Nice reivew by Adrian Wong. I don't understand though what is the source of the ES line's claimed higher reliability? Is this strictly from the higher rotational tolerances? Is there a mechanical difference in the design of the mechanical drive or do they simply handpick the ES drives for better yield? Maybe handpicked platters? I don't mind shelling out the little bit of extra cash if it buys me some peace of mind. It's a great price if it really delivers on reliability. I'd just like to understand better where the reliability comes from.
I did speak to a Seagate rep about the ES drives. According to him, unlike desktop drives, ES drives are designed to run 24/7. They are also designed to tolerate a certain degree of rotational vibration, something which desktop drives are not actually tested for. That's why he's trying to get the ES drives adopted by cybercafes. Since they run their systems 24/7, the added reliability will reduce the number of drive failures. So, if you believe what he says, the extra reliability is well worth the price paid if you do run your systems 24/7.
That doesn't mean the ES will be lower. How would you know if they are not trying to make more bucks?
We don't. That's why he's trying to get them to do a trial run, so that they can see if there's a significant reduction in the number of drive failures. It's a test of the ES drives in a cybercafe environment.
