Seagate NL35.2 Series, ST3500641NS 500GB drive

Today, we're going to review a drive that may play a role in in removing one of the remaining two check marks, longevity. Seagate recently introduced the new NL35™ series of SATA drives which they call 'Near Line' that takes direct aim at the workstation/entry-level server environment. A quote from Seagate states: 'The NL35™ Series drives are designed for workloads that fall between enterprise workloads and desktop computer or entry-level server workloads. NL35 Series drives are not appropriate for true high duty-cycle enterprise workloads.' Hmmm! A niche market for drives or a stepping stone to the future? Please join me for a look at the Seagate ST3500641NS, 500 GB SATA Drive to ascertain if the differences this product brings to the table truly indicate this product's future is as bright as the manufacturer's literature suggests.