Specifications, Availability and Pricing

The Western Digital Scorpio Black is designed for power users on the go. The drives 7200 RPM spindle speed and 16MB cache rivals many 3.5 inch desktop drives specifications. The Black is available in 80, 120, 160, 250 and 320 GBs, with and without a free fall sensor.

One area that SSDs claim to dominate is power consumption; this claim has been disputed both ways by many websites and manufacturers. Western Digital has introduced a new technology called IntelliSeek, a way of slowing the actuator arm to deliver just in time location while easing the typical vibrations and power consumption associated with 7200 RPM drives. You can see a demonstration of IntelliSeek here.

The Western Digital Scorpio Black is currently available at several e-tail locations. After searching with the TweakTown Shopping Network I found the drive at Newegg for less than 110 USD in 320GB form, the same as we are testing today. At this price the Scorpio Black is sure to have some reconsidering any move to solid state, as long as the performance is there to back up the claims.