WATYF
...happier than you.
seriously guys... I posted this thread back when I didn't know jack... 
In fact... now I can answer my own question...
The best IDE drives out right now are a mixed bag.
The 180GXP (latest from IBM) has been heralded as the "fastest IDE drive out". And it does perform. But I don't know aboot "the fastest". Unfortunately, you can only get 8MB cache in the 180GB format. They say that you can get 8MB cache in the 120GB format also, but you'll be hard pressed to find that anywhere, since most 120's were shipped with 2MB cache.
The WD 2000JB, up until recently, held the title as the fastest. But the problem is, there are performance gaps between the different sizes. Basically, the "JB" means 8MB cache and the number before it is the drive size (plus an extra "0"). So if you get the 800JB, you supposedly getting the same drive, but in a smaller size (80GB). The only problem is, the platter densities are different from one drive to the next (800JB, 1200JB, 2000JB, etc) so you get different performance. Basically, if you want to get the most out of the current WD IDE drives, you have to get a 200GB drive... and quite frankly,... I don't know anyone who really needs 200 freaking GB's just to play games and surf the net.
Then we come to the DiamondMax Plus 9. Maxtor just recently released these, and quite frankly, they haven't gotten much press at all, but I kinda like Maxtors,.. and my D740X has been running a web server/game server/ftp server/DAW for the last year without a hitch, so I figured I'd check out what Maxtor had to offer. The best reviews I found were on StorageReview.com (a great place for info on drives, btw). It ends up that the DMP9 benches better then both the 180GXP and the 2000JB in a very good amount of the applications (primarily read/write performance). If you go to their "Database" section, you can compare benchmarks for different drives side-by-side. You can also check out this review, which covers all the drives I just mentioned. As you can see, the DMP9 comes oat ahead most of the time.
If you're looking to get into SCSI, then Seagate's Cheetah X15.3 is the way to go. It's actually pretty quiet for a SCSI drive and it smokes pretty much everything out there right now.
You can also try venturing into the new world of SATA (serial ATA) and get a Seagate Baracuda V. It isn't the "fastest" drive, (by any means) and SATA hasn't breathed new life into IDE or anything, but it does have a positive side to it, (especially for us musicians). It's incredibly quiet. It's pretty much the quietest IDE drive in existance right now.
Those are the options as I see it at the moment... obvious, this reply will become irrelevant in... oh... a day or so.
But in any event... if I had to pick up a new drive today (which I actually do since I'm aboot to build a new system) then I would get me a couple Maxtor DMP9's.
I hope that answers your question WATYF... and in the future... can you do us all a favor and not ask such stupid questions.
WATYF
In fact... now I can answer my own question...
The best IDE drives out right now are a mixed bag.
The 180GXP (latest from IBM) has been heralded as the "fastest IDE drive out". And it does perform. But I don't know aboot "the fastest". Unfortunately, you can only get 8MB cache in the 180GB format. They say that you can get 8MB cache in the 120GB format also, but you'll be hard pressed to find that anywhere, since most 120's were shipped with 2MB cache.
The WD 2000JB, up until recently, held the title as the fastest. But the problem is, there are performance gaps between the different sizes. Basically, the "JB" means 8MB cache and the number before it is the drive size (plus an extra "0"). So if you get the 800JB, you supposedly getting the same drive, but in a smaller size (80GB). The only problem is, the platter densities are different from one drive to the next (800JB, 1200JB, 2000JB, etc) so you get different performance. Basically, if you want to get the most out of the current WD IDE drives, you have to get a 200GB drive... and quite frankly,... I don't know anyone who really needs 200 freaking GB's just to play games and surf the net.
Then we come to the DiamondMax Plus 9. Maxtor just recently released these, and quite frankly, they haven't gotten much press at all, but I kinda like Maxtors,.. and my D740X has been running a web server/game server/ftp server/DAW for the last year without a hitch, so I figured I'd check out what Maxtor had to offer. The best reviews I found were on StorageReview.com (a great place for info on drives, btw). It ends up that the DMP9 benches better then both the 180GXP and the 2000JB in a very good amount of the applications (primarily read/write performance). If you go to their "Database" section, you can compare benchmarks for different drives side-by-side. You can also check out this review, which covers all the drives I just mentioned. As you can see, the DMP9 comes oat ahead most of the time.
If you're looking to get into SCSI, then Seagate's Cheetah X15.3 is the way to go. It's actually pretty quiet for a SCSI drive and it smokes pretty much everything out there right now.
You can also try venturing into the new world of SATA (serial ATA) and get a Seagate Baracuda V. It isn't the "fastest" drive, (by any means) and SATA hasn't breathed new life into IDE or anything, but it does have a positive side to it, (especially for us musicians). It's incredibly quiet. It's pretty much the quietest IDE drive in existance right now.
Those are the options as I see it at the moment... obvious, this reply will become irrelevant in... oh... a day or so.
But in any event... if I had to pick up a new drive today (which I actually do since I'm aboot to build a new system) then I would get me a couple Maxtor DMP9's.
I hope that answers your question WATYF... and in the future... can you do us all a favor and not ask such stupid questions.
WATYF