WD, a Western Digital company and storage industry leader, has announced the release of the WD Blackdual drive, a unique storage innovation that fuses a 2.5-inch 120GB solid state drive (SSD) with a 1TB hard disk drive (HDD) to offer a powerful dual-drive solution. Perfect for consumers and service providers looking to upgrade notebooks, small form factor desktops and single-slot and all-in-one (AIO) systems with both SSD-level performance and HDD capacity, the WD Black2 dual drive connects through a single cable and fits into a conventional 9.5mm slot.
"Our customers told us they like our Solid State Hybrid Drive technology, but our tech-savvy users asked for more control of where they store their data," said Matt Rutledge, senior vice-president of WD's Storage Technology business unit. "The WD Black2 dual drives empower our customers to enjoy SSD performance and access high-capacity storage in a no-compromise package. The WD Black2 dual drive is a direct result of our interaction with our customer base through WD Labs initiatives. WD devised its beta labs programme to provide an exclusive testing arena for key customers and technology influencers of existing and emerging WD storage products."
Says Kalvin Subbadu, WD Components Sales Manager - South Africa: "WD's Black2 is the world's first 1TB and 120GB dual drive in a 2.5-inch form factor, an ideal HDD for the South African gaming community, which is growing exponentially every year. The vast majority of gamers in South Africa are looking for a HDD that is cost-effective yet provides the speed and performance required with a gaming experience. A regular magnetic HDD is not fast enough, and an SSD can be costly if a high capacity is required. With WD's Black2 dual drive, we have combined the best of both in one drive. With a 120GB SSD big enough to store the OS, apps and games, as well as the 1TB HDD to store all your data needs, this make it the ideal purchase for a gamer. This dual drive is also ideal for notebook users who are looking to upgrade for a faster 'boot-up' experience. The 2.5-inch form factor means it will fit most notebooks and ultrabooks. The SATA 3 6Gbps interface is also ideal for these users, delivering performance while featuring capacity."
2-in-1
Designed for enthusiasts, creative professionals, gamers and PC builders, the WD Black2 dual drive provides improved overall drive capacity, performance and reliability, while offering the flexibility to choose how and where their data is stored. Utilising the benefits of both flash and magnetic disks, WD Black2 dual drives offload data usage from the SSD to the HDD, which increases endurance and life of the SSD. Users maintain greater data control, which can eliminate the need and expense of cloud-based storage.
WD Black2 is free of caching algorithms and benefits from a SATA 6Gbps interface speed. It is neatly packaged in a standard 9.5mm, 2.5-inch form factor with legacy SATA connector, making the WD Black2 dual drive compatible with popular PC operating systems, ranging from Windows XP to Windows 8.1.
Price and availability
WD's Black2 dual drives will be available in South Africa in Q1 2014 and are covered by a five-year limited warranty.
The approximate recommended retail price for the 2.5-inch 120GB SSD + 1TB HDD WD Black2 dual drive, model #: (WD1001X06XDTL) is R3 999, inclusive of VAT. Additional information about WD Black2 dual drives and limited warranty terms may be found on the company Web site at http://www.wd.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=810.
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