Let me preface things by saying I've been "in computers" since 1988, and I've been a computer professional since 1996 or so.
I've been doing Linux since 1995, and have been involved in nearly every aspect of computers from hardware mass production to computer programming (my current vocation). I've *personally* built in excess of 1000 machines (one-thousand).
When it comes to hard drives, I hope the following is useful:
0. Hard drives are DISPOSABLE. They WILL fail. The longest I've had is 9 years and the shortest is a few hours. The average is 3-5 years before they ought to be replaced anyway.
1. A good model or manufacturer today might be junk tomorrow (however...)
2. However, there are trends and generalizations that can be made.
3. Notebook drives cannot be compared to desktop drives
4. Desktop drives cannot usually be compared to server-class hardware.
Now, for my observations:
1. Western Digital is OK for consumer grade stuff. Their quality is *much* improved over 5 years ago. I would buy it but it's not my first choice.
2. Seagate comes and goes. Some *models* are great, others terrible. My long-term experience with *thousands* of Seagate hard drives is that I personally wouldn't pay money for them.
3. Maxtor is Seagate's cheaper line. I find them to be cheap, disposable, and reliable over their lifetime, which isn't long. Fine for bulk storage.
4. Samsung - quiet, energy efficient, and reliable. My last Samsung lasted 7 years in 24/7 server operation. Not the fastest, but *quiet* and low vibration. Can't even tell it's on.
5. Fujitsu - somewhat more expensive, VERY good. In my opinion, Fujitsu is slightly better than Samsung but both are top-tier.
6. Hitachi - yes, they had a bad run of drives with the older deskstars. Every manuf. has that happen, it just happened to be quite pervasive. I can name a few manuf. nearly bankrupted by small details like "eventually the bearing lubricant turns into sand". I'd buy them, but again, I'd buy others first.
When it comes to notebook drives I'm a big fan of Fujitsu, and I won't use anybody but Fujitsu or Samsung in notebooks.
Due to the pervasive personality types on this board, however, don't be fooled into thinking that there is a significant difference in drive quality - just like most engine oils, just about anything you buy will do the job and probably last just as long as anything else - there are some better drives and some worse drives to choose from but the bottom line is that it's just not a big deal. Personally, I buy quality hardware and use it thoroughly. I will often recycle computer hardware to those that have more need for it than I, and my needs are modest.
Have a good day.
