CONCLUSION

   15k RPM mechanical drives have been around for quite a while but Toshiba seems to take things further with their latest AL13SXB line since both models we’ve reviewed are the fastest ones in their class, at least to date. Read and write performance can’t really compare to that of an SSD and neither can electrical consumption but thanks to their impressive durability and better price/capacity ratio they are a very good option for data centers. The only issue (aside slight noise during intensive tests since that’s typical for 15k RPM drives) we came across with the AL13SXB600N model was with its temperature levels since for some unknown reason (unknown since the AL13SXB60EN did not) it almost hit 50 degrees Celsius during testing. This isn’t really a problem since we’ve had HDDs hit 60 degrees when used in our test rigs (during every day use) but do keep in mind that this happened in our temperature controlled room of 23 degrees.

   Because of its 12Gb/s connectivity at the time of our review the projected price for the AL13SXB60EN model was set at around USD500 so right from the start we knew that the AL13SXB600N would cost quite a bit but not as much. Well we were right on the spot once again since as I type these lines the AL13SXB600N 600GB 2.5” SAS 6Gb/s Enterprise Grade HDD retails for USD380 inside the USA (ServerSupply) and for around 450Euros inside the EU. Again casual consumers will consider this overkill but for use in data centers and even by professionals such drives justify their price and although it does “deduct” some points from our final conclusion thanks to its performance levels the AL13SXB600N gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Enterprise Grade / 2.000.000 Hours MTTF)
- Superior Performance (SAS-2 Connectivity / 15.000RPM)
- Size Factor (2.5")
- Environmental Friendly (5W Idle Consumption)
- 5 Years Warranty

CONS

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