Solved: Which hard Drive Should I Install ?

[TooOld]

I have a 3 year old Gateway DX4860 sitting in the corner collecting dust and thought I'd buy a new hard drive for it and get it working again . I've never done this before and it seems pretty straight forward but I was wondering which hard drive I should buy .

It currently has a Western Digital 1.0TB #WD10EADX and finding a replacement is simple enough . But for just a few more dollars I can buy a 2.0TB #WD29EARX or a 3.0TB #WD30EZRX . Will these work in this computer ?
The 1.0TB has SATA / 32MB Cache on it and the other two have SATA / 64MB Cache on the label .

Thanks for any advice you can give me .

 

[Triple6]

The computer may be limited to 2TB drives and smaller based on it's age. The cache size doesn't matter from a compatibility point of view, more should give slightly better performance under certain conditions.

If you want performance don't get a Green drive, they are best suited for secondary/storage drive. Get a Blue drive or get a higher end Black Edition drive for even better performance.

Is the current 1TB drive faulty?

 

[TooOld]

About 6 months ago the computer just went dead and produced a high pitched whistling sound . Every time I turn it on it just whistles . I opened the case and it sounds like it is coming from the hard drive .

 

[Triple6]

You need to re-check that. Disconnect the hard drive and see if the computer posts(shows BIOS screens). Rarely does a hard drive make a whistling sound or causes the computer to be dead. Sounds more like a power supply issue, Gateways usually have horrible power supplies.

 

[TooOld]

I don't have a monitor or anything else connected right now , but with the hard drive disconnected it is still making a very loud screeching or whistling noise . Looking closer I could see that all of the fans are operating quietly and the noise appears to be coming from the power supply . I removed the PS enclosure leaving everything connected , plugged in the power cord , and everything seems normal (and quiet) again . I'm positive that the fan was running before I did this so that's not the culprit .

I put everything back and put the side back on the computer . . . it seems to be working just fine . I'll hook a monitor and keyboard up in the morning to check everything .

I'm thinking it could have been something vibrating that was making the noise , but it was very very loud so I don't really know . What do you think ?
I guess I'll know for sure in the morning !

 

[Triple6]

Could have been a loose component but your description does not point to a faulty hard drive.

 

[win2kpro]

A whistling noise from a power supply is very often caused by a bad capacitor. If you are capable of opening the power supply check for damaged capacitors.

 

[plodr]

Danger: Opening a power supply can be dangerous.
I never suggest to anyone to attempt this.
It's much safer to replace it, if you suspect it as the cause of problems.

 

[TooOld]

Danger: Opening a power supply can be dangerous.
I never suggest to anyone to attempt this.
It's much safer to replace it, if you suspect it as the cause of problems.

Thanks for the warning . I think if a bad capacitor was whistling like that it would still be whistling , I don't think it could repair itself ! It must have been something that I didn't see .
I've been busy but sometime tomorrow I'll hook everything up and see if it works .

 

[win2kpro]

@plodr, Please notice, I stated; "If you are capable".

 

[TooOld]

Okay , I've hooked everything up and the computer booted , Windows opened , and it all works just fine .

So what caused it to go dead in the first place ? Obviously if it happened once it can happen again !

 

[Triple6]

A few of us have suggested a failing a power supply. My recommendation would be to keep a close eye and ear on it and see how it works or if it makes any more noises.