Western Digital's single-platter 320GB Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS

WD's new 320GB/platter Caviar SE16 hard drives have been creating some excitement. They are high performance by virtue of their high areal density, the OC websites have reported. With the low number of spinning platters, they should also be very quiet, a quality WD have been focused on for a couple of years now. We took the 320GB single-platter model out for a spin in our acoustics lab. It turned into a long and winding road.