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If you’re a hardware enthusiast then you will have no doubt come across Western Digital’s Velociraptor range of high-performance hard drives. Well, these beasts have evolved!

These new Velociraptor drives come in 450GB and 600GB versions. These will be available in a 3.5-inch version that comes fitted to an IcePack cooler (WD4500HLHX and WD6000HLHX), while a 2.5-inch version (WD4500BLHX and WD6000BLHX) are under evaluation by OEMs and will only be available through selected outlets.

* Killer speed
SATA 6 Gb/s interface and 32 MB cache enhance the next generation 10,000 RPM WD VelociRaptor making it up to 15% faster than the award-winning previous generation.
* Monstrous capacity
WD VelociRaptor SATA drives are available in capacities up to 600 GB, double the capacity of the previous generation.
* Rock-solid reliability
Designed and manufactured to mission-critical enterprise-class standards to provide enterprise reliability in high duty cycle environments. With 1.4 million hours MTBF, these drives have the highest available reliability rating on a high capacity SATA drive.
* Ultra-cool operation
Consumes no more power than the previous generation WD VelociRaptor while offering double the capacity and higher performance.
* IcePack mounting frame
The 2.5-inch WD VelociRaptor is enclosed in a backplane-ready 3.5-inch enterprise-class mounting frame with a built-in heat sink that keeps this powerful little drive extra cool when installed in high-performance desktop chassis.
* Rotary Acceleration Feed Forward (RAFF)
Optimizes operation and performance when the drives are used in vibration-prone, multi-drive chassis.
* 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.
* Environmentally conscious
In addition to being ROHS compliant, this generation of WD VelociRaptor is also a halogen-free design.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the VelociRaptor 450GB (model WD4500HLHX) is $299 and the 600GB (model WD6000HLHX) is $329.