If we were to play a word association game with a Computer enthusiast and told "Western Digital," it is probably his geek reflexes would instantly initiation and force him to respond "Raptor" early he still recognized he had talked. Western Digital creates many more memory products other than only the velocity demons familiar as Raptors, though. While it is simple to be tranced with the Raptors, they are comparatively valuable and extend just a fraction of the capability of the 500GB and 750GB behemoths recently on the market.


Our laboratories were blessed with one such behemoth from Western Digital, the WD5000KS, which is a extremity of the Caviar SEXVI family. This 500GB SATA 3Gb/s drive characteristics a XVIMB cache and a 7200 RPM spindle velocity.


The Raptors, with their Xk RPM spindle velocity, have succeeded the entire 3.5" desktop HDD function crown, but they


Name: Western Digital WD5000KS Five hundred GB SATA HDD.jpg Views: 24 Size: 16.0 KB


do not succeed any capacity fight. That is where the WD5000KS arrives in. Most individual select capacity over velocity, Particularly considering the cost premium for higher function. But can the 500GB Western Digital WD5000KS drive be a succeeded on together fronts?


Although it did not arrive in a retail box, our example was not shipped as a bare drive. It arrived with the similar accessories you would search in a entire retail package, adding a Quick Install Guide, a CD with Data Lifeguard Tools, 4 mounting screws and a Series ATA wire with Secure Connect.


In the 2nd image over, you can see the WD5000KS's links, which add an VIII-pin custom header, a SATA information link, a SATA power link, and a 4-pin (or Molex) power link. The comprehension of the IV-pin power link will please users who do not have a power supply that characteristics SATA power wires.


In this picture, you can see what the custom VIII-pin header is for. While pins One and Two are jumpered, SSC (Spread Spectrum Clocking) is changed. Jumpering pins V and VI changes SATA 150MB/s just operation, which might be requirement for compatibility on few elder CPU boards.