CONCLUSION

   The AL13SXB60EN SAS HDD by Toshiba is not the first 15.000 RPM model to arrive in our lab since roughly 2 years ago we also received the MK3001GRRB model which as you can see in our charts did better overall. Before we continue however we need to point out that these results are not because the MK3001GRRB is a better drive compared to the AL13SXB60EN but because in our SAS 6Gb/s tests we use the MegaRAID 9271-8i SAS 6Gb/s card and not the 9300-8i SAS 12Gb/s card which we use in our 12Gb/s tests (the first is a more feature-rich model). With that out of the way the AL13SXB60EN may not be "really" faster compared to SAS 6Gb/s models (we all know that mechanical drives have very little to no use for 12Gb/s) and as clearly shown in our charts you might be better off pairing it with a good SAS 6Gb/s card instead of an 12Gb/s one but what doesn't change is its top of the line performance for an 2.5" drive. With power consumption during read & write of up to 8W the AL13SXB60EN may not be the "greenest" drive in the market as we speak but 15k models are known for this and considering that there are quite a few 10k RPM models with similar electrical needs we think Toshiba did well in this area. Unfortunately the drive is quite noisy and produces more heat compared to the more regular 7200RPM ones (as does every 15k model out there) but that was something we expected from the get go.

   We spend quite a bit of time searching for the AL13SXB60EN model online without luck so currently we can't provide you with a valid price tag, not even an MSRP since our contacts are out for the weekend (will update first chance we get). Judging however from previous SAS models by Toshiba the AL13SXB60EN will most likely surpass the 600$/Euro mark and although that's quite the hefty price tag it's nowhere close to what one would have to pay for a 600GB enterprise-grade SAS 12Gb/s SSD model. True SSDs may be the future and we may see their prices take a serious dive sooner rather than later but for now one thing's for certain you just can't go wrong with the likes of the AL13SXB60N if you deal with mission critical applications and that's why we're giving it our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Enterprise Grade / 2.000.000 Hours MTTF)
- Superior Performance (SAS3 Connectivity / 15.000RPM)
- Size Factor (2.5")
- Environmental Friendly (4.5W Idle Consumption)
- 5 Years Warranty

CONS

- Price? (For Some)
- Only Available Up to 600GB