Western Digital VelociRaptor hard drive

Western Digital have started shipping the company's fastest drive yet - the VelociRaptor.

The VelociRaptor, model WD3000GLFS, is a 10,000RPM, 300GB drive. It differs from the existing Raptor models not only in the capacity (the largest Raptor has only 150GB of storage) but also in fact that it is a 2.5-inch form factor drive. However, to maintain 3.5-inch form factor compatibility the drive is housed in a 3.5-inch frame which doubles as a heat sink for the drive. This frame also helps to keep the drive cool during use.

Note: This drive, despite being 2.5-inch is not compatible with notebook systems.

Features:

• Hi-speed. SATA 3 Gbit per second interface and a 16 MB cache. 35% faster than previous Raptor drives.
• 1.4 million hours MTBF.
• IcePack mounting frame.
• Rotary Acceleration Feed Forward for reliability in vibration-prone multi-drive systems.
• SecurePark parks recording heads during spin-up, spin-down and when the drive is off to improve drive protection.

 

 

Availability:

The VelociRaptor will be available in the Alienware ALX gaming system by the end of the month, and the WD store along with other retailers should have this drive by mid-May.

Price will be in the region of $300.