XPS 8920, add extra HDD for creative apps

The drive you've selected should work just fine - it his all of the needed requirements - 5400rpm, Sata 6, 256mb cache.  If you want better performance, you would want to get a drive with a 7200rpm speed - which in this case is the Barracuda Pro.  It really depends on how you plan to use the drive - as basically a storage drive or for doing the actual video processing.  For storage, 5400rpm is fine, for processing - the faster the better.

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@Marco83 wrote:

1. I dont have budget for SSD

2. SSD - OS and apps

2TB HDD - cache and scratch disks

4TB - media and project files

 

 

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1. Too bad SSDs are so expensive over there, because they are very affordable these days (here in the USA).

2. Not bad (at least you have your OS and Apps on SSD). I suggest you move your "cache and scratch disks" to a SSD ... your work-flow will run much faster/smoother.

Nowdays, as new machines are setup (and as spinning drives die in old machines) ... we are only installing SSDs  (except for very rare use-cases). We still put large spinners in NASes and as data drives in Servers.

I've been liking these HGST Deskstar NAS drives. I have 4 x 4tb HGST HDD in my old 4-Bay Synology NAS (with RAID-5) here at the office. Who would have though IBM's old DeathStar drives are good now.  :Smile:

Inside machines, we have had fairly good luck with Seagate and WesternDigital HDDs over the years. I usually stick to the "upper-class" Desktop drives (like WD-Black or SG-Barracuda). But all spinners fail eventually (usually 3-5 years) so all must be constantly backed-up (with a whole other set of drives). Be ready to RMA or buy new ones. 

These current high-density-platter drives don't seem to have the longevity of the old IDE and first SATA spinners ... but everyone wanted bigger/faster/cheaper. IMO, spinning drives are a die-ing technology (at least in most markets and use-cases). 

As stated above 5400 rpm "green" drives are all you need for storage. They cost less and last longer. Seagate and WD brands are both about the same even though you can read for hours about how one is better than the other...…...

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@546insp wrote:

1. As stated above 5400 rpm "green" drives are all you need for storage.

2. They cost less and last longer. 

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1. Right, but he is working with large 4K files (he doesn't have all day to wait) :Smile:

2. Not sure about that. I know they cost less and have shorter warranties. One of my first green drives only worked for a day (but I think it might have been Neweggs' lame-bare packaging).

Now-days, when I absolutely must buy a spinning-HDD, I buy a retail version that comes in it's own (protective) box, starting directly from the factory. HGST gets it (spinners are very fragile).

Your green drive lasted a day and you are using that to discredit my post? And a 5400 rpm drive surely won't work for them for storage?

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@546insp wrote:

1. Your green drive lasted a day and you are using that to discredit my post?

2. And a 5400 rpm drive surely won't work for them for storage?

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1. Discredit? No, just trying to pass-on some tips and relevant info. while we are on the subject. It's kinda rare for anyone to be asking about spinning-platter drives these days.

2. Yes, it will work. I think it's something like this:
Green HDD - Usually 5400rpm - lower-cost, slower, slightly quieter, shorter-warranty, usually entry-level tech
Performance Desktop HDD - Usually 7200rpm (faster) - slightly more $, faster controllers and larger cache, longer-warranty
NAS HDD - Similar to Performance-Desktop HDD, but Optimized for NAS and 24/7/365 operation. Almost an Enterprise-class HDD.

There are millions of spinners out there still and sometimes it's better to just not say anything.

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@546insp wrote:

and sometimes it's better to just not say anything.

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I guess you're right. Would also save my time. Thanks for the tip.

As others have said, storage requires durability over speed.  Content creation drives require speed, speed, speed.  I would choose the Barracuda for "cache and scratch" and Barracuda Pro for content creation, or Pro for both.  Bottom line is you will never be happy with 5400 rpm for content creation.  Pay close attention to your backup plan in any case.