Conclusion:
Western Digital may not be able to toot their horn for being the first to the 750GB plateau, but unless you have a time machine and want to go back 15 months, does it really matter at this point? The Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB Hard Drive is one of a very few options at this capacity or higher, and it is well worth consideration by anyone looking for a big drive.
The performance during testing showed that while other drives may be able to put up higher burst speed figures, the Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS makes up for it by putting up big numbers in important areas like average read speed. In addition to putting up impressive performance results, the Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS managed to stay cool and quiet during even the heaviest of testing.
One offbeat point to make on the positive side for this drive is the fact that the exposed portion of the PCB on the base is pretty much blank. While many may not care, I was pleased to see that there are no chips or solder joints visible to become damaged or shorted out by inadvertent contact. It has happened to me before, so I appreciate that Western Digital has lowered my chances of it happening again.
A search of PriceGrabber shows that Western Digital can compete well when it comes to price, too. The Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS is available from numerous retailers for less than $190 (US) shipped, which is just about twenty five cents per GB. The Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 isn't that far off, but the lowest I could find was about $10 to $15 more (also including shipping). There isn't much of a difference, and prices fluctuate greatly on hard drives, but any savings is a good thing in my book.
The only negative I have for this drive is not so much a bad thing, as it is a thing that someone else does better. This drive, and pretty much any other Western Digital product, carries a three year warranty. While three years may seem fair, Seagate covers their drives with a five year warranty, and that extra coverage is very appealing.
The bottom line is that this is a drive with great performance and pricing, but middle of the road warranty coverage. All things considered, I award the Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB Hard Drive the rating of "Highly Recommended".
Pros:
» Strong performance, especially in real world settings
» Cool and quiet
» PCB has no exposed features, reducing risk of damage
» Attractively priced
Cons:
» Three year warranty is OK, but five years is obviously better
Special thanks to Western Digital for providing the Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB Hard Drive to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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