Conclusion

Armed with dual processors, a fast 64 MB cache and the new SATA 6 Gbps interface, the improved 3 TB Western Digital Caviar Green (WD30EZRX) is the latest iteration of Western Digital's venerable eco-friendly desktop hard disk drives to feature higher-density 750 GB platters, and one of the few hard disk drives in the world capable of delivering more than 2.1 TB of storage.

With a higher spindle speed of around 6,600 RPM, this drive is faster than its 3 Gbps cousin, the original WD30EZRSDTL. That improved performance comes at the cost of higher power consumption and thermal output although it's a small price to pay to make up for the performance sapping effect of the drive's AFT emulation mode.

Like all newer Western Digital high-capacity hard disk drives, this model supports the Western Digital-pioneered Advanced Format Technology (AFT). However, this is not full-fledged AFT drive as it still uses 512-byte emulation for compatibility reasons, and therefore appears to be a regular hard disk drive to the outside world. Due to the use of an emulation mode, there are performance ramifications, of course. You can read all about it here - The Western Digital Advanced Format Performance Comparison Guide.

Thanks to the boost in spindle speed and to a much smaller degree, the faster SATA 6 Gbps interface; the new Western Digital WD30EZRX is now one of the fastest Caviar Green models, losing out only to the non-AFT 2 TB Caviar Green. This makes the WD30EZRX the obvious choice if you want a 3 TB hard disk drive, even if you don't have a SATA 6 Gbps controller.

Before you buy a Western Digital WD30EZRX though, please note that it will only work with the new UEFI-based motherboards and even then, it will not support older operating systems like Microsoft Windows XP. The Western Digital WD30EZRX is also more than twice as expensive as the 2 TB Western Digital Caviar Green. Obviously, Western Digital decided that there should be a price premium for a drive that, for the moment, has no competitor.

To learn how to properly install this 3 TB hard disk drive in Microsoft Windows Vista, click here!

For the lowest current prices on Western Digital Caviar Green hard disk drives, click here!

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