Western Digital VelociRaptor 300 GB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 2.5 Inch, 16 MB Cache, 10,000 RPM SATA II WD3000GLFS
by Western Digital
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List Price: Our Price: $199.00 You Save: $130.99 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $79.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Western Digital VelociRaptor 300 GB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive 2.5 Inch, 16 MB Cache, 10,000 RPM SATA II WD3000GLFS
Customer Review: Great Drive, packaged OEM
Summary: 4 Stars
The Western Digital 10KRPM Velociraptor hard drive series is the fastest non-solid state drives out there. There are no funky drivers or software or connectors or cables or anything: the drive plugged in just like a standard SATA drive, bolted to my PC's chassis just like any hard drive, and was whizzing away at 10,000 revolutions per minute as soon as I hit the power switch.
I wish I had benchmarked my system before and after to compare the true impact of the drive: I do notice an improvement while playing games and working in MS Office, but the change isn't Earth-shattering.
The fact that Amazon sells the OEM version but advertises it without letting on is a little devious - luckily the price difference between Amazon and the other guys makes it worth it: just be sure you have the SATA cables and mounting hardware before you buy! And don't expect a manual or CD of software or, well, anything other than an awesome harddrive and plastic packaging.
Customer Review: Fast, quiet, cool, good upgrade from the older 150GB 3.5" version but expensive
Summary: 4 Stars
I just upgraded from the older 150GB 3.5" version of the Raptor. It seems noticeably faster. Not only is it faster, but the capacity is double and it runs quieter and cooler. The only reason I am giving it 4 instead of 5 stars is because of the premium price. I think it is a little "too premium". Would be 5 stars if this drive was $200. Even at $200, it would be much more expensive on a per gigabyte basis than a typical 7200 RPM drive. Because of what I think is an excessive price premium I can only give it 4 stars.
Example: 1TB for $150 (which you can get now) is 15 cents per GB. This drive is 97 cents per GB. That's 547% MORE per GB. That's quite a hefty premium so make sure it's worth it for you. If you paid that much for a 1TB drive (at 97 cents/GB), then it would cost about $970 instead of $150!
Customer Review: Packaging Questionable
Summary: 4 Stars
When I received the Western Digital VelociRaptor 300GB 10,000 RPM SATA Bulk/OEM Hard Drive WD3000GLFS, it was double boxed; a smaller box in a larger box. The hard drive itself was secured very well in the smaller box, in molded plastic. But the smaller box was just placed in a larger box with no additional packing which allowed the inner box, with the hard drive, to just jostle about during shipping & handling. Knowing a little bit about how hard drives are built, I sure hope the poor packaging does affect it's performance in the future. Right now the hard drive is working flawlessly...so far.
Customer Review: Really fast drive
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the fastest non-enterprise drive I've ever used. It benchmarks twice as fast as the stock 320GB 7200rpm drive that came in my Mac Pro. The only thing keeping it from getting 5 stars is that the SATA/Power plugs aren't in the standard spot so some modification to the computer is required to get it working with hot swap/drive sleds. WD has apparently addressed this problem in a new revision. Get that version if you have sleds/hot swap. Also, this drive is very quiet for a 10K drive. The only sound I hear from it is when the heads are accessing something.Customer Review: Very basic, nothing included.
Summary: 4 Stars
I have barely started using the drive, formatted it and checked with the WD tools to find that it has no bad sectors and it is indeed fast.
No sata data or power cable
No Mounting screws
No manual
No rebate
Nothing but the hard disk, plastic holders (good ones), 1 air cushion and the receipt in a box.