HD buffer size v seek time when buying ?

[Merlin]

Hi, I am wondering if to go for 16Mb Buffer with 11ms seek time and £196 or 8Mb buffer with 8ms seek at £188. Both drives support NCQ, a buffer for reading off data I gather. Seagate barracuda being the make. I have three so far but never really considered buffer data. Transfering MiniDV to high spec PC, also converting Hi8 using sony Hi8 reader into digital via panasonic MX8 acting as analog to digital converter (actually not started that yet, was using a Hi8 camcorder into the MX8 then Hi8 died, when I did, I was getting dropped frames ). Also using panny EH50 to transfer VHS to dvd-ram thence onto pc fro editing ads etc.
Wish to avoid dropped frames and to have best HD for keeping up with data incoming and playing and editing the footage. Adobe Premiere and VideoReDo in use with Ulead Movie factory 4.
WinXP home and 3.4Ghz pentium, 2Gb Corsair ddram, MSI 875P Neo Motherboard. GeForce 5600 256mb video card.
Just about to buy HD and need choose between 8ms seek or 16mb buffer !

Merlin

[mattlittle]

Originally Posted by Merlin

Hi, I am wondering if to go for 16Mb Buffer with 11ms seek time and £196 or 8Mb buffer with 8ms seek at £188. Both drives support NCQ,
WinXP home and 3.4Ghz pentium, 2Gb Corsair ddram, MSI 875P Neo Motherboard. GeForce 5600 256mb video card.
Just about to buy HD and need choose between 8ms seek or 16mb buffer !

Merlin

It occurs to me that if you are dumping a load of data onto a disk then seek time becomes less important as (assuming the disk isn't too full/fragmented) the space will be written in a near contiguous fashion. In other words, IMHO, get the bigger buffer size.

Toms Hardware do a great review of SATA/IDE drives and appears to cover the drives that you are talking about - see what you think here

Having said all that, when you stream data to the HDD the OS cannot drop data as in most applications (e.g. file transfer) missing data is unacceptable. In this case, the OS will buffer the transfer to the drive so as none gets lost (regardless of the HDD buffer size). Can I suggest that the source of the dropped frames is in fact the capture software/capture card and not the HDD?