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Seagate Barracuda 3TB Review; A 1TB / Platter Monster is Unleashed

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AkG

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Conclusion

Conclusion


Back in 1980 when Shugart Technology – what was later to become Seagate – created the first 5.25” form factor hard drive, they began laying the foundation for a legacy of innovation which has now spanned over three decades. In the intervening years Seagate may have had some rocky moments but they are still known for consistently producing some of the most reliable, cutting edge storage devices on the market. The latest Barracuda 3TB is certainly no exception to this longstanding tradition.

We admittedly had some high expectations for this new hard drive and boy did Seagate deliver throughout our testing. One word comes to mind: domination. In many benchmarks it was light years ahead of the competition, routinely handing embarrassing defeats to Western Digital Blacks and previous generation Barracudas alike. This really is a genre defining product and could usher in a new dawn for spindle-based storage if Seagate sees fit to cascade 1TB platter technology down into lower price points.

On the pricing front, the new Barracuda has some big shoes to fill since it takes over flagship status in Seagate’s current lineup while replacing the venerable “LP” series. The initial asking price of $180 sounds like a great deal considering Western Digital’s Green 3TB goes for $230 while Hitachi’s 5K3000 3TB hits $220. However, this is just a “suggested” retail price and with hard drive prices rapidly spinning out of control, it will be interesting to see where the new Barracuda will end up once it hits retail channels.

Even though Seagate has hit nearly every high point with this drive, there is one area in which we found it lacking: warranty length. With Hitachi, Samsung and Western Digital all offering 3 year warranties on their 3TB products, the Barracuda’s 2 years of coverage feels slightly anemic by comparison.

While the real test for the Barracuda 3TB will come once its final retail price is unveiled, there is no denying that it is currently one of the best hard drives currently on the market. Seagate has effectively combined efficiency with high end performance without charging an arm and a leg. As such, the Barracuda becomes one of only a few products to win a trifecta of awards from us.

Pros:

- Class leading performance
- Massive Capacity
- Very reasonable price
- Low power consumption for a 7200rpm drive


Cons:

- Disappointingly short 2 year warranty
- While a very good price $180 is still a lot for a hard drive
- The release of this drive signifies the end of the 5900rpm LP line


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http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...da-3tb-review-1tb-platter-comment-thread.html
 
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