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WD's Caviar Black and RE4 2TB drives get benchmarked, one is wicked fast
Western Digital plopped itself firmly in the midst of the 2TB HDD battle back in early September, and if you've been holding off on buying your next slab of storage until the benchmarks hit, we're pleased to inform you that the wait is over. The crew over at Hot Hardware slapped both the Caviar Black and RE4 drives into their testing rigs in order to put 'em both through their respective paces. Without getting into the nitty-gritty, both of the 7200RPM drives were mighty quick in real-world use -- not SSD quick, mind you, but pretty darn snappy given the capaciousness. When push came to shove, the Caviar Black managed to pull ahead in terms of raw speed, but given that the RE4 is really an enterprise drive, we doubt you're keeled over in shock. Hit the source link for all the charts and bars, but only if you've got a C-note or three to burn once you get the itch.
WD ships 7200RPM 2TB desktop hard drives: Caviar Black and RE4
Surely you recall Western Digital's earlier 2TB effort, the Caviar Green -- right? While said drive was just perfect for the casual storage junkie, performance gurus know that it left something to be desired on the speed front. Thankfully, WD is looking out for that crowd too with a new pair of 7200RPM 2TB drives: the Caviar Black (shown left) and RE4 (shown right). Both four-platter drives boast 64MB of cache, a dual stage actuator, 3Gbps SATA interface and an integrated dual processor. The latter also promises 1.2 million hours MTBF, Active Power Save, a multi-axis shock sensor and a few other high-end advancements designed for enterprise users seeking long-term reliability. The pain? Try $299 for the now-available 2TB Caviar Black, while the RE4 awaits an MSRP as it's "being qualified by OEMs." Check the full release just past the break.
