rear. I've always planed on doing that but haven't got to it yet because it would be quite a project. I have to take my computer all apart one of these days anyway to clean out all the dust and give my computer a good cleaning, I'll probably do the fans then.

[Skith]

hehe, just for kicks 8) and if money is no object, :P you could slap a few of these on a PCI RAID card (one that supports RAID through hardware, not software).

Raptor 10k SATA 72GB at Newegg.

Make sure you have good active cooling!

------------------

Also note, external Hard drives (FireWire - Stay away from USB) are quite fast. The chipset used in the external case can make quite a difference in performance. I can not comment on actually editing video on an external drive (I just use mine as a place to transfer/hold DV, and other files).

One case I am using now is this case. It is rock solid, and dissipates the heat of my WD 160GB (w/8MB cache) drive quite well. Extended periods of heavy uses might be a concern.

[lordsmurf]

I would not suggest a RAID array, especially not the ZERO (0) version.

[Leoslocks]

I have had two Seagate IV drives fail on me. The most recent one just a month ago. It was not quite two years old.
I still have some of the notorious IBM DeathStars still clunking along after a firmware update.

I am considering a Raid 5 array like This One for my next computer simply because of the difficulty of backing up so much data.

[funkguy4]

I would not suggest a RAID array, especially not the ZERO (0) version.

why no raid??

[vhelp]

Why burn so much fuel on a dedicated hard-on (hard drive) when your
format medium is DV to begin with ??
-->

The amount of data required for DV transfer (dv cam to h-on) is only
a mior 3.6mb/sec (not the full 400mb)
-->

So, instead, I would suggest an external enclosure, and when your h-on
fails, you can just pop it out w/ another 40/80/120 gigs and continue
on w/ very little headway.

I'm using a 40g drive in my enclosure, and I am doing multi-tasking
within the I/O card that this drive runs on, and I tell you, every
DV transfer (ie, advc-100 / trv22 / etc) results in zero frame drops.
.
The I/O card I'm talking about is a multi-type (USB2/Firewire card in one)
and I run my DV and USB devices on this same I/O card. My HD enclosure
is running and transfering to, at the time w/ my DV cam/advc-100 are.

Getting a dedicated hd for your mobo/cpu system is a lot of work (IMO)
and is in-flexible to navigate around when things get messy.

The external enclose I have is an ATA-100 compatible type. For DV,
you serioucly do not need a super fast (and noisy) drive, like those
with ATA-133 or higher even. Not for DV. You are simply just turning
up the GAIN too high for this area of operation.
Turn down the GAIN and reserve your rightful place in the relm of DV
heaven.
-->

From the Video Workstation of,
-vhelp 3068

[Capmaster]

I agree with vhelp that the data transfer rate isn't an issue anymore ...not like it used to be. About any drive/interface is overkill, except parallel or USB1.1 of course.

The main concern ought to be drive reliability since anything you buy will likely be plenty fast for DV transfer or MPEG hardware capture

Of course, the faster it is, the nicer it'll be for other things, like encoding.