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Western Digital Reveals 750GB Hard Disk Drive

Slimy   on 06 June 2007 - 19:40 · 23 comments & 7791 views

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Western Digital, the world’s second largest maker of hard disk drives, has began shipping 750GB HDDs, currently the largest capacity that the company offers. Along with a 750GB capacity, WD’s Caviar SE16 GL188 offers a 7200rpm rotational speed, 16MB cache, 4.2ms average latency and sustained buffer to disk 70MB/s data transfer rate. The Caviar SE16 GL188 is designed for systems that support Serial ATA-300 interconnection as well as native command queuing technology. The HDD is based on four platters which capacity is currently unclear. The new model also supports an array of WD’s own technologies that improve reliability and decrease power consumption. The manufacturer’s suggest retail price for the WD Caviar SE16 750GB is $249 USD.

WD knows that there is nothing more important than our customers’ data. Uniquely, our new desktop hard drive brings together SecurePark for better shock characteristics, StableTrac for better vibration performance, and IntelliSeek to reduce power consumption. These proven features will further WD’s lead as the most reliable desktop products,” said Don Bennett, WD vice president and general manager of desktop storage.

News source: Xbit Laboratories

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(7 replies) #1 Helba on 06 Jun 2007 - 19:47
Do these not exist already? That's nice and all, and it's quite an advance.

However, given a minute of your time I could quite certainly tell WD where to stick it. Their products are terrible and unreliable. Every single drive I've ever had fail was made by Western Digital.

I bid you good day.
#1.1 RAID 0 on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:27
Quote - (Helba said @ #1)
Do these not exist already? That's nice and all, and it's quite an advance.

However, given a minute of your time I could quite certainly tell WD where to stick it. Their products are terrible and unreliable. Every single drive I've ever had fail was made by Western Digital.

I bid you good day.


Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. WD makes some of the best HDDs out there. That's all I buy. Every single one of them is still going strong. All 7 of them. Even the old ass 20 gig I use for OS X86. However, why should I care what hard drive you use? It's your data.
#1.2 Helba on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:33
Quote - (RAID 0 said @ #1.1)
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. WD makes some of the best HDDs out there. That's all I buy. Every single one of them is still going strong. All 7 of them. Even the old ass 20 gig I use for OS X86. However, why should I care what hard drive you use? It's your data.


Well, I suppose it could just be a series of coincidences. It just happens that, going over a stack old hard drives ranging from 1-15 gigs, the only ones that didn't work were some WDs.

Also, my newly bought 250 gig started ticking and giving me crash errors and assorted other issues during the first week I'd owned it. I've had similar problems with an 80 gig that is a bit older. This could just be an issue with my motherboard, I suppose, but I don't know.

I've always preferred Seagate, personally. I would have bought from them instead, given the option.
#1.3 Jugalator on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:34
The unbiased truth is that all drive brands have their share of bad drives. Some may never get their share, others do.

That has lead to lots of discussions on the subject, and all of them end up where some put their word on that WD sucks, Seagate sucks, Samsung sucks, or whatever, while praising another. :p Just purchase a well known brand and hope you won't get a bad one, that's all I'm doing, and it's working great.

The only good thing I can say about a brand is that Seagate has a 5 year warranty. Although that'll just get you a clean drive in case of a crash, it's still better than nothing.
#1.4 chilliadus on 06 Jun 2007 - 21:02
WD is looking a lot more like ATI now... Their best and newest product can only compete with the second best (and much older) product of their rivals, hehe.
#1.5 RAID 0 on 06 Jun 2007 - 23:11
Quote - (chilliadus said @ #1.4)
WD is looking a lot more like ATI now... Their best and newest product can only compete with the second best (and much older) product of their rivals, hehe.


Raptor?
#1.6 +Dakkaroth on 07 Jun 2007 - 02:23
Quote - (Jugalator said @ #1.3)
The unbiased truth is that all drive brands have their share of bad drives. Some may never get their share, others do.

That has lead to lots of discussions on the subject, and all of them end up where some put their word on that WD sucks, Seagate sucks, Samsung sucks, or whatever, while praising another. :p Just purchase a well known brand and hope you won't get a bad one, that's all I'm doing, and it's working great.

The only good thing I can say about a brand is that Seagate has a 5 year warranty. Although that'll just get you a clean drive in case of a crash, it's still better than nothing.


I like WD myself, personally. I always buy from them as I've got 6 years of 0 failures/drive problems.

While I don't care if you like them or not, PLEASE for the LOVE of GOD, do NOT say you love Maxtor though.
#1.7 dnstest on 08 Jun 2007 - 06:31
"However, given a minute of your time I could quite certainly tell WD where to stick it. Their products are terrible and unreliable. Every single drive I've ever had fail was made by Western Digital."

Sorry for your luck, because I have had quite the opposite experience. Certain "Caviar"-based models have been notoriously junk (and that is only certain drives, not all by any means), and I don't buy these entry-level drives anymore. WD Enterprise offerings such as the Raptor and newer SATA releases (based on the same platform) have been about the best drives I have ever encountered. The only Raptor I ever had (begin to) fail was a first-gen 36giger, and I never lost any data.

I used Maxtor for years. Good prices, but I admit I RMAed more than a few. Seagate can stick it. I tried a Seagate 7200.9 series 400Gig drive recently, and it had nothing but problems and finally died. My fault for not backing up, but I don't think I will buy a Seagate anytime soon.

Are their any industry stats available out there on which manufacturer has the lowest RMA rate? It is probably all proprietary info, but I would love to see real numbers!
(9 replies) #2 Croquant on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:06
Um, Seagate's had 750GB SATA II drives for a long time. This is not news.
#2.1 excalpius on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:25
More importantly, Seagate drives come with a 5 year warranty for the same price.
#2.2 RAID 0 on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:31
Quote - (excalpius said @ #2.1)
More importantly, Seagate drives come with a 5 year warranty for the same price.


Does that warranty get your data back after the drive has failed?
#2.3 chilliadus on 06 Jun 2007 - 21:03
Quote - (RAID 0 said @ #2.2)
Quote - (excalpius said @ #2.1)
More importantly, Seagate drives come with a 5 year warranty for the same price.


Does that warranty get your data back after the drive has failed?


What's your point? Does WD offer free HD data recovery with their warranty?
#2.4 RAID 0 on 06 Jun 2007 - 23:14
Quote - (chilliadus said @ #2.3)
Quote - (RAID 0 said @ #2.2)
Quote - (excalpius said @ #2.1)
More importantly, Seagate drives come with a 5 year warranty for the same price.


Does that warranty get your data back after the drive has failed?


What's your point? Does WD offer free HD data recovery with their warranty?


Don't need a warranty (more than one year) when you buy a quality product.
#2.5 excalpius on 07 Jun 2007 - 00:51
Quote - (RAID 0 said @ #5)
Don't need a warranty (more than one year) when you buy a quality product.


Bwahahahahaha. Ignoring your ludicrous assertion, if my drive is going to die (which they ALL do eventually...think about it), I'd prefer a 5 year window over a crappy 1 year window.

A 1 year window only encourages the vendor to ship substandard product...period.

Superior products are supported by superior warrantees.

#2.6 RAID 0 on 07 Jun 2007 - 00:55
Quote - (excalpius said @ #2.5)
Quote - (RAID 0 said @ #5)
Don't need a warranty (more than one year) when you buy a quality product.


Bwahahahahaha. Ignoring your ludicrous assertion, if my drive is going to die (which they ALL do eventually...think about it), I'd prefer a 5 year window over a crappy 1 year window.

A 1 year window only encourages the vendor to ship substandard product...period.

Superior products are supported by superior warrantees.


Not always.
#2.7 +Dakkaroth on 07 Jun 2007 - 02:40
Quote - (excalpius said @ #2.5)
Quote - (RAID 0 said @ #5)
Don't need a warranty (more than one year) when you buy a quality product.


Bwahahahahaha. Ignoring your ludicrous assertion, if my drive is going to die (which they ALL do eventually...think about it), I'd prefer a 5 year window over a crappy 1 year window.

A 1 year window only encourages the vendor to ship substandard product...period.

Superior products are supported by superior warrantees.


Xbox 360 has an extended warranty now, but that's only after people having so many problems with it a year later. Can the same not be said for Seagate? Seems to be the same Microsoft ploy of,"Hey, no, we're still good guys! Look at the warranty!" Sure that may still drive people to keep buying, but it doesn't insure QUALITY. Hell, it only insures a good possibility of what's to come, if you ask me.

I don't think Seagate's all bad really. My second choice to WD. I just don't like the idea that WARRANTY = QUALITY.
#2.8 excalpius on 07 Jun 2007 - 08:00
But with a superior warranty you are PROTECTED if they are trying to scam you. With an inferior warranty, you're not.

So who's the smarter buyer when the products are the exact same price, the guy who's protected and gets a replacement drive (costing the company cold hard cash, incentivizing them to improve quality control) or the guy who sucks it up and has to buy a replacement drive when it fails on him (proving that the company with the shoddy product is right when they say "there's a sucker born every minute"?!

I've learned my lesson long ago. I only buy drives from companies who risk cold hard cash to back their products up. And I haven't been burned since.
#2.9 RAID 0 on 07 Jun 2007 - 17:24
Quote - (excalpius said @ #2.
But with a superior warranty you are PROTECTED if they are trying to scam you. With an inferior warranty, you're not.

So who's the smarter buyer when the products are the exact same price, the guy who's protected and gets a replacement drive (costing the company cold hard cash, incentivizing them to improve quality control) or the guy who sucks it up and has to buy a replacement drive when it fails on him (proving that the company with the shoddy product is right when they say "there's a sucker born every minute"?!

I've learned my lesson long ago. I only buy drives from companies who risk cold hard cash to back their products up. And I haven't been burned since.


Kia offers a longer warranty than say... Honda or Toyota... do you think that a Kia is built of the same quality?
(1 reply) #3 ahhell on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:15
How about a 750GB Raptor???? Come on WD what's the hold up???
#3.1 Intelman on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:34
Discs need to physically be larger for them to pack more data into a raptor. Perpendicular recording can pack more info on the existing size, but I dunno if they are already using it.

Anyways, since the drive is 10,000RPM there is a size limit. With Seagates 15k SCSI rpm line, they had issues with small sonic booms on the outside of the platter since it spun faster. I assume this is why the raptors have such a small capacity.

I'd love to see a 750gb Raptor, they would sell like hotcakes, at a premium price too I bet.
(1 reply) #4 ahhell on 06 Jun 2007 - 20:38
"they had issues with small sonic booms on the outside of the platter since it spun faster."

That is so awesome!!
Got a source?
#4.1 Sp3ctranova on 06 Jun 2007 - 22:47
I was about to say, that's about the best thing I've heard in a long time.
#5 Izlude on 07 Jun 2007 - 07:12
wow that's huge. I'm only filling in 20gb max on my 80gb drive. I plan to buy the WD Raptor X 150. If this is not a good idea, someone say something and stop me before I buy it. WD seems pretty good to me.

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