Western Digital issued a long-expected update to its fastest mainstream drive today by adding 450GB and 600GB VelociRaptors. Besides doubling the capacity from the original 300GB, the new design supports 6Gbps SATA III with a larger 32MB cache. The company reckons that it can load data up to 15 percent faster even with the same 10,000RPM spin speed.
Western Digital is in the early stages of developing the first hard drive to spin at 20,000RPM, alleged sources have told Bit-Tech. Fears that solid-state drives may overtake its business have led the company to develop a record-setting hard drive that will share the same design philosophy as the VelociRaptor; the hard drive itself will measure 2.5 inches across but sit in a 3.5-inch enclosure that both cools the disk and cuts down on noise.
Western Digital says it has blurred the lines between drive classes with the release of the VelociRaptor, the latest generation of its Raptor high-speed hard disks. The 300GB drive is targeted as much at enthusiasts as professionals and holds twice as much as the most recent Raptor while outperforming it: while spinning at the same 10,000RPM, the VelociRaptor benchmarks about 35 percent faster, the company claims.
