Hard Drives, v2.0

Note: Since the publication of this review, this drive has been retested under Testbed4, a newer hardware/software/benchmark platform. Please see this article for updated results. This review remains for reference purposes only.
See also Hitachi Deskstar 7K250 Review
See also Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA Review
See also Western Digital Caviar WD2500JD Review

The growth of hard drive areal densities has slowed dramatically in recent days. When StorageReview first launched over six years ago, for example, drive densities doubled every three to four months with no end in sight! By contrast, it has been more than a year since drives such as the 83 GB/platter WD Caviar and MaXLine II appeared. While techniques to increase platter densities themselves have continued, limitations arise in the read and write heads- they just are not up to reading and writing data reliably from bits so closely packed together. Though platter density has been the chief "driver" behind drive "generations," the absence of ever-increasing density has not prevented manufacturers from revising their existing models. In this article we will examine the changes delivered by three product familes:

Hitachi Deskstar 7K400: The 400-gigabyte Deskstar 7K400 leverages the technology introduced by the 250 GB 7K250 and extends the family's architecture to five 80-gigabyte platters. As a result, the 7K400 is the first five-platter Deskstar since the infamous 75GXP. Specified seek time remains at 8.5 milliseconds. The drive features an 8-megabyte buffer and FDB motors. It comes in both PATA and SATA interfaces, and is backed by a three-year warranty.

Western Digital Caviar WD2500JD: WD's flagship Caviar sticks with the firm's tradition of retaining the same model number, a point of continuing confusion in the enthusiast community. Our latest sample was manufactured June 8th, 2004. A striking difference between this sample and previous units is the drive's color- jet-black versus the standard silver of previous Caviars. In the past there has been some speculation on how WD would designate FDB-motor Caviars. In classic WD style, however, the firm has quietly snuck FDB operation into its existing JB (PATA) and JD (SATA) lines. Our intial WD2500 sample was equipped with ball-bearing motors. This second sample features FDB motor operation. An 8.9 millisecond seek time and a standard 8-megabyte buffer round out the package. The drive is protected by a one- (retail package) to three- (OEM/bare-drive) year warranty.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7: Unlike the 7K400 and WD2500JD, Seagate's latest Barracuda edges forward with 100 GB/platter densities. The firm's current flagship tops out at just two platters, yielding a 200 GB capacity. Seagate specs the drive with an 8.5 ms seek time. The 7200.7 features an 8-megabyte buffer and as has been the case since the Barracuda ATA IV, is available exclusively with FDB motors. Seagate backs the Barracuda series with an across-the-board five-year warranty. Note that upcoming 7200.7 models will feature SATA Native Command Queuing (NCQ). This review sample, however, does not incorporate the feature.

Featuring large capacities and quiet 7200 RPM operation, these three drives target a variety of markets such as capacity-hungry power users looking to store audio and video files, personal video recorders that seek to incorporate massive recording times, and networks looking to add nearline storage at an affordable price.

In the following tests, the Deskstar 7K400, Caviar WD2500JD, and Barracuda 7200.7 are compared against the following drives for the following reasons:

Maxtor MaXLine III	New-generation, large capacity 7200 RPM SATA drive
Hitachi Deskstar 7K250	The previous flagship Deskstar
Western Digital Caviar WD2500JD	StorageReview's first sample of WD's flagship
Seagate Barracuda 7200.7	The 80 GB/platter version of Seagate's SATA drive