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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

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PCW Rating: 87.1PCW Rating: 87.1PCW Rating: 87.1

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

 BEST BUY!

1. Western Digital Caviar SE16 750 GB

Drive size (GB): 750, Supported Interface(s): SATA-300, Speed (RPM): 7200, Cost per Gigabyte: $0.31,

Bottom Line: Top-flight performer posted some of the fastest write times we've seen.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $230 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 84.0PCW Rating: 84.0PCW Rating: 84.0

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

Bottom Line: Among the 500GB competitors, Samsung's model performed the best and cost the least.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $149 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 82.4PCW Rating: 82.4PCW Rating: 82.4

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

Bottom Line: Gargantuan drive is a fast write performer; carries industry-leading 5 year warranty.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $363 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 81.6PCW Rating: 81.6PCW Rating: 81.6

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

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.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $299 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 80.7PCW Rating: 80.7PCW Rating: 80.7

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

Bottom Line: Super-sized model performs well, but you'll pay for having all that storage in one drive.

Full Review • Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $399 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 78.6PCW Rating: 78.6PCW Rating: 78.6

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

Bottom Line: First drive to bill itself as eco-friendly with low-power consumption proves it can stand with the big boys.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $310 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 75.3PCW Rating: 75.3PCW Rating: 75.3

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

Bottom Line: This inexpensive 500GB model is fast and comes loaded with the free Google Desktop software.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $140 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 74.9PCW Rating: 74.9PCW Rating: 74.9

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

Bottom Line: It's difficult to recommend this drive when other 500GB models are cheaper and faster.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $159 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 73.7PCW Rating: 73.7PCW Rating: 73.7

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

Bottom Line: Hitachi's inexpensive 400GB drive performs well, but 500GB drives are comparable in cost these days.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $120 Check Latest Prices

PCW Rating: 73.6PCW Rating: 73.6PCW Rating: 73.6

Last Rated: November 28, 2007

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,

Bottom Line: This model, with only an 8MB cache, was an average performer. It carries a five-year warranty, however.

Test Report • Check latest prices 		Price When Reviewed: $156 Check Latest Prices
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