Western Digital makes big SAS drives affordable

2.4PB a rack should be close to enough

Sep 27, 2012 by

Western Digital LogoWestern Digital has finally come out with four large SAS drives called the WD RE line. These new drives come in 1-4TB sizes with three SATA variants from 2-4TB.

The full names of the new drives are the 3.5″ WD RE SAS and WD RE SATA lines, and both have a seriously upped MBTF from their desktop counterparts at 1.4 and 1.2 million hours respectively. The SAS version is SAS 6Gbps, and has all the standard features like dual porting and advanced error correction. With the largest of these, you can fit a rather insane 2.4PB in a single rack, possibly more if you push hard.

The drives themselves are five platter units that hold 800GB per platter, don’t ask us how the math works out on the 1, 2, and 3 TB models though. The cost is a little more than a standard 3.5″ drive, but given the amount of data stored, the reliability is worth it. The SATA versions cost $229, $349, and $459 for the 2, 3, and 4TB versions, SAS adds $20 to that. A 1TB WD RE SAS will run you a mere $139. The wait for big and reliable storage is over, thanks WD.S|A

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Charlie Demerjian

Roving engine of chaos and snide remarks at SemiAccurate
Charlie Demerjian is the founder of Stone Arch Networking Services and SemiAccurate.com. SemiAccurate.com is a technology news site; addressing hardware design, software selection, customization, securing and maintenance, with over one million views per month. He is a technologist and analyst specializing in semiconductors, system and network architecture. As head writer of SemiAccurate.com, he regularly advises writers, analysts, and industry executives on technical matters and long lead industry trends. Charlie is also available through Guidepoint and Mosaic. FullyAccurate