WD intros standard-height 2.5-inch 750GB Scorpio Blue HDD
By Darren Murph 
posted March 30th 2010 10:21AM
posted March 30th 2010 10:21AM
Western Digital already shipped the industry's first 2.5-inch 1TB hard drive last summer, but unfortunately for most, it couldn't be used as a drop-in solution for upgrading one's laptop drive. The reason? It relies on an unorthodox 12.5mm height form factor, while the vast majority of laptops only support 9.5mm height drives. Now, the outfit has pushed out a 750GB Scorpio Blue, a 2.5-incher that does indeed utilize the standard height form factor, and while this here unit includes Advanced Format and WhisperDrive, the 5,400RPM spindle speed is admittedly disappointing. It's tough to argue with the $149 price, though, and it's available now if you've been hankering for more space within your mobile workhorse.
Thats a lot of MP3s, Movies and Software... all legal of course. Cough Cough.
5400 RPM? no thanks.
@appleipad
You'd think HDD manufacturers would start to standardize the 7200 RPM drives, slowly fade out 5400 RPM and begin to introduce 10,000 RPM.
Or are SSD's slowly taking over?
@mikeyrogers 7200rpm drives are faster, quieter and (I'm told) can be more dense, at a minimal energy cost compared to 5400s...
I always used 7200rpm drives in my laptops until I got on the SSD bandwagon
@Oli D
I'm pretty sure a 7200 rpm drive is not quieter than a 5400 rpm drive
@Oli D
I don't believe they are quieter in general. Maybe when comparing two different levels of drive (high end vs low end) that's the case, but all other factors remaining equal, logic tells me the slower drive will be quieter.
One more trade-off is that 7200 RPM drives generate more heat. That's why you aren't supposed to use them in PS3s (or so I've read).
@appleipad 5400 rpm is perfectly fine, this isn't 2004 any more, drive speeds are a lot less relevant than they used to be. Sites like engadget don't help by spreading the ignorance.
@appleipad Honestly, for me I'd trade out the 200 gig 7200 rpm drive in my laptop for a 750 gig 5400 rpm one.
@appleipad
The data density on these little drives equals out the speed with a 7200rpm drive, also 7200rpm is just too hot for something this small with so many platters.
@appleipad
Also most laptops (including Apple's range) come with 4200rpm drives so 5400rpm is still an upgrade for most laptops.
@fourthletter
only the non-SSD macbook Airs come wid 4200 rpm.
the rest of the macs are all 5400 and 7200 fyi. even the older ones.
and wasnt scorpio blue always 5,400 rpm..? it was only the black that was 7,200 rpm if im not mistaken.
@fourthletter Yeah, the data density helps a lot. It helps with read speed, not with seek so much, but 7200rpm would be too hot and too power sucking to go into a mobile laptop. They're OK for desktop replacements that move from one plug to another. In a couple of years, we will be using all SSDs anyways.
@Peytral
It makes sense though when you people say they're quieter, because they move fast enough, that the air doesn't actually get to rest as much as 5400rpm would.
price is somewhat high....
@jayantraj7 For the highest capacity standard height 2.5" drive? I'd say that's a damn fair price for just coming onto the market.
Oh well. I was waiting for a long time for a 9.5mm high 1TB laptop hard drive, but this should do.
no need for 5400 rpm....
@jayantraj7 you are incorrect, sir.
I'm guessing it is single platter?
@TheFuzzball lol?
@Oli D Not a joke, I was just wondering if it was a single platter drive, because the last time I checked the maximum platter density was 500GB and that was for a 3.5" drive.
@TheFuzzball
If this was honestly a single platter drive, I assume WD would have announced the 2 platter 1.5 TB version of it before this one. That honestly would have been a huge upset to the industry.
And by your logic, all of a sudden a smaller 2.5" platter overtakes the capacity of a larger platter 3.5". That definitely doesn't make sense. If anything, the 750 GB/platter density will be hit by 3.5" drives first, and then the 2.5 inch drives will hit that eventually.
Nice, finally a hard drive big enough to put in my PS3 and install Linux comfortab... Shit!
@RayVoid
Despite what Sony is currently doing, they placed a limit on the Linux partition size, anyway.
It was your choice, 10 GB towards the PS3 OS and the rest towards Linux or vice versa, making drives of this size kind of pointless for the console. Even more so, now...
@mikeyrogers
Very informative, thanks. Honestly, it doesnt effect me though, I just thought it may be a fun way to bitch about the situation (I was feeling a little left out of the party).
Not really understanding all the hate for 5400RPM drives. I've got one in my current Y550 and booting up from shutdown takes under a minute. Plus a 7200RPM drive would only make more heat.
Plus I'd imagine you'd get a nice performance boost with the Advanced Format.
@Prevacator A minute? I have a Samsung SSD, and it takes 20 seconds tops.
@Oli D
On my 5400 neither Windows nor Ubuntu take more than 30-45 seconds.
Not factoring in GRUB.
@Oli D
Yeah, an SSD. But you missed my point. There's nothing wrong with a 5400 RPM drive in a laptop, especially one with Advance Format. It's not as if you wait for 2-3 minutes to start up, I'm on my log-in screen in like 40 seconds (notice I said LESS than a minute) for much cheaper than an SSD or a 7200 RPM drive.
Again, I see no problem with 5400 RPM.
Newegg currently has a 880gb 2.5"" HD for $100.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148517
Not sure if it's 12.5mm or 9.5mm though. But newegg's deal makes this one seem horrible.
@Gamecheater
That's external. AND it's only USB 2.0. No thanks...
@mikeyrogers
Incase you are unaware, an external hard drive is an internal hard drive with an external casing that allows it to be plugged in to the external ports on your computer.
That means you can take it apart and put the internal drive in your laptop.
@Gamecheater I think its 12.5 mm *_*
5400 RPM, no thanks. Gimme a break, why not push the envelope and put out some 10k's....
I guess that means that 3 TB 3.5" drives aren't that far away.
that unorthodox height didn't stop me and my hammer from upgrading
This 5400RPM at 750GB drive is faster than any 7200 RPM drive that is 500GB and below due partially to it's density. As a bonus, it has more space! You can not go wrong with it despite it being 5400RPM. Numerous tests posted all over the internet have proven this. I used to be a 7200 RPM junkie until I did my own experiments and have discovered the newest and biggest 5400 RPM drive is generally on par or faster than the newest and biggest 7200 RPM (which is generally has less capacity than the newest 5400 RPM drive). So today, you have the 750GB 5400 RPM Drive vs 500GB 7200 RPM, and tomorrow you will have the 1GB 5400 RPM Drive vs 750GB 7200 RPM drive. Both of which the 5400RPM will come out on top in speed AND capacity. 2 cints!
@McKirf thats all well and good but there are already 1tb 5400rpm laptop drives on the market
And as an added bonus, the 5400 RPM drive does suck down less juice than the 7200 RPM. Really, I cannot see any reason to use a 7200RPM, imho.
That is correct, but you have to look at how many platters. If they have 3 platters, they aren't as dense, so technically they ARE slower than the 7200 rpm drives. If they are the standard 9.5 height, then they have 2 platters at higher density than the 2 platters on a 7200 rpm, thus shoving the data out faster at a slower speed.
In my day we only had 5400 rpm notebook hd's and dagnabbit we liked it.
WDs first 2.5" 750GB drive was always going to be 5400rpm.
Anybody hoping it was 7200rpm just doesnt understand the practicalities of breaking a density barrier. Sure they don't even have a 7200rpm 500GB drive yet.
Seagate has a 7200 RPM 500 GB drive out for around a year. I have one and I recently purchased a WD 640GB 5400RPM drive. I am so satisfied with the 5400RPM I am no longer going to hold my breath for the 7200 RPM drives ever again.
Does anyone know if that 100gb 2.5 that he's talking, would fit a ps3 slim ?
These days a 7200rpm HD will not be more noisy or hot than a 5400RPM one but much faster!
Also battery life is not affected. Try the travelstar 7k500 500GB. Fastest 2.5" 7200RPM normal height.
@dtakias
I don't know where people are coming up with the "7200 RPM drives are as quiet and as hot as a 5400 RPM drive" statement. I recently put in a 7200 RPM drive into my CULV laptop from a 320 GB 5400 RPM drive. It added a significant amount of vibration (and thus, noise) to my laptop, and I'm thinking of going back to a 5400 RPM drive. I would get this new 750 GB one, but I never trust the first drives that break a capacity barrier. I'll wait for the HDD manufacturers to work out kinks and whatnot first.
@Metayoshi
Maybe you didn't choose the right HD mate!
2.5" 7200RPM hard drives have been around for ages now and they are faster than 5200RPM as long as you know which one you are going for. These days mechanics have been improved and they all use less and less platters which results in less heat and power consumption.
If you cannot afford an SSD the 7K500 is the way to go.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=448792
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=83794
http://www.storagereview.com/ultimate_notebook_hard_drive_performance_western_digital_scorpio_black_vs_hitachi_travelstar_7k500
With my WD 640GB at 5400RPM, I was able to transfer more information on a single charge than I was on a Seagate 500GB7 at 7200RPM. Not only that, it took slightly less time with the 5400RPM then the 7200RPM. I am guessing that the battery life thing is with the newer drives, better power management. But considering that the 5400RPM come out first long before the 7200RPM drives, the 5400s always seem to come out on top. The 7200rpm is ONLY faster than a 5200rpm at the same capacity and density. That is why I no longer stress out about waiting for the latest and greatest 7200rpm.
Furthermore I believe the ONLY reason drive manufacturers are still spitting out 2.5" 7200RPM drives is because customers demand it without realizing the lack of benefit. If there is a market for something, businesses will sell it, even though it doesn't particularly add any benefit to something they have already on the market.
sweeeeet, just figures id pick up a 500 at frys for a benjamin and one of these roll out a week later.