Western Digital Digital Scorpio Blue 1 TB

Western Digital Scorpio Blue 1TB Mobile Hard Drive Review

For notebook users, "size matters". We're not only talking about density here, but also physical size. Having the best of both worlds just hasn't been an option for most people, because when a top-tier model gets released to the market, offering unparalleled densities, it'll almost always feature a 12.5mm height, which most notebooks don't support. I have little doubt that when Western Digital unveiled its first 1TB mobile drive back in July of 2009, many shrugged at its 12.5mm requirement. Rinse and repeat when the company followed-up with an 'Advanced Format' variant this past January. For those with excellent patience thresholds, though, the wait for your 9.5mm 1TB hard drive is finally over. With its WD10JPVT, Western Digital finally delivers a 1TB mobile offering that most people can take advantage of, while at the same time improving both power efficiency and shock resistance. WD pulled this drive off by implementing two 500GB platters under the hood, which until last week (Toshiba press release PDF) was the areal density leader for mobile drives. In a match-up between the 9.5mm WD10JPVT and 12.5mm WD10TPVT, WD's latest drive increases the shock resistance from 350Gs to 400Gs, and decreases active power consumption from 1.7W to 1.4W - a minor, but appreciated decrease.