Are WD Raptors Worth it?

[indyjones]

Hi all,

I need to replace a couple of hard drives on other systems at home, and I have two options, the first is to obviously buy new hard drives for them, the other is to use the two Seagate drives I currently have as raid 0 in my systems and buy something new.

So on to my question would it be worth it for me swap my raid 0 setup (with the HDD in my signature, these are SATA 1 devices) and go for a velocoraptor? (one to start with possibly another for raid one day when I have the cash).

I am not bothered about a lot of space, as I have a fileserver to drop my mp3s etc on 🙂

Cheers

 

[mlakrid]

Even the original Raptor would be an upgrade...

I say that because even if you have a software raid 0 the speed upgrade you get from a non redundant RAID is offset by the fact that if you lose either drive you lose all the information on your AID... no thats not a typo if its a rAID0 it should be AID0 as trhere is no redundancy...

PLUS ... there is nothing saying you cant have your WD as your boot drive only and keep several other drives in RAID 1...

Mike A!

 

[LordOfLA]

stick with raid or pick up some fujitsu 15k rpm SAS disks 🙂

 

[mlakrid]

@ LORD... UMM WHY?

He said he is not worried about space... so I would ASSuME that he wants the speed and faster read/write and access times... just a guess...

Seriously... just because the RPM's are faster doesnt make accessing the drive faster...

Dont take my word for it:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/the_new_fastest_hard_drive_ever

http://gizmodo.com/382013/western-digital-velociraptor-is-new-fastest-hard-drive-ever

Even going back to last year... the 74 GB raptor even being a SATA drive was still the fastest out of the creme de la creme...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/round,1132-37.html

Copied from the last page:

"To those who might wish to upgrade an existing UltraATA [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]system[/COLOR][/COLOR], we currently recommend the Hitachi [COLOR=blue! important][COLOR=blue! important]Desktop[/COLOR][/COLOR] T7K250 because of its great price/performance ratio. Those seeking bigger drives should consider offerings in the WD3200 family or the Barracuda 7200.8 lines: neither suffers from excessive access times, and both offer plenty of capacity. We'd build new systems around the Western Digital 3200JD right now, but if faster performance is absolutely essential, the 74 GB Raptor remains today's device of choice - just as it was yesterday's"

EDIT: FOR FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a Raptor FANBOI... 🙂

Cheers...

Mike A!

 

[fitz]

Mike, it's not the RPM on the SAS drive that makes the 15k SAS drives faster than any SATA drive. It's the interface.. SAS in general will be faster and more reliable than any comparible SATA drive.

From a SATA perspective, I would agree the raptors are some of the fastest drives you can buy. However, if you have the money to spring for a GOOD SAS card and drive, it would generally be much faster than any comparable SATA array..

 

[indyjones]

SAS would be too expensive I am afraid, for me I guess its a toss up between Raptors or maybe solid state? Although I personally feel the solid state is still a bit juvenile.

 

[mlakrid]

Mike, it's not the RPM on the SAS drive that makes the 15k SAS drives faster than any SATA drive. It's the interface.. SAS in general will be faster and more reliable than any comparible SATA drive.

From a SATA perspective, I would agree the raptors are some of the fastest drives you can buy. However, if you have the money to spring for a GOOD SAS card and drive, it would generally be much faster than any comparable SATA array..

SAS is NOT that much faster EDIT: when using average/everyday user apps... they are faster (and shine) when you have multiples accesses at the same time... SO... what you get from SAS:

More expense count on $300 for a SAS interface card
More Noise...
More Heat...
More power consumed...
And yes they are faster, but again, MOSTLY only when multiple accesses are concerned...

As far as the more reliable... I would like to see Statistics and I say that because SAS manufacturers will tell you that a SAS drive will normally only last 5 years at 24 hr ops... My Raptor has not failed yet and I am already at that 5 year mark... :laugh:

EDIT: ALthough I am not accessing, reading and writing with the sheer volume of a datacenter drive either...

GO WD...

Mike A!

 

[fitz]

mike - thanks for edits 🙂

For the most part I actually agree with your posts - most home users don't really need SAS drives. I would also make the argument that most home users don't need RAID0 either as it provides most users minimal gain and provides no data protection while exposing you to a greater risk of data loss..

I just had to comment on the whole SATA vs SAS - SAS is, in many ways, better - but unnecessary and too costly for most people 🙂 and for most people, the cost does not justify the gains

 

[mlakrid]

mike - thanks for edits 🙂

For the most part I actually agree with your posts - most home users don't really need SAS drives. I would also make the argument that most home users don't need RAID0 either as it provides most users minimal gain and provides no data protection while exposing you to a greater risk of data loss..

I just had to comment on the whole SATA vs SAS - SAS is, in many ways, better - but unnecessary and too costly for most people 🙂 and for most people, the cost does not justify the gains

To be fair, I had to put the edits in... I just don't see the cost benefit... although if you did truely handle a ton of data... SAS could be for you...

I mean why else would the makers of SAS equipment also put in the means for large datacenters to use SATA drives?

Sheer cost... no other reason... notice that WD has so far, not gone the route of SAS... which would lead me to believe they are working on their next Gen of HD... My guess is a solid state hybrid...

Now that would be SICK... :laugh:

Mike A!

 

[LordOfLA]

for a few $ more than a WD raptor/velociraptor you'll get a SAS disk with better all around performance. I don't see the logic of going the WD route.

 

[indyjones]

Cheers for the help Guys, bought a cheapo 80gig seagate off ebay for £13.... Will revisit this area when I have some more cash 😉

 

[greentea]

Just find that this Western Digital WD 74GB 10K RAPTOR Bulk/OEM Hard Drive is on sale now..hope it is helpful for u.

 

[micheljaw]

How much are two used WD Raptors worth?