2TB Western Digital Caviar Green VS. 2TB Western Digital Caviar Black

[SamWavy]

Hey guys, quick question ...

Which hard drive is better for a boot drive? (for working on projects using Logic Studio / Final Cut Studio, I plan to keep the computer on 24/7, use it for work only)

1. Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB 5400 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive for $80.00 + tax
- I've heard this drive is better for storage only and can be slow when running applications

or

2. Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive for $155 + Tax
- I've heard this drive is fast, but makes a lot of noise.

I just bought a new Mac Pro 2.8Ghz Quad-Core Nehalem, and it comes with the 1TB HD (7200 rpm) as the main drive. I'll be taking out the 1TB and moving it to then second bay, the placing the new 2TB HD into the first bay and use it as the main boot drive. Also, transferring 1.5TB worth of projects onto the new 2TB.

I don't like loud drives where I can hear them running all the time, also I care about speed (don't like any lagging when running applications). Can I get the best of both worlds?

Let me know your opinions, suggestions, comments.
Which one should do you think I should buy?
Is anyone running applications such as Adobe Photoshop/Flash, Logic Studio, Final Cut etc. with the green caviar drive (as their main drive)?
Any problems you've encountered?

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[alust2013]

Definitely not the green as the main drive, as it will cause lag without question. The Black is a great drive, and I don't think it is really any noisier than another hard drive, just perhaps some individual cases are louder drives.

 

[Thessman]

Hey guys, quick question ...

Which hard drive is better for a boot drive? (for working on projects using Logic Studio / Final Cut Studio, I plan to keep the computer on 24/7, use it for work only)

1. Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2TB 5400 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive for $80.00 + tax
- I've heard this drive is better for storage only and can be slow when running applications

or

2. Western Digital Caviar Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive for $155 + Tax
- I've heard this drive is fast, but makes a lot of noise.

I just bought a new Mac Pro 2.8Ghz Quad-Core Nehalem, and it comes with the 1TB HD (7200 rpm) as the main drive. I'll be taking out the 1TB and moving it to then second bay, the placing the new 2TB HD into the first bay and use it as the main boot drive. Also, transferring 1.5TB worth of projects onto the new 2TB.

I don't like loud drives where I can hear them running all the time, also I care about speed (don't like any lagging when running applications). Can I get the best of both worlds?

Let me know your opinions, suggestions, comments.
Which one should do you think I should buy?
Is anyone running applications such as Adobe Photoshop/Flash, Logic Studio, Final Cut etc. with the green caviar drive (as their main drive)?
Any problems you've encountered?

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

You should take a look at the RE drives (Western digital enterprise class) if you're looking for 24/7.

 

[derbothaus]

Greens only for storage. Unless you really need that extra 2.00 a year power savings.

 

[jetjaguar]

i have a 2tb black that i pulled out of an external enclosure .. only cost 70$ .. i love it .. not noisy at all .. i plan on filling all 4 bays with 2tb blacks

 

[DanielCoffey]

My 2010 MP shipped with a Caviar Black and I don't find it noisy.

 

[Transporteur]

Noise perception is extremely subjective, which is why everyone has to decide for himself whether drives are noisy or not.

Personally, I banned all Black drives from my Pro after only 2 months. Couldn't stand the noise and replaced all of them with Green drives.

But I agree, Greens only for storage, but then again the same counts for Black drives. SSD for boot and apps.

 

[osin]

As for the noise, I would say it depends where you keep your MacPro. I keep mine below the desk and I can barely hear 2TB black, 640GB black running during normal use. I've installed a 1TB in my wife's iMac and that thing is noisy as hell for the first 2-5 minutes when awaken from sleep.
For the boot drive definitely go with the black, but consider a SSD as mentioned above.

 

[sjordan]

Both drives are great. The Green will run cooler and save you on energy but with slightly lower performance. The black is the opposite....it will run hotter, use more energy but will be slightly faster.

Go do a search on both drives + review....i believe Anandtech had a review that showed both of them on charts. The black was faster but not by a ton.

I personally would go with the black in a mac pro because heat is not a huge concern...if this was a Imac or Mac Pro I would suggest the green

 

[SamWavy]

Alright guys, Thanks for all your replies.

Here's a quick update:

I ended up getting the 2TB WD Black Caviar drive for $145.

However, the sales rep did recommend me to go for a 120GB SSD instead for $210 along with a 2TB WD Green Caviar drive for $80.
It would cost me $290 instead of $145.

Unfortunately with all my software (such Logic Studio, Final Cut, Adobe Creative Suite, etc.), the 120gb SSD would get used up pretty fast.
Even though that option would have been a bit over my budget, I don't find the use for it for now.
I guess I'll have to wait until the prices drop for the SSD drive and just work with the Black Caviar drive.

I know the WD Green Caviar is used mostly for storage, but I don't really need storage space since I have my external drive for that.
Personally, I don't mind waiting for the Mac to boot (even if its 3-5 minutes long) I'll only have to do it once a day.
I like to keep my desktop running for the entire day.

 

[ActionableMango]

You made a good choice.

My Home Theater PC had a caviar black as a boot and system drive. HD recordings went on to two caviar greens.

The black failed one day so I simply made one of the existing greens the boot drive. The difference is surprisingly noticeable. Like almost night and day noticeable.

An HTPC doesn't need much in the way of system space though, so I may get a smallish 40GB SSD for boot some day.

 

[philipma1957]

Alright guys, Thanks for all your replies.

Here's a quick update:

I ended up getting the 2TB WD Black Caviar drive for $145.

However, the sales rep did recommend me to go for a 120GB SSD instead for $210 along with a 2TB WD Green Caviar drive for $80.
It would cost me $290 instead of $145.

Unfortunately with all my software (such Logic Studio, Final Cut, Adobe Creative Suite, etc.), the 120gb SSD would get used up pretty fast.
Even though that option would have been a bit over my budget, I don't find the use for it for now.
I guess I'll have to wait until the prices drop for the SSD drive and just work with the Black Caviar drive.

I know the WD Green Caviar is used mostly for storage, but I don't really need storage space since I have my external drive for that.
Personally, I don't mind waiting for the Mac to boot (even if its 3-5 minutes long) I'll only have to do it once a day.
I like to keep my desktop running for the entire day.

I agree you did the right choice.

I don't believe in compromise if you are using ssd's. It is kind of like going to a hi price ********* and paying her for too little time so that would mean you should get an intel series 320 either a 300gb or a 600gb which cost 550 or 1080. Buying small ssd's for boot drives is a bad move.
Here is my reasoning the makers of ssds make money on sales so if 128gb ssds sell at premium prices they will keep them at high prices. If they can't sell 128 and smaller they will stop making them in favor of 160 256 300 600 etc.

Paying crazy money for a big ssd is not acceptable to most your choice is the most common sense move.