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Western Digital VelociRaptor WD3000BLFS

Posted April 21st, 2008 by eugene


Conclusion

Western Digital continues to stand alone as the only manufacturer offering a 10,000 RPM spindle speed coupled with a standard SATA interface. Here at StorageReview we have admittedly been quite enthusiastic with each new Raptor release. The improvements between the the VelociRaptor and its predecessor, however, dwarf all previous upgrades.

The drive's single-user scores, climbing by as much as 30% when compared to the WD1500ADFD's, blow away those of every other disc. Its noise and power measurements are among the lowest we have ever recorded. Topping it all off, the unit's multi-user scores for the first time bring a Raptor drive within striking distance of that of a 10K RPM SAS unit. Oh, let's not forget about the doubled capacity... 300 GB finally brings WD's 10K offering back into an eminently-usable range in today's capacity-hungry world.

Perhaps most encouraging is the manufacturer's claim that the engineering sample evaluated here is about "90% optimized." While cynics may point out that the final version may slip when contrasted to the awesome results presented above, WD confidently states that the performance we're seeing remains on the conservative side. While initial VelociRaptor shipments will go exclusively to a certain gaming-oriented OEM, WD estimates that individual units will hit distribution in mid-May. In addition to updating readers with figures drawn from a retail sample, we'll take a look how the VelociRaptor (obviously magnetic media's best overall single-user performance entry) holds up against some solid state offerings. Stay tuned!

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