WD has announced its highest performance, highest capacity desktop hard drive: the WD Black 4 B, 3.5-inch, 7200 RPM drive. It's shipping immediately.

WD Black hard drives combine 7200 RPM spin speed, 64 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, says Matt Rutledge, vice president of WD's client storage group.

With Dual actuator technology, a head positioning system with two actuators improves positional accuracy over the data track(s). The primary actuator provides coarse displacement using conventional electromagnetic actuator principles. The secondary actuator uses piezoelectric motion to fine tune the head positioning to a higher degree of accuracy.


WD's IntelliSeek technology calculates optimum seek speeds to lower power consumption, noise and vibration.With StableTrac technology, the motor shaft is secured at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations. Finally, with NoTouch ramp load technology, the recording head never touches the disk media; this ensures significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive protection in transit, says Rutledge.

The WD Black 4 B GB (model WD4001FAEX) hard drives are available through select distributors and resellers. The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the WD Black 4TB drive is $339. You can find more info at www.wd.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=760 .