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Consumer

Forum Maintenance

Just a quick note to let readers know we’re aware of the problems with the forum and are actively working to resolve them. Update 12 Oct. 1:45 AM EDT: Things are back up and running, thanks for your patience!

Consumer

Performance Database Update

Results for the Barracuda ES, Seagate’s enterprise version of the Barracuda 7200.10, have been entered into the Performance Database. If you’ve never checked it out before, SR’s performance database sorts all drives tested in our testbed by various metrics and also offers the ability to create custom head-to-head comparisons of any measured drive. Check it

Consumer

Just Around the Corner

Things have been admittedly slower here at SR lately but we’re pleased to report there’s a plethora of content just around the corner. First up will be a roundup-style look at a trio of 500 GB enterprise offerings from the big three American drive manufacturers: Seagate’s NL35.2, Maxtor’s MaXLine Pro, and Western Digital’s Caviar RE2

Consumer

Seagate’s Cheetah 15K.5 Announcement

Industry leader Seagate Technology was recently the first to pull the trigger on a next-generation 15K RPM disc drive with its announcement of the Cheetah 15K.5. Through doubling the drive’s flagship capacity to 300 gigabytes, the firm combines the ultra-high I/Os per second delivered by a top-end spindle speed with the larger storage ceilings associated

Consumer

A New Leaderboard Category

The StorageReview Leaderboard has been updated with a new category, our pick for budget installations. Just around the corner- a look at 500 GB SATA drive from Maxtor and WD!

Consumer

When Do Drives Appear In the Reliability Survey?

Just a reminder that drives are not available to rate in the StorageReview Drive Reliability Survey until they’ve been formally reviewed. Though there were some technical problems getting the Deskstar T7K250 into the database, both Hitachi’s drive as well as Maxtor’s long-standing DiamondMax 10 (never reviewed until recently since it’s virtually identical to the MaXLine

Consumer

And another 500 gigs…

WD has edged forward to join other major players in offering a half-terabyte drive in its newly announced Caviar SE16. The new drive combines 4 125-gigabyte platters with a 16-megabyte buffer and a native 300 MB/sec SATA interface that incorporates NCQ. More information on the WD5000KS may be found in WD’s press release.

Consumer

Half-Terabytes Meet the Enterprise

Seagate recently announced the 500 GB NL35.2, a SATA drive intended for nearline deployment. Earlier this year the firm introduced the original NL35, a 400-gigabyte design based off of the three-platter Barracuda 7200.8. The NL35.2 borrows from the newer 7200.9’s construction, bumping capacity up by 25% and standardizing on a more roomy 16-megabyte buffer. For

Consumer

An Update to the SR Leaderboard

We’ve updated the Leaderboard with an entry for the 150 GB Raptor, a drive that seems to have hit availability a bit sooner than anticipated. It’s interesting to note that while the 36 GB and 74 GB Raptors were leading performers in their day, neither unit managed the right combination of performance, capacity, and price

Consumer

WD Announces the Next-Generation Raptor

The rumors are true. Today Western Digital formally announces the successor to its beloved (but rather small) Raptor WD740GD. The new WD1500 doubles capacity to 150 gigabytes and features a host of improvements aimed at elevating the family’s performance and reliability to a new level. Here’s a link to WD’s press release and one to