Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM 2.5IN 8MB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive WD3200BEVT
by Western Digital
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM 2.5IN 8MB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive WD3200BEVT
Customer Review: Perfect for a PS3, laptop upgrade
Summary: 5 Stars
QUICK EVALUATION: The Western Digital 500GB 2.5" SATA II is a quiet, fast, easy to install, drive. Based on my experience with WD (I own several), the Scorpios are reliable drives. The 2.5" SATAs easily and perfectly mount inside the PS3's drive bay where they can replace PS3's original 20-40-60-80-160 GB drive without voiding Sony's warranty.
PS3 Upgrade:
I have replaced my original PS3 drive with a 320 GB WD quite a while ago but, over the last weekend, I helped a friend of mine upgrade his PS3's with this one. He decided to pick this model and, since I had a great experience with the 320GB version, I encouraged him to go WD.
My friend believes that the 500GB is at the peak of price/performance curve at this time. Like me, he has no plans of storing a movie library on the PS3 so he expects for the 500 GB to be sufficient for the life of his console. After that, it's likely that he'll be buying the next generation game/multimedia machine. The 320 GB model that I used some time ago is still available but the 500 GB is only $30 more so it makes a lot of sense to spend a little more and enjoy the extra storage.
Advice to the PS3 upgraders from someone who, after some hesitation, actually did it and then did it again a few more times for friends and family since:
- If you need to format this drive or any drive to FAT32 - and you need a FAT32 partition for the PS3 backup - the best utility I found was FAT32FORMAT.EXE - Google it and you shall find it out there. I'm not reviewing the formatter utility but I can tell you that it does a drive in less than 10 seconds AND it works on Vista too.
- It helps to have a USB-connected drive handy to back up your PS3 content before upgrading. With one of these as the backup device, the PS3 fully restores EVERYTHING, including whatever copywrited or protected objects, such as, in my case the PS2 memory cards emulations and all the game saves.
I will not go into upgrade details because there are lots of guides on the Net including great Youtube videos on how to do it but, if anyone has any questions, do leave a note and I shall reply as soon as I get to read it.
To conclude, the upgrade proceeded without any glitches and my friend has now a perfectly working console where storage won't be an issue for some time to come. PS3 performance appears to the same, which is how it should be. I haven't heard back from my friend in 8 days now so, my assumption is that all is working well and he's busy enjoying his upgraded PS3.
Laptop Upgrade:
My 2 year old Thinkpad T60 came with a wimpy 60GB SATA drive. I needed the ability to upgrade to the much larger 500GB and do it without having to reinstall the OS, apply the service packs and then reinstall and configure 100 different little apps.
Acronis True Image Home 2009 PC Backup & Recovery allowed me to do all of the above in about one hour. Its Utilities section has a 'clone' option that would copy EVERYTHING, including the Master Boot Record/Sector (MBR) from the puny 60GB drive unto the 500GB while allowing me to control the size of the active partition - this while the 500GB was connected through a USB wire and the laptop booted off the program's CD.
Once the operation completed (50 minutes) I simply removed the old 60GB drive off my laptop and replaced it with the 500GB drive. Once the laptop was turned back on it booted up happily, with a 200GB master partition and a 300GB second partition. There are 3 words that I have to use to describe the process: PERFECTION and COMPLETE SATISFACTION. This capability alone is worth the price of this product.
To my surprise, with the new drive, the Primary Hard Disk score as computed by Microsoft (right click on 'My computer' then select 'Properties') jumped from a decent 4.8 to an unexpected 5.7.
Customer Review: Joining the Choir - It's the Goodest
Summary: 5 Stars
PLUSES: It's large, quiet, fast. It easily and perfectly fits where a 20-40-60-80 GB, 2.5" SATA drive would, including in a PS3.
MINUSES: You may be able to find larger drives but not everyone may need more.
Of course, it's no longer 'the biggest' but I knew that a couple of months ago, when I upgraded my PS3. I also figured that, since I have no plans of storing a movie library, 320 GB would carry me for the next couple of years. After that, it's likely that I'd be buying the next generation game/multimedia machine.
Advice to the PS3 upgraders from someone who, after some hesitation, actually did it:
- Go for the highest capacity. If it's a 2.5" SATA and you can afford it you should probably go with it. I already replaced my original PS3 drive with a 320GB but my formerly 60GB laptop has a 500GB 2.5" WD SATA now.
- If you need to format this drive or any drive to Fat32, the best utility I found was FAT32FORMAT.EXE - Google and you shall find it out there. I'm not reviewing the formatter utility but I can tell you that it does a drive in less than 10 seconds AND it works on Vista.
- It helps to have a 60-80 USB-connected drive handy to backup your PS3 content before upgrading. With one of these as the backup device, the PS3 fully restore EVERYTHING, including whatever copywrited or protected objects, such as, in my case the PS2 memory cards emulations.
Note (March 12, 2009)
The Western Digital Scorpio Blue 500 GB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 2.5 Inch, 8 MB Cache, 5400 RPM SATA II WD5000BEVT seems to be the way to go these days. I like WD and the 500GB is selling now for less than I paid for the 320GB. I actually helped a couple of friends upgrade with this drive and it was quick and easy.
Note 2: (April 8, 2009)
The review above was for the 320GB, which I used to upgrade my PS3. I just ordered the 500GB because life became almost unbearable with a 60GB on my laptop. I am planning to swap the drives without actually reinstalling the OS and the apps with help from Acronis True Image Home 2009 PC Backup & Recovery.
Note 3: (April 12, 2009) - Laptop Upgrade
My 2 year old Thinkpad T60 came with a wimpy 60GB SATA drive. I needed the ability to upgrade to the much larger 500GB and do it without having to reinstall the OS, apply the service packs and then reinstall and configure 100 different little apps.
Acronis True Image Home 2009 PC Backup & Recovery allowed me to do all of the above in about one hour. Its Utilities section has a 'clone' option that would copy EVERYTHING, including the Master Boot Record/Sector (MBR) from the puny 60GB drive unto the 500GB while allowing me to control the size of the active partition - this while the 500GB was connected through a USB wire and the laptop booted off the program's CD.
Once the operation completed (50 minutes) I simply removed the old 60GB drive off my laptop and replaced it with the 500GB drive. Once the laptop was turned back on it booted up happily, with a 200GB master partition and a 300GB second partition. There are 3 words that I have to use to describe the process: PERFECTION and COMPLETE SATISFACTION. This capability alone is worth the price of this product.
To my surprise, with the new drive, the Primary Hard Disk score as computed by Microsoft (right click on 'My computer' then select 'Properties') jumped from a decent 4.8 to an unexpected 5.7.
Customer Review: Worked when my Hitachi Died - Dell Vostro 1510
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this harddrive after my blankety-blank blank Hitachi 2.5" harddrive installed in my Dell Vostro 1510 died, RIGHT AFTER the warranty expired. A coincidence? I'll let you decide. :P
PROS --
1. Quiet - I didn't get the 10000 RPM just for this reason: I wanted my laptop to be QUIET. I don't want my neighbor banging on the wall thinking that I'm having a loud raucous party going on in the computer chassis, no. I wanted it Q-U-I-E-T. And that's what this harddrive brings to the table. Silence.
2. Windows 7 Installation - A+. Windows 7 detected this harddrive and within seconds I was cursing Windows 7 instead of Windows Vista. Ah, the joys.
3. Installation - Easy enough, snap out my old harddrive, and snap in this new one. Only, with more care, and less cursing than I was doing to the dead harddrive, the Hitachi 2.5" 250GB. This thing now has more space than I could possibly use up. Okay, maybe not, but give me at least a year before I'll have to reformat.
4. Packaging - Amazon blew me away with the packaging. Everything was tightly wrapped and stuffed in appropriately. The harddrive itself was in the usual anti-static bag, and then it was in a small box suspended perfectly so that it wouldn't jostle that much, and then it was encased in a larger box (because I ordered other items), and packaged appropriately near the center so that it would be the one to get jostled the least. Thumbs up, Amazon.
CONS --
1. Bare drive - As always, I always want more, WHY Amazon don't you package your harddrives with something, ANYTHING other than just the harddrive? It needs a friend, like a few tiny screws for my laptop to hold it in place.
2. Shipping - Although free, shipping this time around took FOREVER for this laptop harddrive. No idea why.
Overall, you should buy this drive, but don't buy it if you need a replacement drive now NOW NOWWWWW, just buy this if you need a backup or whatnot. All in all, I would definitely buy this from Amazon again if I needed another one.
Customer Review: LIKED THIS DRIVE SO MUCH I BROUGHT FOUR OF THEM!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok I brought my first Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM drive to upgrade an 80 GB Playstation 3. One extra small phillips head screw driver, five tiny little PS3 screws and 14 minutes later my old 80 GB PS3 had a new lease on life. My PS3 now has an upgraded 320 GB of storage and man it is like so totally out of this world. It was easy to do. The PS3 system if anything is faster than it was before. I am a clutz with tools since I have cerebral palsy and brain damage. Upgrading the PS3 hard drive was so easy even I could not screw it up.
The new Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM drive is quiet enough for my purposes as it is certainly no louder than the little 80 GB drive it replaces. The price was great. I went to local stores in the Baltimore Metro area and there was not a 320 GB drive to be found in the so called big box electronics stores. However as is usually the case Amazon.com has items in stock and ready to ship that so many local stores run out of. Once I realized how easy it was to upgrade a PS3 hard drive with one of these 320 GB SATA 2.5's for totally monster storage I upgraded my two remaining PS3's to Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM drives in a heartbeat.
Heck so many people started asking me to upgrade their PS3's to the Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM drive that I had to buy a fourth Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM drive so I could back up people's PS3 data to a mini storage device that has you guessed it a Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM drive inside. I have yet to upgrade a PS3 system to a 500 GB drive but soon as I do I will let you know. Upgrading a PS3 system to a bigger Western Digital 320GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM is so easy an autistic werewolf like me can do it so for you folks it should be a snap.
Customer Review: My Macbook is now Pimpified. Superb Drive.
Summary: 5 Stars
My Macbook Pro recently gained a little pooch, those jeans we bought just a few months ago started getting tight, and I had to let out the belt a few notches. So I started hunting for a new drive.
Being a faithful WD Customer, I decided I would give their internal laptop drive a try. I've had several other products of theirs that haven't screwed me over yet. I've had this drive a good month and a half, and I haven't had any troubles in terms of crashing or weird behavior. although, it's always a good idea to backup, no matter how great a drive is. I'll be sure to update this review in the coming months with any changes.
Here's some of the reasons I bought this drive:
#1. My Current HD was full, or very near, and once this drive was up I had a good 200 GB of space. That's a Smickle-pickle load of space for a laptop.
#2. WD is generally a reliable brand, I haven't had any problems with them, and their internal and external hard-drives get very good reviews, especially compared to competitors products.
Some might be concerned whether this is for laptops or not: I was new to HD's and had to do quite a bit of research. To clarify, Yes, this is compatible with laptops. All 2.5 IN" Drives are.
I Haven't had any problems with heating up, either. Macbooks tend to run hot, so I was concerned about this issue. I have maintained about the same temperatures, give or take. It almost feels quieter, but that might just be my imagination, I don't have anything to prove it. The point it, I didn't notice it was hotter or louder than my original drive.
All in All, I'm very pleased with this drive and will keep all of you updated. Peace Out, and keep this in mind if your computer needs to undergo a gastric.