Western Digital Refreshes 10K VelociRaptor Hard Disk Drive Line with 1TB Model

From X-bit Labs: Western Digital has refreshed the VelociRaptor lineup of high-end hard disk drives (HDDs) designed for performance enthusiasts. The new family of hard drives with 10 000rpm spindle speed now includes three models and utilizes the latest technologies, such as advanced format with 4KB sectors and other.

The new WD VelociRaptor (DHTZ- and HHTZ-series) hard drives are likely based on one or two 500GB 2.5" platters and provide 250GB, 500GB or 1TB capacities. The novelties boast with 10 000rpm spindle speed, Serial ATA 6Gb/s interface, 64MB of cache as well as advanced format technology that enabled increased areal densities and thus boosts performance. As previously, the VelociRaptor features NoTouch ramp load technology, IcePack mounting frame, pre-emptive wear leveling tech and so on. The manufacturer declares 200MB/s sustained host to drive transfer speed, around 3ms latency and up to 5.8W power consumption.

"WD is committed to providing customers with the best performing and most reliable SATA hard drives and our WD VelociRaptor family of drives underscores that promise. With ever-increasing demand for greater capacity, the new 1TB WD VelociRaptor drive delivers the ultimate combination of speed and storage for the power user," said Darwin Kauffman, vice president and general manager of WD's enterprise storage.

WD VelociRaptor hard drives are available now at select distributors, resellers and e-tailers, and come with a five-year limited warranty. Manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the WD VelociRaptor 1TB (WD1000DHTZ) is $319.99, the 500GB version (WD5000HHTZ) is $209.99 and the 250GB version (WD2500HHTZ) is $159.99.

Given the fact that WD's VelociRaptor still does not have direct rivals on the market of consumer hard drives, the new family will compete mostly against solid-state drives, which offer better transfer speeds as well as lower latencies, but cannot provide 1TB capacity for $320. It remains to be seen how popular the new family of VelociRaptor drives will be.

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