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Silver 3.5 inch bare IDE hard drive with green circuit board

Western Digital

Western Digital Blue WD5000AAKB 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB IDE 3.5" internal hard drive

SKU CH-JV98-335ZS MPN WD5000AAKB

A 500 GB 3.5-inch desktop drive with 7200 RPM, 16 MB cache and IDE Ultra ATA100 interface

  • Total capacity500 GB
  • Interface typeIDE Ultra ATA100 / ATA-6
  • Form factor3.5 in (8.89 cm)
  • Packaging typeBare Drive
  • Rotational speed7,200 RPM
  • Cache memory16 MB
  • 500 GB capacity stores large media libraries
  • 7200 RPM spindle delivers responsive desktop performance
  • 16 MB cache speeds up frequent file access
  • IntelliSeek technology reduces power use and noise
  • Ramp Load parks heads safely during power cycles

Western Digital Blue 500GB IDE Drive

This 3.5" desktop internal hard drive delivers 500GB of storage on an IDE Ultra ATA100 interface. It spins at 7200 RPM with a 16MB cache and is sold as a bare drive in new condition. IntelliSeek and Ramp Load technologies reduce power, noise and vibration while protecting the heads during power cycles.

Suits legacy systems needing PATA storage

Builders repairing or upgrading older motherboards with 40-pin IDE connectors will find the ATA-6 interface a direct fit. The 7200 RPM speed and 8.9ms average seek time provide responsive performance for period-correct operating systems and applications. Buyers requiring a Serial ATA connection, higher capacities or a retail package with cables and software must choose a different model.

Interface decides compatibility

The drive uses IDE Ultra ATA100, also labelled ATA-6, which only works on motherboards equipped with a 40-pin PATA controller. If the host system lacks this legacy interface, the drive cannot be installed or used without an adapter. Verify the board provides a native IDE port before purchasing.

How it compares

Measured against everything we stock in 3.5-Inch Internal Desktop HDDs, at today’s prices. Recalculated every night.

Price $60.99
Cheaper than about 69% of the 4,938 comparable items (median $107.99).
Total capacity 500 GB
Lower than about 80% of the 2,372 comparable items (median 2 TB).
Price per TB $121.98 per TB
Pricier than about 68% of the 2,365 comparable items (median $62.21 per TB).

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Specifications

Product
Brand nameWestern Digital
Product lineBlue
Model nameWD5000AAKB
Total capacity500 GB
Performance
Rotational speed7,200 RPM
Average seek time8.9 ms
Mean write time10.9 ms
Mean latency4.2 ms
Storage
Cache memory16 MB
Ports & slots
Interface typeIDE Ultra ATA100 / ATA-6
Size & build
Form factor3.5 in (8.89 cm)
Shipping weight1.36 kg
Package size152 × 102 × 25 mm

Questions about this item

How do I install the WD5000AAKB using the 40-pin IDE connector and what step is often missed?

Connect the 40-pin IDE cable to the Ultra ATA100 / ATA-6 interface, set the master/slave jumper on the drive, and secure the 3.5-inch form factor in the bay; the step often missed is verifying the jumper position matches the cable-select or master role required by the motherboard.

What maintenance or replacement will the WD5000AAKB need later?

The drive has no user-serviceable parts; its Ramp Load feature parks heads off the 500GB platters during spin-down to reduce wear, so later replacement means swapping the entire bare drive when mechanical failure or bad sectors appear.

What limit appears first during sustained use of the WD5000AAKB?

The IDE Ultra ATA100 / ATA-6 interface caps sustained throughput at 100 MB/s, which is reached before the 7200 RPM platters or 16MB cache become the bottleneck during large sequential transfers.

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