WD Raptor 36.70 GB Internal Hard Drive - 1 Pack

Overall this drive is awesome. I...

Strengths: Very quick and surprisingly quiet. Stable despite high temperatures.

Weakness: Gets hot in a hurry.

Overall this drive is awesome. I don't have any real complaints. I can't believe these drives are being compaired to SCSI though. SATA hasn't even scratched the surface of it's potential and as of this writing (12/23/2004) current drives aren't even full SATA spec. That isn't supposed to happen until 2006. An all aluminum case has been sufficient to disperse the heat generated by these drives (8...
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Overall this drive is awesome. I don't have any real complaints. I can't believe these drives are being compaired to SCSI though. SATA hasn't even scratched the surface of it's potential and as of this writing (12/23/2004) current drives aren't even full SATA spec. That isn't supposed to happen until 2006.
An all aluminum case has been sufficient to disperse the heat generated by these drives (8 total in RAID 10), though a fan could help. These drives run and store my business. I have trusted Western Digital with both business and pleasure for about 6 years and they have yet to let me down so I no longer question reliability. Just do your research. Every manufacturer makes less-than-desirable products, but you won't get stuck with those as long as you sift through your options.

By speedkreature - Dec 23, 2004

The fastest hard drive I've ever...

Strengths: Super fast!!! This thing just flies.

Weakness: None.

The fastest hard drive I've ever owned. This blows my 7200RPM hard drive away. This hard drive is deffinately worth the extra money compared to a 7200RPM hard drive.

By paladin88 - Mar 4, 2004

I have two Raptors in a RAID 0...

Strengths: Extremely fast Quiet

Weakness: SATA connector somewhat weak-use the new WD SATA cable only

I have two Raptors in a RAID 0 array (with a drive image on a third data drive for safekeeping). The system is blazingly fast. "Thrilled" is an understatement. The only problem to report is that with one of my original Raptors, the SATA cable must have put too much torque on the connector at the drive and it snapped off the plastic "siding", ruining it. It appears that Western Digital has...
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I have two Raptors in a RAID 0 array (with a drive image on a third data drive for safekeeping). The system is blazingly fast. "Thrilled" is an understatement.
The only problem to report is that with one of my original Raptors, the SATA cable must have put too much torque on the connector at the drive and it snapped off the plastic "siding", ruining it. It appears that Western Digital has recognized this weakness and is now providing a redesigned SATA cable that is wider and more secure than a regular SATA cable. For this reason, I would not recommend using a regular SATA cable...use the one provided by WD and save yourself some grief.
These drives are a MUST BUY! The only ones that are better than these are the 74gb Raptors.

By jnice - Mar 8, 2004

I bought two of these babies for...

Strengths: Fast

Weakness: None

I bought two of these babies for raid 0 configuration. These things smoke when loading Unreal Tournament 2003 or any other game for that matter. I have two fans blowing on them so hopely they will stay cool cuz they spin at 10,000 rpm.

By styxrogan - Sep 9, 2003

Since no one else has done a...

Strengths: Fast, SATA Cable is nice and thin.

Weakness: Absolutely none!

Since no one else has done a review about running the Raptor not in RAID0, I will. Even running the single drive is noticeably faster than a regular 7200 RPM Drive. Windows XP Pro/SP1 loads in less than 10 seconds after POST. Total boot time is about 19 seconds. I highly recommend this drive even for just a regular single drive.

By CMB350 - Dec 3, 2003