DigitMemo.com

It’s the era of the terabyte. Which drive offers better performance and value?

That era really launched back in May when Hitachi delivered its 7K1000 terabyte hard drive. However, the 7K1000 was a five platter, ten head device, while Western Digital and Seagate ship four platter, four head devices. That’s right: The Western Digital WD10EACS and Seagate 7200.1 offer a cool 250GB per platter. That’s a lot of bits in a small area. Seagate’s take on a terabyte drive is a more traditional design, while Western Digital plays the green card. Which drive offers better performance and value?

For overall raw performance, the Seagate 7200.11 one terabyte hard drive has the edge in throughput and a majority of application tests. So any performance enthusiasts looking to add a terabyte solution to their systems would likely be happy with a Seagate.

• Pros: Huge capacity; excellent performance for a 7,200RPM drive; 32MB cache.
• Cons: Pricey; runs a little hot.
• Summary: If you want a near-ideal mix of capacity and performance, then the Seagate 7200.11 is a great choice, but it’s a little on the pricey side.

However, the Western Digital WD10EACS did well in several application tests. It also runs noticeably cooler and quieter than the Seagate drive. Call this the Prius of hard drives; it’s not quite as speedy as the competition, but it runs quieter and cooler. The Western Digital drive also costs less, which will appeal to thrifty users looking for large capacity and wanting to save a few dollars a year on power consumption as well.

• Pros: Low power usage; massive capacity; surprisingly good performance; quiet and cool; cost-effective.
• Cons: Performance is a little below the competition.
• Summary: While the WD10’s performance won’t amaze, the relatively quiet and cool operation, plus the great price will appeal to users looking for good value.