If you are building an HTPC or even a file server which is focused on quiet operation in a small area, picking up a Velociraptor isn’t your best choice.  Since the plan also includes a drive with a huge amount of storage space, you might use an SSD for your OS but it is a little expensive to pick up an SSD(s) large enough to keep all of your media.  Western Digital’s AV-GP WD30EURS is a 3TB HDD which will operate between 5400-7200 RPM and is designed for use in consumer electronics, hence the Audio/Visual part of the name.  It is different from the normal Green Power series as it utilizes ATA streaming commands with optimize the drive for multiple, large and sequential accesses at the expense of data integrity, and it tends to run a little hotter as well.  Make sure you are running Vista or Win7 and a UEFI based motherboard before picking the drive up.  TechARP’s full review is here.

"Today, we will look at Western Digital’s largest capacity AV-GP hard disk drive – the WD30EURS. This hard disk drive is not only quieter and cooler than regular hard disk drive, it also packs a whooping storage capacity of 3 terabytes! Let’s take a look!"

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