Conclusion

The last Western Digital RE drive we tested was the 2 TB Western Digital RE4-GP. It was a lower-powered version that ran at a fixed spindle speed between 5,400 and 7,200 RPM (Western Digital refused to disclose the exact spindle speed), with a SATA 3 Gb/s interface.

The new 4 TB Western Digital RE (WD4000FYYZ) is quite a different beast altogether. It sports a new dual-core processor, higher-density platters and a SATA 6 Gb/s interface. So it comes to no surprise to see the 4 TB WD RE trash the RE4-GP in practically all our tests. More importantly, its dual-core processor allowed it to greatly improve its ability to process more transactions simultaneously.

In fact, the 4 TB Western Digital RE was significantly faster than even the updated 2 TB Western Digital Caviar Black (with a 6 Gbps interface), so there is no doubt - this is one fast hard disk drive. To top it all, it has the largest storage capacity in the market - 4 whole terabytes. Remember when computers only had 40 MB hard disk drives? That was just 21 years ago!

This new enterprise-grade hard disk drive from Western Digital is not only fast and voluminous, it also boasts of extensive testing for maximum reliability. While desktop hard disk drives get only a few hours of burn-in, each and every Western Digital RE hard disk drive must pass muster after undergoing two whole weeks of stress tests under variable temperatures. RE drives that make it through are guaranteed to operate at 100% load in 24/7 operations with a MTBF of 1.2 million hours. Western Digital backs that up with a 5-year warranty.

So what's not to like about this drive? For one thing, it does consume more power than desktop hard disk drives. Even when it idles, it consumes almost 9 watts of power (more than twice that of the Western Digital RE4-GP). This ramps up to just over 10 watts when the drive is actively reading or writing (50% more than the RE4-GP). Its higher power consumption also translates into higher drive temperatures. As we noted in our test results, the WD4000FYYZ is one of the hottest-running hard disk drives in our comparison.

This isn't really an issue when the drive is used in its intended application - in a server in an air-conditioned datacenter. This may be a problem if you decide to use this drive in a personal computer or workstation. In such an instance, you should try to ensure proper cooling of the drive.

If you are looking for a properly stress-tested hard disk drive that is fast and voluminous, then there is no doubt that this is the drive you should consider. But be prepared to pay a premium for it. All that testing does not come cheap!

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

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