Western Digital WD VelociRaptor WD2500HHTZ 250GB 10000 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

Pros: It's Fast

Cons: I zeroed out the drive and the error i was getting went away so I didn't replace the drive. BIG MISTAKE! Now I have to send it to WD for replacement because the drive is giving the same error again. It still functions, but it will give corrupted data when it gets to that bad sector eventually.

Other Thoughts: From previous post on 4/22/13:

Pros: It's fast. I wish I had bought the 500GB drive on the Christmas sale.

Cons: I have always used WD, but this drive has not proven itself well. I bought 2 of these and 1 died just before the RMA deadline. Im getting a replacement and seeing how that goes before I give it more than 3 eggs.

This thing is loud when you run it without raid. I could tell the difference when i converted it back from raid 0 to non-raid. Doesn't really bother me though.

Other Thoughts: I have had the 74GB version for 5 years (bought them used on ebaaay) and they still work in raid-0 without a problem. I would power off the system without shutting down windows and no problems ever. I did that 1 time with 2 of these 250GB drives in raid-0 and one of the drives died. Doing an extended test on it right now and it has frozen at a sector read. Will zero it out and see how that goes!

Manufacturer Response:

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced with the WD VelociRaptor, as this is not the typical experience with the product. We are very sorry to hear that your drive did not function so soon after it was delivered. Western Digital does rigorously test and verify all of our drives, prior to shipping, with burn-in and diagnostic tests. We stand behind our warranty for the duration of the products provided warranty period, and as such, we are here to support our products regardless of the circumstances. We would like to assure you that what you have experienced is extremely abnormal. We would appreciate the opportunity to further assist you, and resolve any further concerns you may have with the device and/or your experience. You may contact us at 1 (800) 275-4932, or via our support website at: http://support.wdc.com/rs/. Please indicate within the online case creation or with the first support agent you speak with, that you are responding to a Newegg review, so we route you and your information to the correct team members.

Pros: this is my 4th raptor and the performance has always been great. looks great and great quality.

Cons: they can be loud at times.

Pros: The customer service was great. I give 3 stars for the customer service alone because I haven't had a chance to test the replacement. I don't want to change the hard drives back out at this point.

Cons: First hard drive failed. Now I have installed my old 7200 RPM WD and do not want to take a chance on switching back. I'll have to save it for a new build or wait till my 7200 WD gets weak.

Other Thoughts: This company(WD) replaced my hard drive fast. So I will stick with this company.

Manufacturer Response:

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced with the WD VelociRaptor, as this is not the typical experience with the product or with tech support. We are very sorry to hear that your drive did not function so soon after it was delivered. Western Digital does rigorously test and verify all of our drives, prior to shipping, with burn-in and diagnostic tests. As a troubleshooting step, please try using another SATA cable and if possible try connecting the hard drive to another computer. Should the problem persist, we will stand by our warranty policy and replace your drive for you directly. Follow the links below for more information.
How to get an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) or replace a defective product under warranty http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8
For helpful information on the proper handling of your drives please visit the following link. http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1486
If you require anything further please contact us at 1 (800) 275-4932, or via our support website at: http://support.wdc.com/rs/. Please indicate within the online case creation or with the first support agent you speak with, that you are responding to a Newegg review, so we route you and your information to the correct team members.

Pros: It's fast. I wish I had bought the 500GB drive on the Christmas sale.

Cons: I have always used WD, but this drive has not proven itself well. I bought 2 of these and 1 died just before the RMA deadline. Im getting a replacement and seeing how that goes before I give it more than 3 eggs.

This thing is loud when you run it without raid. I could tell the difference when i converted it back from raid 0 to non-raid. Doesn't really bother me though.

Other Thoughts: I have had the 74GB version for 5 years (bought them used on ebaaay) and they still work in raid-0 without a problem. I would power off the system without shutting down windows and no problems ever. I did that 1 time with 2 of these 250GB drives in raid-0 and one of the drives died. Doing an extended test on it right now and it has frozen at a sector read. Will zero it out and see how that goes!

Manufacturer Response:

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced with the WD VelociRaptor, as this is not the typical experience with the product. We are very sorry to hear that your drive did not function so soon after it was delivered. Western Digital does rigorously test and verify all of our drives, prior to shipping, with burn-in and diagnostic tests. We stand behind our warranty for the duration of the products provided warranty period, and as such, we are here to support our products regardless of the circumstances. We would like to assure you that what you have experienced is extremely abnormal. We would appreciate the opportunity to further assist you, and resolve any further concerns you may have with the device and/or your experience. You may contact us at 1 (800) 275-4932, or via our support website at: http://support.wdc.com/rs/. Please indicate within the online case creation or with the first support agent you speak with, that you are responding to a Newegg review, so we route you and your information to the correct team members.

Pros: Fast, quiet until they burst then you hear just a slight whirl sound.
Two in raid 1 on a Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-UP4 and they fly.

Cons: None, price was awesome when they were on sale. I was going with the RE4 until I seen the sale and the choice was clear.

Now that I know how snappy these are I'd pay the premium over the RE4, these have raid specific features as well.

Other Thoughts: CDM
Sequential Read : 478.444 MB/s
Sequential Write : 146.497 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 540.107 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 240.611 MB/s

HDtunepro shows:
186mb max read
160mb avg read

4161mb/s burst, that is blistering.
Web sites explode onto the screen, programs load up almost instantly.

The 64mb cache really shows it's power here.

Pros: I have had a preference for Western Digital Drives above others I have had.
These drives are sleek looking, cool running, and quiet compared to previous 7200 rpm hard drives.
This is my forth build. I am currently running the 4 drives in RAID 10 and really pleased with the performance.
I am happy.

Cons: Really none.
Maybe a higher price than I am used to for a drive, but you get what you pay for.

Pros: This hard drive performs well, but is a little noisy for the price / supposed quality, I think.

Cons: Loud

Pros: Nothing nice to say about this hard drive.

Cons: It sounds like a grinder and slower than the 1TB 7200 WD drive that it replace. Piece of junk. This drive should fly with my combo and im disappointed with WD which I have trusted for years. I would've left no eggs if I could've.

Manufacturer Response:

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced with the WD Velociraptor, as this is not the typical experience with the product. There a few things that could affect the drive performance and in this situation it is good to make sure the installation is optimal. In regards of the drives unusual sound, there are many variables that could amount to a drive emitting unusual sounds when powered on. To test our drives health, we have our Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows (WinDLG) utility, and Mac users can of course use Disk Utility and First Aid. For information on how to use the WinDLG utility, please view the information provided by the following link.
How to tell if the noise or sound the drive is making is normal
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/568
How to test a drive for problems using Data Lifeguard Diagnostics for Windows http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/940
How to access Disk Utility on a Mac computer http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1362
Please contact us directly so we can assist you with your concerns further. You may reach us at 1 (800) 275-4932, or via our support website at: http://support.wdc.com/rs/. Please indicate within the online case creation or with the first support agent you speak with, that you are responding to a Newegg review, so we route you and your information to the correct team members.

Pros: NONE

Cons: Crashed after 2 1/2 months.

Manufacturer Response:

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced with the WD Velociraptor, as this is not the typical experience with the product.
It is unfortunate that your device has malfunctioned in such a short time frame. We understand your situation and will gladly replace your in-warranty drive, as we stand by our products and their associated warranties.
How to get an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) or replace a defective product under warranty
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/8
We would appreciate the opportunity to further assist you, and resolve any further concerns you may have with the device and/or your experience. You may contact us at 1 (800) 275-4932, or via our support website at: http://support.wdc.com/rs/. Please indicate within the online case creation or with the first support agent you speak with, that you are responding to a Newegg review, so we route you and your information to the correct team members.

Pros: Fast for not being an SSD. Offers near SSD speeds for half the price. Put them in a RAID and they scream.

Cons: Noise while under heavy transfer loads but most drives of this type are. If your PC is on the floor you probably will not hear it as much or at all.

Other Thoughts: Overall it's well worth it if you don't want 5 second boot times but a more responsive system. Getting 182 MB/s both read and write using as system drive. Random performance is very good as well. Beats my two WD Blacks on a RAID 0 in everything but sequential performance.