Hi,

First up a nice review, both in depth and interesting.

I think a lot of computer enthusiasts such as myself are increasingly going towards the boot drive / storage drive configuration. In this setup a fast drive can be used to contain the OS and other critical apps (+ maybe a couple of games) where the other bigger HD would contain your other software and your storage.

In this configuration you get the boost of not only a v.fast boot drive / OS drive but also the big storage drive.

Anyhow thats my take on the trend. Look 4ward to your nxt review :)

[Edit: Can i also just point out that its far cheaper currently to buy 2*200gb drives than 1*400gb, 2*200gb is the way to go if u have enough SATA slots of your mobo for your additional raptor drive]

for the Raptor owners. how loud are those puppies? I need to replace my boot drive and I was looking at them. However as I get older I need less noise. Clue me in please, or PMAITK

Great review.

Incredibly minor nitpick however from http://techreport.com/reviews/2005q1/seagate-7200.8/index.x?pg=1

"Unfortunately, the 7200.8's acoustics aren't quite as low as its predecessor's. However, the difference is only a couple of bels and may not show up in our noise testing. The new Barracuda does claim to offer lower power consumption, particularly at idle. That's something we'll be testing, as well."

That should be DECIbels I think....

Other than that, like I said, great review,
-Mole

Chipset drivers are a year old.

The only problem with these drives right now is the price! $300+ for 400GB. I just saw a deal the other day at Tiger Direct, Seagate 200GB SATA for $99+SH (no rebates, thats the out-the-door price). I can buy three 200GB drives and still have money left over. Now $250 would be a more reasonable price... plus from what I've heard Seagate 500GB drives should be announced in May... I'm tempted to buy 3 500GB drives and get a 1TB RAID-5 system going. I just need to find the money!

It's all about the warranty - IMHO.

I refuse to use not-Seagate drives anymore. They are 'fast enough' and quiet and the warranty is killer.

The Raptor is in dire need of a update. The gap between it and standard drives is shrinking as we can see.It's becoming a hard buy to justify when another drive is offering over 5 times the capacity with only a small performance loss. Great review BTW

I just got 3 of these things and built a RAID5 array out of them. The performance isnt stellar (my raid card sucks), but it runs extremely cool for having 3 hard drives chugging away stacked close to each other without any additional cooling. I could have gotten deathstars or something else for less, but the 5 year warranty and solid reputation were the deal makers

I actually have 2 of these things...and they're both full already, now granted most of the data is redundant just for backup. I still want even larger drives though...

A reader pointed out that a product brochure buried deep within Seagate's web site reveals that the 7200.8 uses 133GB rather than 100GB platters. The review has been updated to reflect this.

Hummmm -- 6 hours ago I bought a 300 gig maxtor.

It's full already cause I transfered everything offa all the piddly ass 40 & 80 gig drives I had laying around.

Maybe I shoulda got one of these 400 gig guys instead -- na, I figure I might as well just go get another 300 gig maxtor tomarrow.

And yes -- I too love my raptor!

Thanks for the review.

4 of my 6 current desktop drives are Seagates.
I switched to them the day the went to 5 year warrantys.
For speed, I keep a Raptor for as Boot/OS drive.

/me hugs my baby raptor :-)