New Raptor

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Sheninat0r
The MSRP is supposed to be around $300... fun, no?

Not bad. Costs less than two Raptor 150 drives for the same capacity.

Originally posted by: Dashel
It's nice for an enthusiast with money to spare though.

Sure is. I'd take this over, say, current DDR3 boards/RAM. IMO there's a better chance of this being more noticeable than DDR3 in real-world performance. Note that I'm just picking DDR3 at random, so you can insert any other more-expensive-but-barely-better computer part here.

Originally posted by: Quiksilver
Bah, give me cheap high capacity solid state drives.

Your wish will be granted... in 4-8 years.

Originally posted by: IsLNdbOi
So could we take it out of that fancy heatsink and use it in a laptop?

Sure you can, however it was already stated somewhere that WD will void your 5 year warranty if it is removed from the IcePack?. It certainly looks as if it is completely standard in comparison to 2.5" notebook SATA drives and 2.5" SAS drives (minus the interface). Oh yeah, another thing too is that it is too thick to fit inside most notebook HDD bays. Most notebook drives are 9.5mm thick, while some are 12.5mm thick. The VelociRaptor is 15mm thick, which is the standard height for enterprise 2.5" HDDs.

I certainly can envision some high-end notebook makers using this drive. Heck, if they can squeeze SLI into a 17"-20" luggable form factor, adding a couple mm to the drive bay is child's play.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: Rubycon

Originally posted by: taltamir

are you sure? WD is shipping it in both the 3.5 inch standard (with convertor) and in a stand alone 2.5 inch model (without convertor)... I don't see how they could sell it as 2.5 inch if it doesn't conform to the standard...

Although it wouldn't be a huge surprise if they did...

It's too thick! Look here.

more info

How odd, I wonder what they were smoking...

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: taltamir

How odd, I wonder what they were smoking...

Compsognathus

 

[taltamir]

hahaha... smoked dinosaurs? now THAT is an expensive drug habit right there...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compsognathus

 

[nOOky]

For people that shell out $400 for a video card and $250 for a motherboard, this drive is a no-brainer. It would be better to see it at around $250 or so obviously. Probably the slowest component in an enthusiast computer is the hard drive. Raid 0 does nothing for desktop performance for most users, yet so many people spend the extra money for that second drive...
I'm sure when SSD drives are be low enough in price, stable enough, and fast enough in 2-3 years I'd buy one, but this drive would fill in the gap nicely while I wait.

 

[deepinya]

"The VelociRaptor needs only two platters to reach its 300GB capacity. Western Digital says it's also working on a single-platter version of the drive, but that's not ready yet."

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: nOOky
For people that shell out $400 for a video card and $250 for a motherboard, this drive is a no-brainer. It would be better to see it at around $250 or so obviously. Probably the slowest component in an enthusiast computer is the hard drive. Raid 0 does nothing for desktop performance for most users, yet so many people spend the extra money for that second drive...
I'm sure when SSD drives are be low enough in price, stable enough, and fast enough in 2-3 years I'd buy one, but this drive would fill in the gap nicely while I wait.

are you kidding? raid 0 almost doubles performance. almost triples on a three drive setup.
You can easily put 3x50$ drives in RAID0 and get better performance than this 300$ thing. The reason RAID 0 sppears to do "nothing" is because the faster HDD matters VERY little. Most RAID0 arrays are FASTER then a raptor, so if you think a RAID0 setup gives no performance benefit on a specific application, neither will a raptor.

 

[GarfieldtheCat]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: Sheninat0r
The MSRP is supposed to be around $300... fun, no?

Not bad. Costs less than two Raptor 150 drives for the same capacity.

True, but a Samsung 1Tb drive is like $240, and you get 3X the space and only 10-15% less performance?

Or get 2 WD 640Gig drives for $220, get 1.2Tb storage, and two drives to spread the load across.

The Raptor will be faster, but like you said, it's for the person with extra money to throw at their PC. For best bang for the buck, the WD 640 and Samsung F1 will be better.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: deepinya
"The VelociRaptor needs only two platters to reach its 300GB capacity. Western Digital says it's also working on a single-platter version of the drive, but that's not ready yet."

Exactly why i'm going to hold off a little.

I've been a Raptor lover since i bought my first one, the old 74.3 GB one.
I'd like restrain myself from wasting more money, but when these hits the stores, it's going to be very hard for me to not buy one.

I imagine a 300 GB single platter should handily beat a dual platter though, so i'd like to wait a bit.

Originally posted by: GarfieldtheCat
True, but a Samsung 1Tb drive is like $240, and you get 3X the space and only 10-15% less performance?

Hah, or get both

I just ordered a Samsung F1 1 TB for $190 + shipping
I suspect i'll be getting one of these new VRs eventually

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: GarfieldtheCat
True, but a Samsung 1Tb drive is like $240, and you get 3X the space and only 10-15% less performance?

What other "highest end" PC upgrade will give you that much more performance for that little a price difference?

How much more performance do you get from a $300 9800GTX over a $200 8800GTS G92? (I'm using AR pricing)

How much more performance do you get from a $1000 Core 2 Extreme QX9650 over a $350 Core 2 Quad Q9450?

How much more performance do you get from a $170 Abit IP35 Pro versus a $90 Abit IP35-E?

Get two otherwise identical systems, but use the 9800GTX/8800GTS in them... can you tell a difference without looking to see which card is being used and without benchmarking? Try the two processors, again without benchmarking or doing straight video compression. Try the two motherboards.

Now, try two otherwise identical systems, and have one use a VelociRaptor while the other uses any 7200RPM drive.

I'd say that if you feel a "seat of your pants" difference at all, it will be with the hard drives.

Originally posted by: n7

Originally posted by: deepinya
"The VelociRaptor needs only two platters to reach its 300GB capacity. Western Digital says it's also working on a single-platter version of the drive, but that's not ready yet."

I imagine a 300 GB single platter should handily beat a dual platter though, so i'd like to wait a bit.

I read it as a 150GB single platter version.

3.5" platters are barely getting to 333GB/platter, so I don't think 2.5" 300GB/platter drives will see the light of day anytime soon.

 

[nOOky]

I don't care, someone just buy me one to test and I'll give you my "seat of the pants" thoughts on it.

 

[nOOky]

Are you kidding? Doubles and triples performance? Show me the proof, not your objective appraisal.
I welcome any links you have to reputable reviews on the subject.

Originally posted by: taltamir

Originally posted by: nOOky
For people that shell out $400 for a video card and $250 for a motherboard, this drive is a no-brainer. It would be better to see it at around $250 or so obviously. Probably the slowest component in an enthusiast computer is the hard drive. Raid 0 does nothing for desktop performance for most users, yet so many people spend the extra money for that second drive...
I'm sure when SSD drives are be low enough in price, stable enough, and fast enough in 2-3 years I'd buy one, but this drive would fill in the gap nicely while I wait.

are you kidding? raid 0 almost doubles performance. almost triples on a three drive setup.
You can easily put 3x50$ drives in RAID0 and get better performance than this 300$ thing. The reason RAID 0 sppears to do "nothing" is because the faster HDD matters VERY little. Most RAID0 arrays are FASTER then a raptor, so if you think a RAID0 setup gives no performance benefit on a specific application, neither will a raptor.

 

[seanp789]

pretty badass. I wonder if they are going to release higher capacities. Seems like 2 platters in a 2.5" format is limited.

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: Zap
I read it as a 150GB single platter version.

3.5" platters are barely getting to 333GB/platter, so I don't think 2.5" 300GB/platter drives will see the light of day anytime soon.

Argh...that's what i get for reading reviews when i'm barely awake in the morning.

That makes a lot more sense.

 

[lightstar]

*drool* i was thinking about using either the raptor X or hitachi TB drive for my next build but this tops them both

 

[lopri]

I would like user testimonies on noise level once these hit the shelves.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: nOOky
Are you kidding? Doubles and triples performance? Show me the proof, not your objective appraisal.
I welcome any links you have to reputable reviews on the subject.

Originally posted by: taltamir

Originally posted by: nOOky
For people that shell out $400 for a video card and $250 for a motherboard, this drive is a no-brainer. It would be better to see it at around $250 or so obviously. Probably the slowest component in an enthusiast computer is the hard drive. Raid 0 does nothing for desktop performance for most users, yet so many people spend the extra money for that second drive...
I'm sure when SSD drives are be low enough in price, stable enough, and fast enough in 2-3 years I'd buy one, but this drive would fill in the gap nicely while I wait.

are you kidding? raid 0 almost doubles performance. almost triples on a three drive setup.
You can easily put 3x50$ drives in RAID0 and get better performance than this 300$ thing. The reason RAID 0 sppears to do "nothing" is because the faster HDD matters VERY little. Most RAID0 arrays are FASTER then a raptor, so if you think a RAID0 setup gives no performance benefit on a specific application, neither will a raptor.

Every RAID0 test ever made. I tested it myself, and I have just recently been in a thread where it was discussed and some example tests were given. It is really quite simple to test.

I suggest you google RAID 0 performance.

Here is the first one I found on google, it is from 2004, so the CONTROLLER is the limiting factor (ICH5) and it only improves performance a little (30-50% depending on controller):
http://tweakers.net/reviews/51...blessing-pagina-2.html

On the other hand modern controllers...
http://www.tomshardware.com/re...ge-battle,1394-11.html

Notice that on 4 raptors the nforce6 got stuck at 110MB/s
The ICH8 on the other hand manages a peak of 350MB/s (280.8MB/s average)... which, if you devide by 4 (number of drives) you get 87.5 MB/s peak (70.2 average), about what you would see for a SINGLE 150GB raptor.
Read the rest of the article to see how the rest stack up. Oh, and if I am not mistaken, that performance issue with nforce was fixed already. (heck I remember reading it being the other way around, with ICH having the performance cap... but that was also something that quickly fixed via a bios update)
With the 110MB/s on the nforce6 you can see a very mild performance increase over the ~85MB/s a single drive gets. But that is still more then going to a faster single drive, and it is also a case of a mobo issue limiting the speed. With a proper controller you get the full 4x speed on RAID0 of four drives. (much more difficult to achive with RAID5 or others, where you need a 300+$ controller for it to perform well)

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: lopri
I would like user testimonies on noise level once these hit the shelves.

Would you settle for a reviewer?

At just 37.6 dB/A from a distance of three millimeters, the VelociRaptor's sound pressure is among the lowest we have ever measured. The drive weighs in 1.7 dB/A higher than the Caviar GP and a full 5 dB/A lower than the WD1500ADFD. That said, readers should remember that objective readings don't always reveal the full story. The good news is that the WD3000BLFS is much quieter than its predecessor. It is not, however, as silent at idle as the quietest of 2.5" notebook drives (not shown, but figures are always available from the SR Performance Database). In the end, one would have to listen very intently to discern the drive's idle noise above any reasonable ambient level. Seeks are much lighter and more hollow in character than that of the WD1500ADFD.

BTW, the "Caviar GP" is the 5400RPM "green" drive that WD is pawning off as "5400-7200RPM." Those are about as quiet as you can get for desktop drives. Notebook drives are often quieter. In any case, if other reviewers and end users get the same results, these drives are SUPER quiet when idle. When seeking, are quieter than other high performance drives, but noisier than "quiet" drives.

I think this drive is a WIN for high performance computing. Faster. Quieter. More capacious (than previous Raptors). Lower power draw. Lower spinup power draw. Lower heat output.

In a couple months I'll be keeping my eye out for these on Hot Deals. Won't hold my breath, but if a deal comes along I'll be all over it. One of these as the boot/app drive and a 1TB Samsung as a storage drive! Oh yeah.

 

[deepinya]

Looks like my 150gb raptor is heading back for a refund!

 

[RiDE]

Can you use this badboy in a PS3? LOL

 

[mooseracing]

Originally posted by: scottb75

Originally posted by: Sheninat0r
The MSRP is supposed to be around $300... fun, no?

Considering that these new Raptors are comparable in performance to SAS drives its not really that bad of a price. Not only are these new Raptors faster than any other SATA drive, they also run cool, and have low power consumption needs. It is obvious that Western Digital put a lot of effort into developing these new Raptors.

You can get 300GB SAS drive easily for $275 and end up with better performance, WD has to sell these for less.

 

[T9D]

Originally posted by: Zap

Originally posted by: lopri
I would like user testimonies on noise level once these hit the shelves.

Would you settle for a reviewer?

At just 37.6 dB/A from a distance of three millimeters, the VelociRaptor's sound pressure is among the lowest we have ever measured. The drive weighs in 1.7 dB/A higher than the Caviar GP and a full 5 dB/A lower than the WD1500ADFD. That said, readers should remember that objective readings don't always reveal the full story. The good news is that the WD3000BLFS is much quieter than its predecessor. It is not, however, as silent at idle as the quietest of 2.5" notebook drives (not shown, but figures are always available from the SR Performance Database). In the end, one would have to listen very intently to discern the drive's idle noise above any reasonable ambient level. Seeks are much lighter and more hollow in character than that of the WD1500ADFD.

BTW, the "Caviar GP" is the 5400RPM "green" drive that WD is pawning off as "5400-7200RPM." Those are about as quiet as you can get for desktop drives. Notebook drives are often quieter. In any case, if other reviewers and end users get the same results, these drives are SUPER quiet when idle. When seeking, are quieter than other high performance drives, but noisier than "quiet" drives.

I think this drive is a WIN for high performance computing. Faster. Quieter. More capacious (than previous Raptors). Lower power draw. Lower spinup power draw. Lower heat output.

In a couple months I'll be keeping my eye out for these on Hot Deals. Won't hold my breath, but if a deal comes along I'll be all over it. One of these as the boot/app drive and a 1TB Samsung as a storage drive! Oh yeah.

Thats exactly what I was looking for. I'll be picking one of these drives up when they are available.

 

[sutahz]

Originally posted by: taltamir
On the other hand modern controllers...
http://www.tomshardware.com/re...ge-battle,1394-11.html

Pure synthetic

 

[Rubycon]

Controllers have a huge impact on performance. If you need to scale with 3 or more drives a dedicated IOP helps tremendously. The new Areca controllers with dual core IOP and up to 4GB cache scale very nicely and can put any other solution less than 20K to shame give size/performance ratio.

 

[Tweakin]

Originally posted by: RiDE
Can you use this badboy in a PS3? LOL

Oustanding idea!!!