Western Digital Caviar WD1200BB

Western Digital Caviar WD1200JB Capacities Model Number Capacity WD1200BB 120 GB Lowest Real-Time Price: Introduction With the release of its Caviar WD400BB over a year ago, Western Digital catapulted itself to the front of the ATA drive landscape. In addition to being the first 7200 RPM drive to hit 20 GB/platter (by a considerable margin at that), the WD400BB also delivered leading performance that rivaled IBM's Deskstar 75GXP. Then, as soon as competitors matched the 20 GB/platter architecture, WD again pulled ahead with the introduction of the 27 GB/platter Caviar WD800BB. This 80 GB drive not only delivered the largest capacity yet seen in 7200 RPM ATA drives, it raised the performance bar even further.

Perhaps the crowning achievement of the series, the Caviar WD1000BB (33 GB/platter) was the first 7200 RPM low-profile drive to reach the 100 GB capacity point. And, as was the norm, this latest Caviar managed to outdo its predecessor when it came to performance. A Special Edition of the WD1000BB, equipped with an 8-megabyte buffer, delivered desktop performance that rivaled top SCSI drives.

WD's foray into the 27 and 33 GB/platter areas resulted in a relatively late arrival to the 7200 RPM 40 GB/platter sweeps. Seagate was the first to ship disks using these latest areal densities with its Barracuda ATA IV. Maxtor followed a bit later with its DiamondMax D740X. IBM is the only major manufacturer to trail WD in getting 40 GB/platter product to the market through its imminent Deskstar 120GXP.

Unlike Seagate and Maxtor, Western Digital has chosen to stick with a 3-platter design for its flagship product. The WD1200BB's three 40-gigabyte platters yields a capacity of 120 GB, a full 50% larger than competing products. WD specifies the drive's seek time at 8.9 milliseconds. A standard 2-megabyte buffer rounds out the package.

Like all its predecessors, the WD1200BB targets the high-end desktop and entry-level server markets where high-capacity combined with top speed is paramount. A three-year warranty protects the drive.