WD Raptor 16mb vs 8mb

[AndoOKC1]

Is there a significant difference? any benchmarks anywhere, i couldnt find any...whoops forgot to mention im wondering about the WD 74gb raptor

[nekrosoft13]

there will be a huge difference

8mb cache are based on old design with two platters, while the 16mb cache is based off the 150gb raptor, that has one platter.

less platters = less heat, less noise, higher speed, because data is denser

[drizzt81]

For all I know the WD1500ADFD has two patters, not one.
The difference is quite a bit.

benchmarks at www.storagereview.com
comparison here:
http://www.storagereview.com/php/benchmark/suite_v4.php?typeID=10&testbedID=4&osID=6&raidconfigID=1&numDrives=1&devID_0=309&devID_1=306&devID_2=259&devCnt=3

[AndoOKC1]

im confused by the review at Storage Review...i see that WD 150gb is nice and fast but the two raptors there do they 8mb cache or 16mb...i thought the FLC0 had 8mb and it looks to be very fast in that comparison...so whcih is it...is the 16mb 74gb faster than the 8mb 74gb or are they the same?

[DougLite]

The 74GB 16MB unit will be very close to the scores turned in by the 150GB 16MB unit. The 740ADFD benefits from higher density/transfer rates and twice the buffer size when contrasted with the 740GD. The 740GD-FLC__ has a slight edge on seek performance, but the larger buffer on the ADFD overcomes that.

Looking on ZZF right now, the 740ADFD is actually $3 cheaper than the 740GD. That makes picking the ADFD a no-brainer.

[-=Antimatter=-]

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1078069

[AndoOKC1]

the reason im asking is b/c someone is selling the FLC0 for $110 shipped leaving me ability to purchase maybe another 250 or 160gb drive...but thats if and only if you see a substantial difference between the 8mb and 16mb...how confusing

[drizzt81]

im confused by the review at Storage Review...i see that WD 150gb is nice and fast but the two raptors there do they 8mb cache or 16mb...i thought the FLC0 had 8mb and it looks to be very fast in that comparison...so whcih is it...is the 16mb 74gb faster than the 8mb 74gb or are they the same?

both 74GB units are SR are 8MB. WD has improved the firmware over time so that there is a significant difference between early and later raptors.

[drizzt81]

the reason im asking is b/c someone is selling the FLC0 for $110 shipped leaving me ability to purchase maybe another 250 or 160gb drive...but thats if and only if you see a substantial difference between the 8mb and 16mb...how confusing
Cosidering the review that tweakers.net has of the WD740ADFD, it is at least as fast as the WD1500ADFD. Given that, you can look at the SR benchmarks and consider whether the performance increase from a FLC___ is worth the extra money to you. From what I see, the difference is about 17% on average within single user tasks. If you can get the ADFD version for less than 17% more than the FLC, it would be a steal!


Low Level Suite 4.0 WD1500ADFD GD-FLC0 Difference
Average Random Access Time (R) 8 7.7 -3.90%
Average Random Access Time (W) 9 8.4 -7.14%
Maximum Transfer Rate 88.3 71.8 22.98%
Minimum Transfer Rate 60.2 53.9 11.69%

Single-User Suite 4.0 WD1500ADFD GD-FLC0 Difference
SR Office DriveMark 2006 1010 862 17.17%
SR High-End DriveMark 2006 775 641 20.90%
FarCry Performance 935 833 12.24%
The Sims 2 Performance 1010 833 21.25%
World of Warcraft Performance 775 671 15.50%
average: 17.41%


Multi-User Suite 4.0 WD1500ADFD GD-FLC0 Difference
IOMeter File Server - 1 I/O 126 134 -5.97%
IOMeter File Server - 2 I/O 125 134 -6.72%
IOMeter File Server - 4 I/O 126 134 -5.97%
IOMeter File Server - 8 I/O 126 133 -5.26%
IOMeter File Server - 16 I/O 125 134 -6.72%
IOMeter File Server - 32 I/O 126 134 -5.97%
IOMeter File Server - 64 I/O 148 158 -6.33%
IOMeter File Server - 128 I/O 149 159 -6.29%

numbers courtesy of SR. Considering the non-profit use of the numbers and the public acccesibility of the numbers, I don't see a copyright violation. Should this use not be covered under fair use I have no problem taking them down.

[AndoOKC1]

just ordered the WD740ADFD...just cant fight having the newer model

shhh...dont tell the wifey how much it is...lol