Western Digital's SSHD Black magic revealed

Subject: Storage | May 14, 2013 - 05:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: sshd, cache, western digital, Black SSHD, Hybrid Drive

The Tech Report sat down with Matt Rutledge, Vice President of Western Digital's client computing group to discuss the software behind their new HDDs with an SSD cache.  Sandisk will be providing the hardware and WD who will be providing the custom caching software which will not be coded into the hardware but will function at the driver level.  Matt mentioned that this software can also make use of the system's memory and incorporate it into the cache as well though it was not completely clear if there will be many user editable settings.  Check the interview out.

"WD revealed that its hybrid drives will use SanDisk iSSD flash components. The announcement was devoid of details on how the caching system works, but we can now shed new light on the software-managed scheme."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Seagate SSHD Thin 500GB Review @ Hardware Canucks
• Seagate Desktop HDD.15 4TB vs WD Black 4TB Hard Drive Review @ Legit Reviews
• Toshiba MK3001GRRB 300GB SAS 6Gb/s HDD @ NikKTech
• Intel 525 Series 120GB & 180GB mSATA SSD @ Hardware Canucks
• PNY Prevail Elite 240GB SSD @ Tweaktown
• Crucial M500 480 GB @ techPowerUp
• 120GB OCZ Vertex 3.20 Solid State Drive @ Benchmark Reviews
• Seagate Desktop HDD.15 4TB Review @ Techgage
• Crucial M4 256GB SATA III SSD Review @ PCSTATS
• Corsair Neutron 128GB and 256GB (2013 Hynix Edition) @ TweakTown
• Kingston Wi-Drive 64GB @ Kitguru
• Western Digital My Book Live 1TB Personal Cloud Storage @ Tweaktown
• OWC Envoy Pro EX USB 3.0 Bus-Powered Portable SSD @ SSD Review
• PQI Tiffany 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive @ Tweaktown
• 64 GB Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 Flash Drive @ TechARP
• Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 32GB Flash Drive Review @ Legit Review
• Patriot Supersonic Magnum 256GB USB 3 Flash Drive @ SSD Review
• PQI i-mini USB 3.0 32GB @ techPowerUp
• LSI MegaRAID 9271-8i PCIe Raid Controller @ Funky Kit
• Icy Dock FlexCage MB975SP-B Tray-Less 5 x 3.5" HDD Dock @ Tweaktown
• SilverStone DS322 Dual-Bay RAID Enclosure @ Tweaktown
• Western Digital My Passport Enterprise 500GB USB3.0 External Hard Drive @ eTeknix

When only 4TB will do

Subject: Storage | April 9, 2013 - 06:58 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: western digital, wd black, hdd, 4TB

SSDs may be the speed kings but when you need a lot of storage space they quickly become quite expensive which is where the new WD Black 4TB HDD shines as it is only $85 $300.  It spins at 7200RPM and has a 64MB cache which ought to make it a bit faster than other high density HDDs which are on the market though the 800GB platters could slow that expected performance somewhat.  It also comes with a 5 year warranty which is much better than the usual 2 year warranty many companies have adopted as standard for their platter based drives.  Check out the full review at The Tech Report.

"Western Digital's Black 4TB the only desktop hard drive to combine that top-of-the-line capacity with a 7,200-RPM spindle speed and five years of warranty coverage. We take a closer look."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Toshiba THNSNH 512 GB SSD @ techPowerUp
• Crucial M500 SSD Review (960GB) @ SSD Review
• Crucial M500 960GB SSD @ Tweaktown
• Crucial M500 480GB @ Hardware.info
• 480GB Crucial M500 Solid State Drive @ Benchmark Reviews
• Crucial M500 480GB @ SSD Review
• OCZ Vertex 3.20 120GB @ Kitguru
• Intel 335 Series 180GB SSD @ Tweaktown
• OCZ Vertex 3.20 20nm 240GB SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
• HighPoint RocketStor 5322 Dual eSATA 6Gbps Dock Review - True SSD Speed through an External Dock @ SSD Review
• INEO I-NA321U PLUS Docking Station @ Benchmark Reviews
• Plextor M5 Pro 128GB with Xtreme Firmware SSD @ Tweaktown
• Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD Review @ Hi Tech Legion
• Ineo NA216U2 Plus External USB 3.0 Enclosure @ Tweaktown
• Synology DiskStation DS213+ NAS Server Review @ NikKTech
• SuperTalent USB 3.0 Express RC4 64GB Flash Drive @ SSD Review
• Synology DiskStation DS2413+ NAS @ Techspot
• HGST Travelstar 7K1000 2.5-inch Mobile Hard Drive Review @ Madshrimps
• ADATA 500GB USB 3.0 DashDrive Elite Review @ OCIA

Double your drive density with HGST's special new offer

Subject: General Tech | March 4, 2013 - 12:40 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: hgst, hard drives, western digital

HGST, the recently purchased research division at Western Digital is promising to double the density of platter drives over the next few years, enhancing the longevity of a storage media that many already consider obsolete.  However, like tape and optical media there continue to be many scenarios where inexpensive high density storage is more useful than the speed offered by an SSD.  Using a combination of self-assembling molecules and nanoimprinting they are hitting a density of 1.2 trillion bits per square inch, not quite the density of the salted drives we heard about in 2011 but perhaps much closer to market.  Each of those dots is 10nm in size and because of the self assembling nature of the pattern HGST told The Register that they expect to be able to shrink the size of those dots even more as their process matures.

"HGST, the Western Digital subsidiary formerly known as Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, says it has developed a method of manufacturing hard-disk platters using nanotechnology that could double the density of today's hard drives."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• Yet another Java zero-day vuln is being exploited @ The Register
• Apple 'insider' explains why vid adapter hides ARM computer @ The Register
• NikKTech And Cooler Master Joint Giveaway
• Win an ASUS GTX Titan GPU & Seasonic Platinum 1000W PSU! @ Kitguru

Western Digital’s WD TV Play Brings Steaming Media to Your Television For Under $100

Subject: General Tech | February 20, 2013 - 12:26 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: western digital, streaming box, media player, DLNA

Western Digital may primarily be a hard drive manufacturer, but it also dabbles in media streaming boxes. Last week, a new product called the WD TV Play joined the existing lineup as a cheaper alternative to both the WD TV Live and Live Hub boxes.

The WD TV Play measures 4.17” x 4.13” x 1.07” and is black with a blue outline. Unlike the other streaming boxes, the Play ditches the rectangular shape for one that resembles a trapezoid (where the base is wider than the top). The WD TV Play has support for a number of streaming media services, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Youtube, Spotify, and Pandora. Notably absent is Amazon Video on Demand and Vudu, but otherwise it is a decent lineup of the popular internet media sources.

Additionally, the WD TV Play can playback local media from a flash drive or from a DLNA server. It support a variety of video and audio formats, but unlike the more expensive WD TV Live it does not support MPEG-2 or DTS Audio. That is the necessary compromise in order to get an approximately $20 cheaper device.

Rear IO on the WD TV Play includes a composite video output, HDMI, Ethernet jack, and Optical audio output. The media player reportedly also supports Wi-Fi and a USB 2.0 port for loading up media files. It comes with an infrared remote control, but you can also download the WD TV app to your smartphone and control the box using your phone's touchscreen.

In fact, the new case design and removal of certain codecs are the only real differences between the new Play and existing Live streaming box. The WD TV Play has an MSRP of $69.99 USD. For comparison, the WD TV Live is $99.99. If you do not need MPEG-2 or DTS audio, the Play can easily save you a few bucks.

More information can be found on the WD TV Play product page.

CES 2013: Western Digital thin 5mm and 7mm hard drives now also come in hybrid SSHD!

Subject: Storage, Shows and Expos | January 9, 2013 - 10:03 PM | Allyn Malventano
Tagged: CES, ces 2013, western digital, wdc, sshd, hybrid, 5mm, 7mm

Today Western Digital showed me their new 5mm and 7mm mobile hard drives. These are very thin, intended for Ultrabooks, and come not only in the familiar Blue product line, but also in a new Solid State Hard Drive (SSHD). The new thin hybrid models are dubbed WD Black. The 5mm Blue and Black will be available in 500GB capacities:

Adding another 500GB to reach a 1TB capacity point requires another platter, and therefore another 2mm, bringing the 1TB Blue and Black to 7mm:

The WD Black SSHD will come with either 16 ot 24GB of flash memory cache (varying based on OEM configuration / request). More to follow on these once we can get some hours logged on their new models.

PC Perspective's CES 2013 coverage is sponsored by AMD.

Follow all of our coverage of the show at http://pcper.com/ces!

Western Digital releases 4TB Black series HDD

Subject: Storage | November 20, 2012 - 10:35 AM | Allyn Malventano
Tagged: WD, western digital, Black, 4TB, hdd

Today Western Digital announced their new 4TB Black Series HDD. This new drive boasts some features normally reserved for their RE (enterprise) series drives, such as dual processors and dual stage actuator tech. This 7200 RPM unit comes with the now standard 64MB cache and SATA 6Gb/sec interface. We will be reviewing a sample upon its arrival, but I suspect performance will be close to the RE series, albeit without the additional enterprise-specific features.

The 4TB Black kicks off at an MSRP of $339. Hopefully we see some 4TB Greens and Reds out of Western Digital shortly - as those should be at a lower cost and be more suited to the typical mass-storage applications of such a high capacity drive.

Press blast after the break:

Western Digital gets a temporary reprieve from a $600 million fine

Subject: General Tech | October 17, 2012 - 02:29 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: western digital, Seagate, Lawsuit

A court settlement against Western Digital has been partly overturned, which means that they won't have to pay the $630 million fine to Seagate for misuse of confidential information.  They are not totally off the hook however as the judge only overturned 5 of the 8 charges, leaving 3 still outstanding.  Those three could well cost more than the amount they were just let off the hook for and even a storage giant like WD is going to notice a half billion dollar fine.  The Register is keeping an eye on this story, we will find out more in 2 weeks when the hearings resume.

"Western Digital is off the hook for a cool $630m in an arbitration case it initially lost over the alleged misuse of Seagate's confidential information, including trade secrets.

Back last year, Seagate complained about the activities of WD and a former Seagate employee who had joined WD, alleging that WD was using Seagate trade secrets and other confidential information in its activities. The dispute went to an arbitration court, which awarded Seagate $525m in damages in November 2011."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

• You can skateboard on a Microsoft Surface @ The Inquirer
• Intel inches above Wall Street's earnings expectations @ The Register
• TomTom Hands Free car kit for the iPhone @ Rbmods