Settling the HD debate WAS: Re: [mythtv-users] A warning about Samsung HDDs

[Robert Denier]

I didn't see this mentioned so I thought I'd add it.  Hard drives come
with different amounts of cache ram.  I believe 16MB is about the
largest out now.

The point being that a larger cache may result in a bit less work for
the moving components which in turn may result in longer life.  I'm not
sure this would matter in practice though.  Still, if your getting a new
drive, I'd look for at least an 8MB cache for performance reasons if
nothing else..  

Another thing worth considering, particularly if you use many of the
same drives is how much power they use.  High power usage will make them
harder to keep cool and cost some more electric wise..

A final factor to consider is how much noise they make.  I don't think
that has a direct relationship with reliability though since there are a
variety of physical components in a drive...

-Robert