Western Digital"s 10,000 RPM Serial ATA hard drives have been popular with enthusiasts looking for blazing fast storage for more than two years now. However, their niche in the marketplace had always been hindered by their lack of capacity. Most users were forced to purchase a Raptor as their boot drive and add another large 7200 RPM drive for storage. Western Digital may have the answer to this problem with the unveiling of the 150GB model, which Storage Review has on their review bench today.
The results are promising. While slightly slower than the 74GB model, seek times are far below the average for 7200 RPM Serial ATA drives. Transfer rates rival SCSI drives on the same rotational speed and even surpass the aforementioned 74GB model by up to 21% in single user and gaming tests. In doing so, operational noise has not increased.
The eagerly awaited drive will arrive priced at $300. According to Western Digital, shipments are expected to begin later this month.