WD, a Western Digital company and a world leader in storage, today announced a new 3.5-inch SAS hard drive solution for legacy datacenter storage systems with the release of WD XE, 2.5-inch, 10,000 RPM SAS hard drive, now available mounted in a 3.5-inch WD performance adapter. Shipping immediately, the WD XE hard drives provide best-in-class performance, low power consumption, and an easier upgrade path for existing 3.5-inch storage systems.
While demand for 3.5-inch, high-performance enterprise-class hard drives slows, a need remains for an alternate high-performance storage device as a transitional solution for legacy systems. WD XE hard drives offer best-in-class sequential performance and provide a compelling upgrade for datacenters migrating away from legacy drives nearing end-of-life.
“Delivering up to 50 percent higher capacity, similar or better maximum sequential performance, higher reliability and up to 67 percent lower power consumption versus 3.5-inch,15,000 RPM drives, the new WD XE drives are the answer for data center server and storage solutions needing a transition strategy,” said Rich Rutledge, senior vice president of WD’s datacenters business unit. “IT managers now have a worry-free migration path to the latest enterprise performance drives from WD, while preserving their chassis and solution investments.”
WD XE 2.5-inch SAS hard drives in 3.5-inch performance adapters feature:
Highest performance in its class – WD XE delivers ultra-fast 6 Gb/s transfer rates, best-in-class sequential data rate of 204 MB/s, and outstanding random I/O performance;
Low power consumption – This 3.5-inch SAS drive delivers up to 67 percent lower power versus 3.5-inch 15,000 RPM drives, which can result in substantially lower total cost of ownership (TCO) while increasing capacity and reliability;
Form factor – 2.5-inch drive mounted in 3.5-inch performance adapter for ease of upgrade and ultra-cool operation;
Dual port, full duplex connectivity – Offers higher reliability, performance and data availability by eliminating single points of failure, designed for high-availability datacenter systems;
NoTouch ramp load technology – The recording head never touches the disk media ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive protection in transit; and
Industry’s highest reliability rating – 2 million hours MTBF.
The WD XE SAS enterprise hard drives in 3.5-inch performance adapters, shipping in capacities ranging from 300 GB to 900 GB, (models: WD3001HKHG, WD6001HKHG, and WD9001HKHG); are available through select retailers and are distributed by Verdure Xchange Tech, Inc. and Ubertech, Inc.
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the WD XE hard drives in performance adapters range from PHP 10,999 to PHP 28,999. WD XE drives are covered by a five-year limited warranty.
More information about WD XE enterprise hard drives and limited warranty terms may be found on the company's website at http://wd.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=10.
