Western Digital Raptor WD360GD Serial ATAHard Drive Review

Dom · May 28, 2003, 03:40 AM

The revolution coveted by users can be considered to have happened, - this thought comes to my mind when I look at this device. But is that all so necessary for a user? Maybe, the PR experts hold something back? That is why let's try to examine this drive together, especially considering that this model is the first ATA 10K drive. The Western Digital Raptor WD360GD is equipped with the Serial ATA interface.

We can witness the birth of the new class of rectangular buzzing boxes - ATA 10K drives. Until recently 10000 revolutions were reachable only for SCSI drives, but they were positioned for the corporate market. That is why average home and office users, who make a bit less than 100%, didn't take to heart the announcements of 10K and 15K drives. Some time ago the dreams about the fastest drive were limited by 7200 rpm. And today users are offered 10K revolutions per minute, plus the last year's dream - Serial ATA interface.

The today's aim is to prove or disprove the press-releases, which is possible only through the tests. The problem is not that simple because the drive is the first in its class, i.e. it has no direct competitors. There are actually three lines in the press-release we can proceed from - ATA, 8Mb buffer and 10000 rpm. The WD 2000JB, used as a junior competitor, is one of the best Parallel ATA drives of 7200 rpm with the buffer equal to 8Mb. The competitor from above will be a typical SCSI drive Seagate Cheetah 10K.6.

Read more at Digit-Life.com

May 28, 2003, 03:40 AM	#1
Dom DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 12,942 Rep Power: 0	Western Digital Raptor WD360GD Serial ATA Hard Drive Review The revolution coveted by users can be considered to have happened, - this thought comes to my mind when I look at this device. But is that all so necessary for a user? Maybe, the PR experts hold something back? That is why let's try to examine this drive together, especially considering that this model is the first ATA 10K drive. The Western Digital Raptor WD360GD is equipped with the Serial ATA interface. We can witness the birth of the new class of rectangular buzzing boxes - ATA 10K drives. Until recently 10000 revolutions were reachable only for SCSI drives, but they were positioned for the corporate market. That is why average home and office users, who make a bit less than 100%, didn't take to heart the announcements of 10K and 15K drives. Some time ago the dreams about the fastest drive were limited by 7200 rpm. And today users are offered 10K revolutions per minute, plus the last year's dream - Serial ATA interface. The today's aim is to prove or disprove the press-releases, which is possible only through the tests. The problem is not that simple because the drive is the first in its class, i.e. it has no direct competitors. There are actually three lines in the press-release we can proceed from - ATA, 8Mb buffer and 10000 rpm. The WD 2000JB, used as a junior competitor, is one of the best Parallel ATA drives of 7200 rpm with the buffer equal to 8Mb. The competitor from above will be a typical SCSI drive Seagate Cheetah 10K.6. Read more at Digit-Life.com