Which hard drive should I buy?

I haven't been able to find a thread quite like this one. I currently have a 500 GB hard drive sitting in my PC—some random brand, honestly—and I’m looking to pick up another 500 GB unit because, frankly, I'm running out of breathing room. However, I'm a bit stumped as to why the admin at OVAJ HARD claims it is merely $167, especially when there are similar models available from $333. I don't see any glaring differences in the specs; for instance, look at OVAJ which is listed as $333.
If anyone could toss a recommendation my way—maybe something in the 1 TB range or even just another 500 GB option$167—I’d appreciate it.
I’ll admit, I’m a bit out of my depth when it comes to the technical nuances of storage drives. I know you're supposed to look at things like RPM and cache, but both of these are rated at 7200 rpm

The difference is simply that the 3.5" desktop drive is cheaper, whereas the 2.5" Enterprise version carries a premium price tag.

That budget Seagate model ($163) is actually a perfectly fine choice for what you're trying to do. 🙂

I mean, if you're just looking for a basic storage drive, a WD Green should do the trick—you can grab one starting at 1TB for about $167...

Well, let me get this straight—that 2.5-inch drive is meant for a laptop, which explains why they’re charging an arm and a leg for it. xD
I mean, honestly, it isn't even that bad of a price when you consider how small the thing actually is. 😁
Thanks for the input, everyone.

It’s crazy how much hard drive prices have dropped lately.

Thomas Wells5 said:Let me see about that...that 2.5-inch spec is for a laptop drive,which explains why it’s pricey xD
Actually, considering the capacity 😁
, it isn't even that bad. Thanks for the input.

Correction to my own mistake: looking at the part number on the manufacturer's site (ST31000524NS), this is actually a 3.5" drive 😳

Thomas Wells5 said:Let me get this straight—that 2.5-inch drive is specifically for laptops, which explains why they're charging an arm and a leg for it xD
Honestly, though, given how small they are, I wouldn't say it's actually a steal 😁
Thanks for the input

If you’ve got a little extra cash to burn, you could grab a 500 GB drive here:

Larry Ortiz5 said:Man, hard drive prices have really taken a dive.

Still doesn't compare to how cheap they were before that massive hurricane hit, though. 😁

Benjamin King2 said:If you're willing to shell out a little extra, there's also this 500 GB option:

Though, honestly, prices haven't really bounced back to where they were before the big storm hit. 😁

But hey, you can still grab a 1.5 TB WD Green for about $90—which is actually still a better deal than anything from Seagate. 🙂

Well, that’s exactly why I decided to start this thread in the first place—to get some clarity, because honestly, these prices look suspiciously low to me. I mean, we're talking about a terabyte for $167, and 2 terabytes for $250? Where on earth were you living a few years ago if you couldn't snag deals like this back then? xD

Benjamin King2 makes a good point there. It seems like drives used to be way more affordable before everything went sideways with the flooding over in China. Hopefully, things have stabilized enough now that they've finally dropped the prices back down. That's great 😬

Larry Ortiz5 said:Benjamin King2 makes a fair point. Drives used to be much more affordable until those massive floods hit China. It looks like things have finally stabilized over there, allowing them to bring prices back down. That’s great news 😬

They did drop the prices, though not quite all the way back yet—and actually, it wasn't even the flooding in China that caused the snag, but rather issues out of Thailand 😉

I’d jump on a 1TB WD Caviar Blue in a heartbeat without a second thought. I’ve actually got a Western Digital Blue drive from late 2006 that’s still running non-stop today—not a single bad sector, zero issues, nothing. I’ve defragged it countless times (despite what people say about it being harmful) and put it through every diagnostic tool under the sun. It’s indestructible. If the newer models are even half as reliable—and word is they’re a total steal right now—then you're looking at a premium deal.

Green Avoided

Timothy Kim60 said:I wouldn't hesitate for a second—I’d go straight for the 1TB WD Caviar Blue. I actually have one of those Blue drives from late 2006 that’s been running non-stop until this very moment—not a single bad sector, zero issues, and despite being defragmented countless times (even though people claim that’s bad for them) and put through every diagnostic tool under the sun... it’s just bulletproof. If the newer ones are even remotely close in quality—and word is they are, often being a total steal—then you're getting a premium product here.

Green Avoided

It’s not like the Green is bad for storage, and the Blue works for both system and storage too—personally, I’ve been running my 500GB WD Green for five years now for both OS and data, and it’s been perfect, no bad sectors at all.

It really just depends on your luck, I guess—I actually took my two-year-old 2 TB Green drive in for a warranty claim about ten days ago.

They claim those drives are meant for storage, but honestly, a lot of people have been seeing failures with these newer WD Green models lately. (Edit—Benjamin King2 actually confirmed that's what he's hearing out there, too.)
Maybe you just got lucky, or maybe those older models were actually built with better quality control than what we're seeing today.

Seagate actually had one particularly shady series—I can't recall if it was for laptops or desktops—but I think they stopped selling them altogether. To be honest, the Barracuda drive in my old laptop felt a little suspicious for a while. Maybe that’s just my own bias since I don't have hard data to back it up, but personally? I wouldn't touch a Seagate if I were you.

Timothy Kim60 said:It’s often suggested they are fine for basic storage, but I’ve heard quite a few stories about those newer WD Green drives failing on people—(EDIT: and yeah, Fosna just confirmed those rumors above...)
Maybe you'll get lucky, or maybe those older models actually had better build quality than the current ones.

And honestly, Seagate had one specific series—I can't remember if it was for laptops or desktops—that was absolutely criminal, though hopefully, they aren't selling them anymore. My own Barracuda in my laptop felt pretty sketchy for a while... I don't know, maybe it's just my subjective experience without hard proof, but I wouldn't personally risk buying a Seagate.

If you see some people getting through with a Green drive while others struggle—like what happened to me—then it might be worth just spending a few extra bucks to grab a Blue and call it a day. 🙂

As for Seagate, everyone seems to have a different opinion on them. 🙂

So far, I've had two drives die on me, but when it comes to WD, I haven't lost a single one yet. 🙂

I’m finally pulling the trigger on a WD Blue terabyte drive in about a week, and honestly? It’s about damn time! I am officially done with this constant, agonizing cycle of "just a little more" storage—it's driving me insane.

Here it is: WD BLUE
It actually turns out to be cheaper than that Green series, too... which is a relief, considering that line has such a terrible reputation...

Blue is more expensive $1.75 😬

I also think those Japanese brands—like GE or Toshiba—are solid options, though personally, I haven't had the chance to try any of them yet.

Personally, I would never touch an old Hitachi or Toshiba hard drive if I saw them being shoved into builds by everyone on this forum... I've never actually owned one myself, but based on everything I've read in reviews and the constant complaints on other tech boards, it seems like nobody is ever actually happy with them...

Look, just grab a Black and set that as your system drive, then keep using your old one strictly for data storage.