Internals, Testing Methodology and System Setup
Internals:
I normally dive right in and field strip these devices as they arrive for testing. The Black2 is so precisely assembled that I opted to do the disassembly *after* all of the testing, out of fear for rendering it inoperable after the surgery. There is a dust-sealed HDD in there after all, and inadvertently breaking that seal would mean no test results for you fine folks. That said, I did manage to break it down while leaving the important bits intact.
First the belly:
After warranty voidance step 1 we expose the drive electronics. These parts are mostly responsible for driving the HDD portion of this drive, with an added bridge to tack on the SSD controller:
Now for the real goodies – the SSD portion. This part is extremely delicate as the PCB is razor thin and is very well attached to the HDD frame. Do not try this at home – seriously:
As you can see from the plain-as-day label, the SSD board is in fact mounted straight to a right off the line WD 1TB Slim HDD chassis.
The SSD only takes up a small portion of the PCB. Looking at the thicknesses involved, it's possible to get more chips within the sandwich, but WD chose to keep everything mounted closer to the 'open' end of the HDD structure. Here's a detail shot of the SSD logic:
Aah, finally, we get to see the new(ish) JMicron 667H (details / specs) in action.
Here's what the 667H looks like, functionally:
As SSD controllers go, this is a standard setup. We just hope the newer JMicron model performs better than previous generations from this manufacturer.
One last shot to show the difference between the drive logic and SSD PCB's:
You can see just how thin WD needed to go in order to make this happen. The Slim is a 7mm chassis, meaning WD had only 1.5mm to work with for the entire SSD portion.
Testing Methodology
Our tests are a mix of synthetic and real-world benchmarks. PCMark, IOMeter, HDTach, HDTune, Yapt and our custom File Copy test round out the selection to cover just about all bases. If you have any questions about our tests just drop into the Storage Forum and we'll help you out!
Test System Setup
We currently employ a pair of testbeds. Our trusty Z68 SandyBridge testbed sits along side a newer ASUS P8Z77-V Pro/Thunderbolt.Results between both boards have been +/- 2% of each other – well within the best data scatter of a typical benchmark.
PC Perspective would like to thank ASUS, Corsair, and Kingston for supplying some of the components of our test rigs.
Hard Drive Test System Setup | |
CPU | Intel Core i5-2500K |
Motherboard | Asus P8Z68-V Pro |
Memory | Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR3-2133 CL9 |
Hard Drive | G.Skill 32GB SLC SSD |
Sound Card | N/A |
Video Card | Intel® HD Graphics 3000 |
Video Drivers | Intel |
Power Supply | Corsair CMPSU-650TX |
DirectX Version | DX9.0c |
Operating System | Windows 7 X64 |
- PCMark05
- Yapt
- IOMeter
- HDTach
- HDTune
- PCPer File Copy Test
- Write Caching Test
Wow, I may visit you more
Wow, I may visit you more often. Hope ur still answering fan posts. This is an excellent review, but MORE so the tech discussions which cover the varied setups on laptops (my interest).
REQUEST FOR HELP – Compare Black2 with swapping current 750GB HDD into DVD-based caddy and add internal SSD.
Have Dell N5110, single 750GB HD, Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit. Even in sleep mode, takes like 3+ minutes to ‘wake up’ and connect to Internet. Restart even worse.
SCENARIOS
1. My present thought “was” get internal SSD, then put 750GB into DVD-based caddy. IT appears 256GB SSD safest in terms of OS “space” route, but then WHICH SSD (reliability, bang for buck)? Also, what caddy will work with my Dell N5110?
If I put the 750GB HDD in a caddy / DVD slot, THEN the POWER is always on, right? Thus the HEAT goes UP in the laptop? Does the Black2 produce MORE heat than the standard HDD?
2. Are YOU using the Black2 hybrid? It is one step easier to use the hybrid (no DVD bay mod), and I get even more storage. As I’ve never had SSD, even the “slower” Black2 write speed will seem like lightning compared to my present startup speed, I think.
Lastly, I’ll note the Dell runs very well as is, ONCE up and running. Thus any purchase is convenience for me, not necessity. I’m often using it for browsing so keep comparing to spending money on a tablet (the new-wave of convenience).
Ok, after reading the full
Ok, after reading the full article, I’d say for my ‘these days’ passive laptop use, often sleep on/off like a tablet… BUT I still want my 750GB (current) storage…
The Black2 looks very attractive, and I’ve used their 5-year warranty long ago with no issues. It’s hard to beat.
Is it possible to multi boot
Is it possible to multi boot os if they are all windows based ie Win 7 8.1 and now Win 10 ?