*** hard drive options, mk 2 *** I thank everyone for reading my email about hard drive options and for the various responses, that is some interesting info.
I was hoping to get some responses about the pros and cons of hard drive speed and about the pros and cons of RAM cache size. Getting info about brands, prices, and installation is nice, yet it is not what I am looking for nor asking about. The current drive is the stock IBM 18GB that came with the Pismo four years ago, with a 4200 rpm speed and a 2MB RAM cache size. I am comparing the drive speed rpms (4200 v. 5400 v. 7200) and the RAM cache size, which are as small as 1MB or as big as 16MB. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various speeds? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various cache sizes? I think for an external drive, faster is better, yet how does the size of the RAM cache figure into the equation? For an external drive, is a larger RAM cache actually better or overkill and wasteful? Is there a realistic cache size where effective usefulness "tops out" and any more is just waste? For an internal drive slower uses less power, yet with a large cache there is less drive access. So, is there a peak performance combination? Does a faster drive access less? And therefor is more effective? How much more effective is a 2MB cache v. 1MB, and a 4MB cache v. 2MB, etc, on up to 16MB v. 8MB? Is all that RAM actually used and effective? I am looking for the fastest *and* most efficient combination. I appreciate any facts, opinions, tho'ts, or experiences you'd like to share. Thank you all and have a great day! Scott "Many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little." --- Plutarch -- G-Books is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Check our web site for refurbished PowerBooks | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-Books list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-books.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:G-Books@mail.maclaunch.com> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-books%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
