Western Digital Caviar WD2000BB/JB
|
|
Sure, there have been impressive offerings from the competition. Here and there, in a handful of tests, the occasional drive may best WD's latest. In other cases, while a WD drive manages to lead, the margin is likely too narrow to be perceived in most regular uses. Nonetheless, there exists a certain pride of engineering through being able to legitimately boast of the fastest design around. And, for many enthusiasts, pride of ownership also applies.
It's been nearly a year since WD's Caviar WD1200BB and Special Edition WD1200JB arrived on the scene. Ever-increasing areal densities have unfortunately slowed the inexorable increases in capacity and resulting speed. Gone are the years of multiple product refreshes where firms releasing three generations within a calendar year was not unusual. Why, it almost seems that ATA has slowed down to SCSI's glacial pace… in terms of product refreshes, that is ;). We're finally in the midst of ATA's next generation. Western Digital is there with the Caviar WD2000BB/JB.
The successor to the WD1200 series is affectionally called "Drivezilla" by the firm, reflecting the family's distinction as the first in the industry to reach the 200 GB plateau. WD achieves this monstrous capacity by cramming up to 66 gigabytes across three platters. Both the WD2000BB and JB feature 7200 RPM spindle speeds and 8.9 millisecond specified seek times. The BB comes equipped with a standard 2-megabyte buffer while the JB series sports the more hefty 8-megabyte cache that debuted with the WD1000JB a year ago.
The WD2000BB and JB feature an ATA-100 interface. It's important here to reiterate that ATA-133 (higher maximum bandwidth) and 48-bit LBA (recognition of ATA drives greater than 137 GB) are -not- the same thing despite the marketing ambiguity presented by Maxtor and perhaps to a lesser extent by Promise. In its retail packaging, Western Digital includes a Promise Ultra133 controller for those whose motherboards don't integrate native 48-bit LBA support. The drives themselves, of course, continue to run in ATA-100 mode. In our testing suites, we ran the WD drives off of an ATA-133 controller (an OEM Promise Ultra133) provided last year by Maxtor Corp.
Western Digital plans to offer fluid dynamic bearing (FDB) motors on the WD2000BB as an option. No word on whether the JB will receive the same treatment yet. The 2000BB (and obviously the JB) reviewed here both feature ball bearing motors.
In a controversial move, Western Digital has joined manufacturers Maxtor and Seagate in reducing the standard warranty that covers the BB series drives to one year from three years on any drive purchased after October 1st. As a result, most WD2000BBs that are purchased over the family's shelf-life will be protected by a one-year warranty. Keep in mind that a reduction in warranty length does not automatically translate into a lower-quality product. And remember, due to accounting practices regarding liabilities, shorter warranties -do- free up cash that would otherwise be tied up in reserve, improving a manufacturer's cash flow and improving the bottom line. It is SR's hope that these reduced warranties give manufacturers more general health and margin in this cutthroat competitive industry while allowing firms to maintain and improve the reliability of their products. Extended warranties may be purchased through Western Digital for about $20. This change affects the BB line only; further segmenting the two product lines, WD maintains a standard three-year warranty on the JB series.
We'd be remiss not to touch on the travails resulting from Western Digital's ambiguous naming scheme. As has been the case for more than 2.5 years now, WD distinguishes its lines of drives only with AB (5400 RPM), BB (7200 RPM 2 MB buffer) and JB (7200 RPM 8 MB buffer) suffixes. The firm does not distinguish between capacity/platter-generation lines. When one purchases a Seagate Barracuda ATA V, for example, he or she knows that the drive features Seagate's latest 60 GB/platter technology. Unfortunately, when one purchases, say, a WD1200BB, there is no easy way to tell whether it incorporates 40 GB or 60 GB platters. There are ways to tell -after- the purchase, yet that may create additional headache for the consumer. Before the WD2000BB, 1200BB's always incorporated 40 GB platters. Today, your 1200BB may actually be a 120 GB WD2000BB. Generally speaking, higher density is preferable. Its understandable that blurring the lines makes it easier to move inventory from a manufacturer; these steps unfortunately hinder the savvy consumer. Be aware that the only way to ensure that you're getting the latest-generation Caviar (the 60 GB/platter design) before you actually open it up and take a look at it is to purchase a 200 GB drive.