Western Digital 500GB RE2

I have combined these two to their own graphs, only because each one only spits out a few results. While PC Mark shows near identical HDD scores, Sandra tells us the same thing that HD Tune/Tach have.

Average in MB/s, Latency in ms

What good is a storage review without real world tests? No good at all, I say. To perform these tests, both the WD and Seagate drives were installed as secondaries, one at a time. Our benchmarking methodology applies here also… the computer is kept well cleaned up for testing to resist any lag or hitch.

The tests are rather simple, but that’s all they have to be. I have four sets of files that are located on the hard drive, and I test the time to duplicate them on the drive (copy to another location on the drive). Here are the file sets I have used:

• 4GB Solid (One File, 3,882,051,829 Bytes)
• 4GB Small (1,064 Files & 77 Folders, 3,981,538,497 Bytes)
• 4GB Large (2,130 Files & 0 Folders, 3,863,853,735 Bytes)
• 8GB Solid (One File, 7,929,461,187 Bytes)

I think the results speak for themselves. The RE2 is faster on average than the Seagate model, in every respect. We seen it in our synthetic benchmarks and also our real world tests.

After giving the RE2 500GB a test, I have to say I am impressed. I didn’t expect it to beat out the Seagate like it did, in every single test. Since this is an enterprise class drive, I guess it’s to be expected. What’s not to be expected though, is that the RE2 is cheaper than Seagates 500GB, in all the websites I’ve checked. Even though I may sound like I am discrediting the Seagate, I am not. It has the benefit of Native Command Queueing, which may prove to be the main selling point for some. For me, I enjoy the faster average Read and Write speeds.

Faster for less money, it sounds like a no-brainer. Both the Seagate and WD we have looked at today come with a 5-Year warranty, so any way I look at things, the RE2 would be the one to pick up. Now, if we could only see a 750GB version of the RE2! I am awarding the RE2 500GB a 9 out of 10 and our Editors Choice. If you are looking to upgrade your storage, you will not go wrong with the RE2 500GB.

Pros
• Proven faster than the Seagate 500GB
• Priced very well on select websites
• Includes sturdy S-ATA cable.
• Perfect for RAID

Cons
• Need to use Molex connector if you use included SATA cable.

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