The need for additional storage space was always related to the producers' ability to integrate as much drive platters onto a single device as they physically could. That resulted in a very low price/GB ratio, but in the same time had two major issues. Although drives with 3 and 4 platters had more space than those that came equipped with only 2, they also consumed a lot more power. And as a result, they got hotter and produced a lot more noise.



Hitachi's E7K500 series belongs to the old class in terms of performance/platter, combining no less than 5 platters (10 heads) and a very effective acoustic management program. The power draw is somewhat bigger when you compare it with 2/3-platter HDDs, but the audio stays really clean as the unit hardly produces any noise. This unit offers about 100GB/platter and that's enough for almost every storage addict.



Of course, the fact that its barely audible combined with a very high performance index helps a lot. Moreover, it's safe to say that Hitachi's offer is also better in terms of price. And if one unit ain't enough, two or four will definitely help especially in Raid 0. It's also worth mentioning the fact that this unit comes with full SATA II support and as a result it will only work in SATA II with NCQ mode. The E series does not have a PATA version, so if you want a PATA 500GB Hitachi, you're better off with a T7K500 series.



Rolling back the story towards the price issue, the E7K500 series is widely available throughout product channels and can be easily spotted due to the fact that its design is not that new. You can choose to buy it from an online or local system integrator but in the end you'll have to pay the same 150 US Dollars.