It's been a while since Western Digital updated their Black series of HDDs, with their 4TB release taking place over two years ago. I'm happy to say that for those looking for a massive HDD suited for holding that enormous games folder too large to fit on your SSD, your wait is finally over, as today WD has updated the Black line to include 5TB and 6TB capacity units.

The Black series introduced that nifty dual stage actuator technology nearly five years ago, and has added a few more bells and whistles along the way. These new models include a 128MB cache and run on dual-core processors.

Along with that news also comes an update to their Red Pro series, which was also limited to 4TB in capacity when they launched last year. Red Pro models will now also include 5TB and 6TB units, so those wanting the most performance and lowest response time from their NAS can now also enjoy that performance at a 50% gain in capacity.

The new 6TB Red Pro also includes a 128MB cache and can peak at 214MB/sec (at the start of the disk). Also included in these is WD's NASware 3.0 firmware, which is specifically tuned to enable packs of these operating in packs while minimizing the effects of vibration on performance.

The 5TB Black comes in at $264 while the 6TB comes in at $294. The Red Pro's come at only an additional $5 over the Black, respectively (small price to pay for better compatibility with larger arrays). Both the Red Pro and Black carry a 5-year warranty.

Press blasts for the 5/6TB Black and Red Pro appear after the break.

WD EXPANDS ITS PERFORMANCE LEVEL DESKTOP HARD DRIVES TO 6 TB CAPACITY

WD Black Hard Drives Offer Inspiring Performance for Gamers, Enthusiasts and Creative Professionals

IRVINE, Calif. – Aug. 18, 2015 – WD®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company and a world leader in hard drives, today announced the expansion of its award-winning WD Black™ line of performance hard drives up to 6 TB capacity. Shipping now, the 3.5-inch, 7200 RPM drive is the perfect solution for gamers and professionals in need of high-performance desktop systems and workstations.

WD Black hard drives combine 7200 RPM spin speed, 128 MB cache, dual stage actuator technology, SATA 6 gigabits per second (Gb/s) interface, and an integrated dual processor to deliver ultimate performance in a maximum-capacity drive. The WD Black 6TB is up to 29% faster than the previous WD Black 4TB version in maximum data rate throughput and 10% faster in PCMark Vantage.

“Combining maximum system performance with generous capacity, the expansion of WD Black to 6 TB allows gamers, enthusiasts and creatives to push the boundaries of personalization without compromise,” said Cindi Grace, senior vice president of WD storage technology group. “In choosing WD Black hard drives, WD desktop customers get the best possible mix of capacity, performance and reliability to handle intense desktop computing with ease.”

WD Black 6 TB hard drives feature the following:

Increased Reliability –StableTrac™ Technology (2 TB and larger models) secures the motor shaft inside of the hard drive to increase reliability and help reduce impact due to system-induced vibrations from other components. By stabilizing the platters inside, the WD Black drive results in more accurate tracking in a particular sector during read and write operations, optimizing performance and reliability.

Increased DRAM cache – The Dynamic Cache Technology improves caching algorithms in real time to allocate and optimize cache between reads and writes. This movement of cache for read data helps to reduce congestion and increase overall performance.

Efficient dual processing – A dual-core processor offers twice the processing capability as a single-core processor to maximize drive performance for faster read and write speeds.

Industry-leading 5-year limited warranty – Compared to standard hard drives, the WD Black drive endures more strenuous and aggressive internal testing over a longer period of time, resulting in it being backed by an industry leading 5-year limited warranty.

Price and Availability

Available now through select distributors and resellers, WD Black drive is covered by a five-year limited warranty. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD Black 5 TB drive (model # WD5001FZWX) is $264.00 USD and the WD Black 6 TB drive (model # WD6001FZWX) is $294.00 USD. More information about WD Black desktop hard drives, including terms of the limited warranty, may be found on the company website at http://www.wd.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=760.

WD RED PRO DRIVES NOW AVAILABLE IN 6 TB

A Part of the Industry-leading Family of NAS Hard Drives, WD Red Pro Enables Higher Storage Density for Systems Up to 16 Bays

IRVINE, Calif, – Aug 18, 2015 – WD®, a Western Digital® (NASDAQ:WDC) company, and world leader in storage solutions, today announced the expansion of its award-winning WD Red Pro hard drive line with the release of 5 TB and 6 TB capacities. The WD Red Pro family is ideal for NAS (network attached storage) systems having up to 16 drive bays and serving businesses with more expansive storage needs than the standard WD Red drives.

Shipping now, WD Red Pro 5 and 6 TB drives leverage an enhanced design and 128 MB cache to deliver data transfer rates of 214 megabits per second (Mb/s). WD’s NASware™ 3.0 features technology promoting data protection, high NAS performance and reliable integration.

“WD is providing customers a full portfolio of high capacity NAS storage solutions (WD Red and WD Red Pro) for home, consumer and business NAS solutions,” said Cindi Grace, senior vice president of WD storage technology group. “With the capacity expansion, there is now a path for customers to increase the storage density of their systems while knowing their data is protected with the most trusted and valued brand on the market.”

WD Red Pro 6 TB hard drives feature the following:

Up to 16 Bay Shock Protection – Equipped with a multi- axis shock sensor, the drive automatically detects subtle shock events and, along with dynamic fly height technology, adjusts each read-write function to compensate and protect the data, further protecting the drive in large 1- to 16-bay NAS environments.

NASware 3.0 – Exclusive advanced firmware enables seamless integration, robust data protection and optimal performance for systems operating in the demanding NAS environment.

Vibration Protection – Hardware vibration compensation technology monitors the drive to correct both linear and rotational vibration in real time, further increasing drive reliability and enabling high performance in higher vibration systems caused from drive to drive vibration as well as from the high speed fans used to cool the larger systems.

Longer Warranty Coverage – Complimenting WD Red drives at a 3-year limited warranty, WD Red Pro offers longer warranty coverage with a 5-year limited warranty.

Availability and Pricing

Available now at select U.S. retailers and distributors, the WD Red Pro drive has a five-year limited regional warranty, respectively. Manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the WD Red Pro 5 TB drive (model #: WD5001FFWX) is $269.00 USD and $299.00 USD for 6 TB (model #: WD6001FFWX). More information about WD Red Pro hard drives including terms of the limited warranty may be found on the company website at http://www.wdc.com/en/products/internal/nas/.