14 DAY TRIAL // After Samsung announced the introduction of the 2.5-inch Spinpoint M8 series of notebook hard drives that offered up to 1TB of storage capacity while using the industry standard 9.5mm height, it's now time for Western Digital to release a similar 1TB offering in the Scorpio Blue line.
Just as its Samsung counterpart, the Western Digital hard drive is also just 9.5mm thick, which makes it compatible with most mainstream notebooks that use 2.5-inch storage solutions.
The 1TB of storage capacity is achieved by using two 500GB platters that have a spindle speed of 5400RPM. These are paired together with 8MB of cache memory and Western Digital claims that the drive can achieve maximum sequential transfer rates of 124MB/s.
Outside of the high storage capacity, WD's Scorpio Blue 1TB drive is also optimized in order to deliver noise-free operation thanks to the WhisperDrive technology, while WD's ShockGuard tech protects the HDD mechanics and platter from shocks up to 400Gs.
"With the release of the 1 TB WD Scorpio Blue notebook drive in a 9.5 mm package, WD is able to offer the greatest storage capacity available for use in portable computing environments," said Matt Rutledge, vice president and general manager of Client Storage for WD.
"Mobile users no longer need to choose maximum capacity over thin and light, WD is ready with storage options, achieved without compromise to performance and reliability, that prove ideal for mobile digital devices of all kinds including PC and Mac notebook computers; external storage; and digital media players," concluded the company's rep.
The WD Scorpio Blue 1TB hard drive is shipping now through select distributors and resellers, and its recommended retail price is set at $139.00 USD.
The Samsung 1TB Spinpoint M8 is available for $129.00 and features similar specifications to those of WD's Scorpio Blue (5400RPM with 8MB cache).