WD 200GB 7200RPM drive announced

[Pariah]

No mention of SATA or ATA133, so will be interesting see how they implement it. I guess they like round numbers too, as 200GB using 60GB platters comes out to 3 1/3 platters. If they decided to uses all of the 4 required platters, they could reach 240GB which would be quite impressive, not that 200 isn't. They're going to be releasing fluid bearing models of this as well.

Western Digital Delivers Industry?s Largest, Fastest Hard Drives With 200 GB Capacity and 7,200 RPM

 

[Metalloid]

Does anyone here have enough crap on their computer that a 200gb hard drive would be necessary?

I do like the fact that they brought out 7200rpm with it though.

 

[Strafe]

I maxed out a 120GB ripping all my CD's with Monkey's Audio. Looking forward to the 200's.

 

[Whitedog]

Cool... 60BG/platter. I guess they'll have a 240GB model soon enough being they can squeeze 4 platters in a half hieght drive.

Metalloid, there are plenty of uses for huge disks... not a LOT, but enough. We've a computer here are work loaded with Ghost image files. They take up quite a lot of space.

I'd like to have one at home for recording music with, I have a 48 channel recording console on my PC... that can take up tons of disk space.

Also, I'd like to have a PC with a movie library on it hooked into my TV. No more having to fool with putting a disk in to watch a movie.

Getting the idea???

 

[RanDum72]

There is no such thing as too much harddrive space. I say bring it on!

 

[BD231]

Will the density of the platers increase performance?. It's my understanding that all current HD platers are equal in phisical size, so an extra 20gig's on an equally sized 40gig platter means better performance right?

 

[Ben50]

Originally posted by: bdog231
Will the density of the platers increase performance?. It's my understanding that all current HD platers are equal in phisical size, so an extra 20gig's on an equally sized 40gig platter means better performance right?

Yes

 

[ACE101]

One place where this kind of storage capacity is really desirable are in PVRs. Right now, the largest capacity you can have with a PVR that uses two 180 GB disks is around 100 hours of storage with good quality (300 hours in basic quality). That's awesome for anyone. HOWEVER, if you want to store High Definition information on a PVR which everyone is clammoring for (well those that have HD), you'll be able to store more like 20 hours of video. That's bad. So any increase they can make in disk sizes are probably going to go straight into PVRs before anything else I would guess. Even that article in this thread mentions PVRs and I think that's the market they are aiming at.

Ron

 

[GT1999]

I've really started to get into ripping (DVD -> SVCD), MP3s, and all kinds of stuff recently.. and I've just started to fill up all my drives. Ripping a DVD to SVCD takes up major space -- you're looking at 10GB+ just to rip a single DVD. That's just temporary space, but having a 40GB 60GXP like me partitioned 15/28 or so doesn't really help especially when both partitions are full. I was thinking about getting the 120GB 1200JB, but now that this 200GB version is announced, sheesh.. I don't know what to do

 

[Adul]

Originally posted by: Geekish Thoughts
I've really started to get into ripping (DVD -> SVCD), MP3s, and all kinds of stuff recently.. and I've just started to fill up all my drives. Ripping a DVD to SVCD takes up major space -- you're looking at 10GB+ just to rip a single DVD. That's just temporary space, but having a 40GB 60GXP like me partitioned 15/28 or so doesn't really help especially when both partitions are full. I was thinking about getting the 120GB 1200JB, but now that this 200GB version is announced, sheesh.. I don't know what to do

buy a few of them

 

[randomlinh]

more space is always good so long as it just gets cheaper along the way.

seagate has their 60GB/platter coming too.. w/ their fluid bearings as well. Didn't know WD had that option (or will). But why 200? why not just have three platteres and be at 180? why the extra platter for 20gb?

And SVCD is great and all.. but darn it.. i hate having to swap cds to watch a movie

Linh

 

[GoodRevrnd]

Say they are using 4 60GB platters and limiting them so you only get 200gb. Would you be able to hack the firmware or something to get a full 240?

 

[ElFenix]

i talked to a WD rep and its actually that the platters are a bit bigger than 80 gigs.

 

[GT1999]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
i talked to a WD rep and its actually that the platters are a bit bigger than 80 gigs.

Wow! :Q

If that's true, this drive is definitely worth waiting for..

 

[Pariah]

This is straight out of the press release:

"WD Caviar 60 GB-per-platter 7,200 RPM hard drives will be offered in capacities ranging from 120 to 200 GB and will be available this July."
and
"This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the availability of the WD Caviar 60 GB-per-platter hard drives."

Maybe they are working on an 80GB/platter 5400RPM drives.

You cannot hack the firmware to increase drive size. It is very likely that the 3 capacities that use partial platters have the second side untreated and thus unuseable to save money. For the 80 and 200 models I don't know what happens to the extra 10GB on the used side, but it most likely isn't recoverable.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: Metalloid15
Does anyone here have enough crap on their computer that a 200gb hard drive would be necessary?
I do like the fact that they brought out 7200rpm with it though.

I do, infact I am in the middle of cancelling my 5 160gb drive order with Dell. I guess I'm glad they delayed it now...
Bill

 

[sharkeeper]

You cannot hack the firmware to increase drive size. It is very likely that the 3 capacities that use partial platters have the second side untreated and thus unuseable to save money. For the 80 and 200 models I don't know what happens to the extra 10GB on the used side, but it most likely isn't recoverable.

Defect management? Keeps the drive from running into Iceberg "GXP"

Cheers!

 

[SgtZulu]

a t-1 connection and i can fill this baby with *stuff* in no time

 

[Strafe]

I read somewhere that they are actually 66.6GB platters.

 

[Sunner]

Someone mentioned that the platters were in reality 67 GB each, I think I read it on Storagereview, though Im not sure.

This was after someone got curious about the sizes of the drives, and phones WD to get the info from the source, and the techie in the phone apparently told the person that they were 67 GB platters.

 

[teddymines]

Good grief, it was only 10 years ago that I bought my 486/33 with a 220MB drive, and now 200+GB is becoming more mainstream. How are we going to back up 200GB? Sounds like putting a lot of eggs in one basket.

 

[Bluga]

whoa! That's a lot of *cough*

 

[techwanabe]

Originally posted by: Whitedog
Cool... 60BG/platter. ...

Metalloid, there are plenty of uses for huge disks... not a LOT, but enough. We've a computer here are work loaded with Ghost image files. They take up quite a lot of space.

Whitedog, that is exactly why I ordered a 120 gb drive for our admin PC where I work. Most of the space is used to store Ghost images. Most of them aren't huge, but one guy I ghosted for a back up of his PC took over 10 gb. It does ad up!

 

[Aquaman]

I'd like to plop one of those into a Shuttle SS51 What comes after Gigabyte?

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[teddymines]

Originally posted by: Aquaman
I'd like to plop one of those into a Shuttle SS51 What comes after Gigabyte?

Cheers,
Aquaman

There's plenty of room:

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci499008,00.html