WD Raptor X 150 GB HDD

[Jammrock]

http://www.wdraptorx.com

Western Digital is going to release an enthusist edition of the Raptor 150 HD, called the Raptor X...

See through enclosure



Cooooooooollllll.... from the "how we did it article:"

Transparent Lens: Finding a material that would withstand heat, pressure from 10,000 RPM turbulence and electrostatic discharge (ESD); provide a crystal-clear, unobstructed view of the disk and head assembly; and maintain high-volume manufacturability was a monumental challenge. WD finally settled on a special grade of crystalline polycarbonate and shaped the lens in a way that would maximize viewing area, structural rigidity and aesthetics. The team used laser Doppler vibrometers to determine optimal lens placement, while maintaining overall drive integrity. A unique ESD-dissipative coating, when used with the conductive frame, redirects an unwanted ESD charge out of harms way, protecting the read/write heads from potentially damaging zaps of static discharge. The lens is attached to the cover with a foam adhesive, chosen for its gap-filling and sealing capabilities.


Conductive Frame: The laminated frame that surrounds the lens must have conductive properties to enable an ESD charge to move through it, using it as a bridge between the surfaces it spans. The coated window lens and the cover are tied electrically through strategically placed bare-metal surfaces on the cover, thus creating a conductive unit. Conductivity in the frame is achieved with injection of microscopic carbon nanotubes into the frame adhesive. All this ensures that a wandering ESD charge built from you shuffling your feet across the carpet doesn't destroy the critical data, content and software you rely on WD Raptor X to protect.


But damn expensive @ $350. That's the cost of a 500GB drive.

Jammrock

[Marshmallowman]

Whats the standard orientation of HDD?, are their any transparent hdd racks available....bleh

I am not a fan of computer components as fashion items, but I guess schools could use them to demonstrate how hddd's work

[Jammrock]

Designed for LAN gamers who have tranparent cases (plexiglass) or windows in them. I can see this being a big ticket item for the l33t LAN gamer.

Example:



I just think it looks cool, but I'm not going to get a windows on my case just to buy one.

[Marshmallowman]

Anyone remeber Blakes 7, that computer looks a little bit like orac . You have convinced me, I want one.

[Admiral]

Time to buy a window, a couple of green lights and 120mm fans for my Antec P160 and matching Raptors
Oh wait, my drives are positioned horizontally, dang

[Dr Mordrid]

Already there but with UV, red, green and blue fans/lights....and moving the drive bay(s) isn't that hard to do

Dr. Mordrid

[az]

It's 50$ more than the windowless (server) model, with half the MTBF. Sure it's interesting, but it's too expensive for schools, they could just use some old HDs and open them - it's not like you could see the platters spinning at 10k rpm.

[Wombat]

It's 50$ more than the windowless (server) model, with half the MTBF. Sure it's interesting, but it's too expensive for schools, they could just use some old HDs and open them - it's not like you could see the platters spinning at 10k rpm.

IBM has the PC62 already anyway.

[Kooldino]

What's the PC62 all about?

I KNEW they'd come out with this anytime now...with the recent price drops of their 74 gig drives, combined with the fact that i JUST bought one, I knew for sure a new one would come out immediately.

Kind of like how you know it's going to rain right after you wash your car.

[az]

What's the PC62? I don't really follow computer hardware anymore, and a quick google search only showed me refrigerators.

[Wombat]

I think that's what it's called. IBM made a hard drive that was largely transparent, for teaching/demo purposes.

[az]

Cool!