WD puts twin-platter 640GB HDD into mass-production
Space efficient
Western Digital has begun churning out its dual-platter 640GB 3.5in Caviar SE16 hard drive in volume, the hard drive manufacturer said today, though buyers will be keener to hear when it'll ship drives with four or more platters.
The desktop-oriented SE16 line currently runs to 750GB, the top-of-the-line drive being a model with three 250GB platters. So it surely won't be long before WD has a 960GB unit out that packs in three 320GB platters.
For now, though WD is pitching the two-platter unit as a sweet spot balancing capacity, price, and thermal and sonic characteristics.
The 640GB model has a 3Gb/s SATA interface. There's 16MB of cache built in.
The 750GB model costs $200 from WD's online store, while the 640GB model costs $140 - 70 per cent of the price for 85 per cent of the capacity - which is currently what it's asking for the 500GB version.
COMMENTS
640Gb?
When can I get 640Tb?
PS - We all know Big Bill didn't say that about 640Kb, but WHO WAS responsible for that architectural disaster? It has to be either IBM or Intel.
640GB - That's it?
1TB's have been out for a year!
Hitachi's deskstar it $280 and the ultrastar is $330.
WD still using a chisel and stone?
Top marks to Hywel Thomas...
... for his excellent wit (obviously, missed by the two subsequent posters...), but please read this before the thread is bombarded with more responses:
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/1997/01/1484
Mahatma Cotejeeves
Re: 640GB
Methinks the follow-up posters have missed the cultural reference here.
RE 640GB?
I'm grazing the top end of 640GB already. That's shouldn't be taken as some sort of boast, because you could naturally argume that I've too much shite on my PC..!!
