NEWZ: Barracuda 7200.9 *500* GB Series

[Computer Generated Baby]

• 
  Barracuda 7200.9 disc drives... will feature a 7,200-rpm spin speed and an 8.0 msec average seek time. With 3Gb/s SATA performance... NCQ...

http://www.seagate.com/cda/newsinfo/newsroom/releases/article/0,1121,2733,00.html

 

[sechs]

So, when will people actually be able to buy these... 2009?

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

So, when will people actually be able to buy these... 2009?

Well, being that they still haven't come out with what was originally the 500 GB NL35 (Near-Line) -- which then became over time the 400 GB NL35 -- I'd suspect they have once again shifted to a model lineup focused on 500 GB technology. So, we should probably soon have the 500 GB NL35 series hard drives along with the newly announced 500 GB 7200.9 series hard drives. I'm sure the long range plan is to use the 7200.9 mechanism for both the desktop Barracuda and server NL35 series of hard drives.

The NL35 series will have drives available with either SATA2 or optical Fibre-Channel interfaces that have been called "FATA" in the past. The FATA interface will be nothing more than an optical Fibre Channel - to - SATA2 bridge, not a native fibre optic version of SATA. The idea with FATA is to be able to plug these NL35 series hard drives into new or existing Fibre Channel arrays, thus providing an inexpensive hard drive alternative for Fibre Channel users.

 

[CougTek]

...and an 8.0 msec average seek time.

The pdf says 8.5ms.

 

[LOST6200]

I would happy with ATA 100, just give me thed 500GB!!!

 

[time]

...and an 8.0 msec average seek time.

The pdf says 8.5ms.

And actual measurements will say 9.5-10mS. :x

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

...and an 8.0 msec average seek time.

The pdf says 8.5ms.

And actual measurements will say 9.5-10mS. :x

What have been the typical seek times measured in past 7200.X drives with Automatic Acoustic Management (AAM) enabled?

 

[LunarMist]

Is there any news regarding availability? I could really use some 500GB drives.

 

[Pradeep]

Dell had two 500GB Hitachi drives for around $580 a few weeks back.

 

[blakerwry]

...and an 8.0 msec average seek time.

The pdf says 8.5ms.

And actual measurements will say 9.5-10mS. :x

What have been the typical seek times measured in past 7200.X drives with Automatic Acoustic Management (AAM) enabled?

I think with the ATA IV / V drives the seek time went from ~9ms to ~12-13ms with AAM Enabled.

 

[LunarMist]

Dell had two 500GB Hitachi drives for around $580 a few weeks back.

Are those drives 5*100 GB and hot like the 7K400, or do they have denser platters?

 

[Corvair]

Is there any news regarding availability? I could really use some 500GB drives.

I've heard though a grapevine-based telecommunications device to expect seeing the 7200.9 series to start entering the retail channel around mid-to-late SEPTEMBER (that about 5 to 6 more weeks from now). One would have to think this will include the NL (NearLine) Series (SATA2, FATA) of drives that are based upon the same drive mechanism, though I suspect that some of these NL drives are indeed trickling in to certain monolith consumers of hard drives (HP, Sun, EMC, etc). .





<cough> Who knows, you might even see a large-ish 7200.9 SATA2 in an XBox 360 <cough>

 

[LunarMist]

I did not see anything in the recent press release about 500GB NL drives, only 400GB. We can only hope.

 

[Splash]

I did not see anything in the recent press release about 500GB NL drives, only 400GB. We can only hope.

Even though their existence seems to swing back and forth between affirmation and disaffirmation, *both* NL drives exist on paper, just like the DB35 500GB exists on paper, and the 500GB Barracuda 7200.9 exists on paper.

In fact, Seagate stealthily "redefined" the upper capacity limit of the 7200.9 family about a couple of months ago from 400 GB to 500 GB. I have an older PDF file around here somewhere that shows the upper capacity limit of the Barracuda 7200.9 at 400 GB!

By the way, the word from the street is that there is a bit of slightly worsening parts production backlog developing -- especially one for platters. Places like Komag that have contracts to manufacture platters to the drive maker's particular set of specifications can't keep up with current demand. So, don't expect to see any price breaks at the high end of the capacity range.

 

[LunarMist]

Well that is really f*cked. I have too many filesd and no places to store them. It is crazy with so many the drives all over. What to do and when?

 

[LiamC]

http://www.techreport.com/reviews/2005q3/deskstar-7k500/index.x?pg=1

5 platter design, 16MB buffer, NCQ, SATA-300

 

[LunarMist]

It is too bad that the Hitachi is a flamethrower I don't want.

 

[Onomatopoeic]

...to expect seeing the 7200.9 series to start entering the retail channel around mid-to-late SEPTEMBER (that about 5 to 6 more weeks from now).

Well, right on schedule...

The smaller half of the Seagate 7200.9 lineup (160 GB, 120 GB, 80 GB -- both ATA and SATA2) have been on sale in the far east (Japan, Singapore, etc) since last week. No news yet on the 200 GB, 300 GB, 400 GB, and 500 GB 7200.9 hard drives.

Since there is still a platter production shortage, I would expect these to take a few more weeks to pop up on the retail market.



Lunarmist: A 400 GB or even a pair of 300 GB drives at this point in time would make better economic sense, since the 500 GB hard drive -- in general -- as of Q3/Q4 2005 is most definitely in the (using marketing terminology) Early Adopter phase.

 

[Corvair]

The smaller half of the Seagate 7200.9 lineup (160 GB, 120 GB, 80 GB -- both ATA and SATA2) have been on sale in the far east (Japan, Singapore, etc) since last week.

The 80 GB, 120 GB, and 160 GB capacities of the Seagate 7200.9 are now showing up in force this week in the USA.

Where the hell are the 200 GB, 300 GB, 400 GB, and 500 GB capacities? Only Henry J. Seagate III knows. Rich bastard. He doesn't even have a clue how the other half even lives out here!!! THE PAIN...

 

[LunarMist]

Arrr! I'm dying here with so many TB of data.

And what is with the Corvair; did you ever own one?

 

[Dïscfärm]

And what is with the Corvair; did you ever own one?

Two, one after the other, both quite a while back -- a 1964 Spyder Turbo convertible (like my avatar, except forest green with two racing stripes) and a 1966 Corsa 140 hard-top with the stock 4-each one-barrel carbs replaced with a single Holley 750 4-barrel carb, exhaust headers, and Elektron mag wheels.

 

[mubs]

Hitachi Deskstar 500GB Serial ATA II HDD $333 at NewEgg.com. OEM.

 

[Dïscfärm]

I still thinkz Lunar should use 300 GB and *maybe* 400 GB drives during this point in time (2005) because those hard drives still have a better price-per-GB than the bleeding edge whoppers.

I personally would stick to a "2-platter rule" just for dependability (not to mention price) and consider some sort of off-line backup of all these hard drives, such as a decent used 80GB DLT, AIT-2, or similar high capacity tape drive. After backup, those tapes could go off-premises just in case any or all his hard drives suffer theft, fire, tornado, or Romulan attack.

 

[Dïscfärm]

...I personally would stick to a "2-platter rule" just for dependability...

"2-platter" meaning whatever hard drive I buy should have no more than 2 platters (or, 3 or 4 heads).

After a couple or three or four years or whatever, once we are firmly into the 750 GB / 1 TB / 1.2 TB hard drive era, all the data on those numerous lower-capacity hard drives could be consolidated onto the smaller number of higher-capacity hard drives, and the old hard drives re-deployed in some way or simply sold to reduce the drive number count.

 

[Fushigi]

I agree on the 2-platter rule. Question: Can you get more than 250GB in a now-shipping 2-platter drive?

 

[mubs]

Question: Can you get more than 250GB in a now-shipping 2-platter drive?

I'll re-phrase that for my own purposes: What is the highest capacity drive available in a 2-platter design (please, Maxtor, WD don't count). I ask because I'm so out of touch that I don't even know if 250 GB is available in a 2-platter design.

 

[Tannin]

The Samsung 200GB and 250GB drives are two-plater units, Mubs. I assume that other makers have similar products.

 

[mubs]

Thanks, Sir Tannin.

 

[Fushigi]

Yeah, I could have phrased my question better. Not too long ago I purchased one of the Samsung 250s for my wife's PC. It replaced her Quantum Atlas 10K II that died after something like 7+ years of service.

 

[LunarMist]

Yeah, I could have phrased my question better. Not too long ago I purchased one of the Samsung 250s for my wife's PC. It replaced her Quantum Atlas 10K II that died after something like 7+ years of service.

More like 5 years, one would calculate.

 

[Fushigi]

Perhaps. I don't really remember when I bought it, just that I've had it for a while. If I get the chance I'll take a look at the manufacture date on the drive; I don't think I've thrown it out just yet.

 

[Dïscfärm]

I agree on the 2-platter rule. Question: Can you get more than 250GB in a now-shipping 2-platter drive?

I guess I didn't make sense there in my last post. That's what one gets when they walk away for 20 minutes in the middle of writing something and come back to complete it!

Just to fill in the logic hole: My personal rule -- in these days and times of modern SATA/ATA hard drives -- is to only buy 2-platter or 1-platter hard drives if they spin at 7200 RPM. But, then again, I'm not trying to store a LOT of voluminous personal data like some of you. In the case of Mr. MistyLunar, one could bend my rule and go for a 3-plattter 7200 RPM.

Otherwise, it would be nice if someone would come out with a capacity-focused 5400 RPM mother-of-all-hard-drives, like maybe a 5400 RPM 650 GB or 700 GB hard drive, like maybe a new Maxtor MAXLine model range. This could be a 4-platter drive mechanism NOT necessarily based on perpendicular recording technology. This pie-in-the-sky hard drive could be aimed at the video set-top market as well as the tiered storage array market.

 

[Fushigi]

Wow! I've got 5 weeks of warranty left on the 10K II. I think I'll RMA that puppy and see what Quaxtor coughs up as a replacement.

Thanks, LM, I wouldn't have even thought about validating the warranty without your comment.

 

[LunarMist]

If you recall, Eugene reviewed a sample of the 10K II in early 2000 and other ones with different firmware later. General availability was delayed and delayed and delayed yet again. Tony made many comments about that drive. Meanwhile the similar Cheetahs were out and about far earlier.

 

[Fushigi]

I recall the firmware stuff, but my mind doesn't normally retain specific dates very well for things of lesser importance so I didn't remember exactly when I had purchased it. At the time, it was bought to be my data drive (boot was - and is - an original 18GB X-15). The 10K II became the boot drive in my wife's PC in 2001/2002 or thereabouts where it was fine up until a few weeks ago when it went kaput. A new Samsung 250GB ATA replaced it & I yanked the SCSI card.

If / when I get the replacement drive back, I'm not sure what'll become of it. I don't really need it and I'm not too interested in installing a small capacity bppt drive. Maybe I'll shelf-ware it for when my X-15 dies.

Which reminds me .. time for a backup.

 

[timwhit]

You could always sell it here...

 

[Tannin]

Wow! Lunar Mist, you have an extraordinary memory! (But there were some good posts in there - hey, with working material provided by the Quantum PR Department goons, it wasn't hard to raise a chuckle or two. Was it Maxtor or Quantum that had the drive "especially designed for the Pentium III"? Quantum, I think. What a hoot!)

 

[LunarMist]

I still thinkz Lunar should use 300 GB and *maybe* 400 GB drives during this point in time (2005) because those hard drives still have a better price-per-GB than the bleeding edge whoppers.

I personally would stick to a "2-platter rule" just for dependability (not to mention price) and consider some sort of off-line backup of all these hard drives, such as a decent used 80GB DLT, AIT-2, or similar high capacity tape drive. After backup, those tapes could go off-premises just in case any or all his hard drives suffer theft, fire, tornado, or Romulan attack.

I have mostly 250GB drives, some 300s and a couple of 400s. All but a couple are PATA. Anything less than 400 sems small. I gues the short- term solution would be to buy one 500GB SATA and one 500GB PATA drive to replace a pair of the 300Gb drives, and hope the Hitachis are not too hot and noisy. However, I don't know which reliable vendor stocks both drives.

 

[Mercutio]

Just buy SATA moving forward. The Hitachi 7k400s are really nice drives. I think they're actually cooler than the 7k250s (either that, or I mounted mine better). Depending on how fast you buy new drives and how full your existing ones are, you might be able to pull two of the little guys for each of the new ones.

And I'm sure there are several people here who would be very happy to get your "small" 250GB used drives, so underwriting new purchases should help.

 

[LunarMist]

Unless I can find a 1394b to SAT bridge, more SATA drives will be of no use. Only five directly connected hard drives are allowed in the system due to RAM limitations. The four primary drives are the 15K.3 (boot/apps only, no data), 300GB PATA, 300GB SATA, and 400GB PATA. The fifth drive is coonected through the swappable bay - there are about 15 removable PATA drives. There are three internal backup drives for data zPATA on firewirees - 300, 300, and 400GB, naturally. They are only turned on a few times per day during the backups. In addition there is one external firewire enclosure with 2x200GB drives (hardly used anymore), one with 6 x 250GB drives, and one with a removable bay so that drives can be insetred withou robioioting. It is madness, sheer maedness...