When it comes to achieving high-speed data read/write access, SSDs are the storage media you cannot deny the benefits of. Implementing the ...
When it comes to achieving high-speed data read/write access, SSDs are the storage media you cannot deny the benefits of. Implementing the technology, most computer manufacturers today provide SSD as the internal storage media, which features faster boot, speedy performance, and larger storage space. In this article, we will provide you a detailed review of Western Digital's 'Black2 Dual Drive' SSD + HDD Specifications, Features, Compatibility, Unboxing, and Pros & Cons, Which will help you in your decision-making whether to buy/purchase it or not.
While thinking of a storage upgrade, you might have realized that you cannot afford an SSD of the required capacity and therefore, you eventually opt for a larger HDD to minimize the cost. However, how could you compare HDDs with SSDs, when there is not even a single common thing in both, except the storage factor? Since the overall operations in computers ultimately are based on the storage media they include, WD (Western Digital), one of the top manufacturers of Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and Solid State Drives (SSDs), has recently released WD Black2 Dual Drive to challenge the needs for both storage and efficiency, thereby integrating both the factors in a single drive.
Western Digital 'Black2 Dual Drive' Specifications and Features
The manufacturer defines a dual drive as, “A Dual Drive is a device that contains both fully accessible Solid State Drive (SSD) and Hard Disk Drive (HDD), while only requiring one SATA connection.” As per the storage capacity and other related factors, WD Black2 Dual Drive has 120GB SSD and 1TB HDD, and the following properties upon which the computer’s performance relies:
Throughput of the SSD portion, as per WD, is measured in the following terms and their respective values:
Western Digital 'Black2 Dual Drive' Unboxing and First Hands-On
Western Digital Black2 Dual Drive comes in a normal package, so you may not find it looking different from other conventional Solid State Drives in its outer appearance. On Unboxing, you see a USB key that actually looks like a storage device, but it is not. When you connect this USB key to your computer, it acts as a Virtual Keyboard and launches the manufacturer’s website, and the web page it opens lets you download the latest version of the required driver and the cloning software.
Added to the box is a USB to SATA cable for OS cloning purposes and a multi-language user manual to guide you throughout the installation and its uses.
Western Digital 'Black2 Dual Drive' Review
With the launch of Black¬¬2 Dual Drive, the manufacturer (i.e. WD) has given the power to the consumers, thereby redefining their PCs with higher storage capacity and highly efficient performance the way it has never ever experienced before. This only 2.5-inch dual drive is specially designed to fulfill the needs of every person who wishes for a high capacity and speedy drive in his notebook or all-in-one PC.
Well, the base of the idea is nothing else but the demands of the customers for a high-speed PC, which must also be able to provide larger storage space. After the right and efficient workout, the strong desire for a high-speed storage device for your existing computer has now been launched successfully. WD has fused two high-performance storage devices together, to put the faster boot and read/write operations to your fingertips.
Additionally, the collaboration of Shift Technology with improved algorithms for faster performance injects the following features into the WD Black2 Dual Drive:
WD Black2 Dual Drive provides a better solution for problems users are familiar with the fact that SSDs are constructed by integrating several flash memory chips that have a finite lifetime, and the performance of the SSD falls down with the increase in storage. With Black2 Dual Drive, you can store an excessive amount of data in the HDD portion with 1TB storage space and keep the SSD portion free to attain flawless and optimal performance.
The launch of WD Black2 Dual Drive is certainly good news for those who have a gamer inside, but the gradual downfall in computer performance does not bring it out. The 120 GB SSD portion lets you boot your computer in a way faster than it has even booted before. Run your games by putting them to the high-speed SSD, and play them in a smooth and gameplay environment.
Another nice but ignored feature in WD Black2 Dual Drive is that its SSD portion both is shock and vibration-resistant, which in collaboration with the tested OK technology of the HDD makes it a reliable and the best dual-drive solution for consumers’ demanding highly capacitive and efficient drives.
Western Digital 'Black2 Dual Drive' System Compatibility and Software Requirements
As I already mentioned in the ‘Unboxing’ part, the WD Black2 Dual Drive brings a SUB web key, a USB to SATA cable, and some user manuals. However, installing this dual drive requires a working Internet connection and a software download. Based on the requirements, you can go for a fresh install or drive cloning. With the connectivity to the Internet, see the video describing the drive installation process here.
Based on various tests in different environments, the WD Black2 Dual Drive is found as compatible with several different types of computers:
After the hardware compatibility, it is time to reveal the software compatibility of the WD Black2 Dual Drive. Well, as per the compatibility of the installation software, WD Black2 Dual Drive is compatible with a range of Windows operating systems, as listed below:
Boot SSD and HDD portions of this dual drive are accessible to the users, but the HDD portion will be ready to be used for data read and write purposes after the software installation. Currently, WD Black2 Dual Drive is available with a 5 years manufacturer’s warranty.
Pros
Well, Black2 Dual Drive is certainly a great storage media to achieve highly efficient and considerably fast read/write operations. Since the drive is expensive, it is almost unreachable from the individual user’s approach.
While thinking of a storage upgrade, you might have realized that you cannot afford an SSD of the required capacity and therefore, you eventually opt for a larger HDD to minimize the cost. However, how could you compare HDDs with SSDs, when there is not even a single common thing in both, except the storage factor? Since the overall operations in computers ultimately are based on the storage media they include, WD (Western Digital), one of the top manufacturers of Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and Solid State Drives (SSDs), has recently released WD Black2 Dual Drive to challenge the needs for both storage and efficiency, thereby integrating both the factors in a single drive.
Western Digital 'Black2 Dual Drive' Specifications and Features
The manufacturer defines a dual drive as, “A Dual Drive is a device that contains both fully accessible Solid State Drive (SSD) and Hard Disk Drive (HDD), while only requiring one SATA connection.” As per the storage capacity and other related factors, WD Black2 Dual Drive has 120GB SSD and 1TB HDD, and the following properties upon which the computer’s performance relies:
Throughput of the SSD portion, as per WD, is measured in the following terms and their respective values:
- Interface: 6 GB/s
- Read: 350 MB/s
- Write: 140 MB/s
- Interface: 6 GB/s
- Data Transfer Rate (at max): 140 MB/s
- Cache: 16 MB
- Latency (average): 5.5 ms
Western Digital 'Black2 Dual Drive' Unboxing and First Hands-On
Western Digital Black2 Dual Drive comes in a normal package, so you may not find it looking different from other conventional Solid State Drives in its outer appearance. On Unboxing, you see a USB key that actually looks like a storage device, but it is not. When you connect this USB key to your computer, it acts as a Virtual Keyboard and launches the manufacturer’s website, and the web page it opens lets you download the latest version of the required driver and the cloning software.
Added to the box is a USB to SATA cable for OS cloning purposes and a multi-language user manual to guide you throughout the installation and its uses.
Western Digital 'Black2 Dual Drive' Review
With the launch of Black¬¬2 Dual Drive, the manufacturer (i.e. WD) has given the power to the consumers, thereby redefining their PCs with higher storage capacity and highly efficient performance the way it has never ever experienced before. This only 2.5-inch dual drive is specially designed to fulfill the needs of every person who wishes for a high capacity and speedy drive in his notebook or all-in-one PC.
Well, the base of the idea is nothing else but the demands of the customers for a high-speed PC, which must also be able to provide larger storage space. After the right and efficient workout, the strong desire for a high-speed storage device for your existing computer has now been launched successfully. WD has fused two high-performance storage devices together, to put the faster boot and read/write operations to your fingertips.
Additionally, the collaboration of Shift Technology with improved algorithms for faster performance injects the following features into the WD Black2 Dual Drive:
- High speed and performance due to quad-channel NAND processing and 20nm architecture.
- Highly efficient data management per cell because customized controls minimize the drags.
- 8 GB space for provisioning, which improves the integrity as well as reliability of the drive.
WD Black2 Dual Drive provides a better solution for problems users are familiar with the fact that SSDs are constructed by integrating several flash memory chips that have a finite lifetime, and the performance of the SSD falls down with the increase in storage. With Black2 Dual Drive, you can store an excessive amount of data in the HDD portion with 1TB storage space and keep the SSD portion free to attain flawless and optimal performance.
The launch of WD Black2 Dual Drive is certainly good news for those who have a gamer inside, but the gradual downfall in computer performance does not bring it out. The 120 GB SSD portion lets you boot your computer in a way faster than it has even booted before. Run your games by putting them to the high-speed SSD, and play them in a smooth and gameplay environment.
Another nice but ignored feature in WD Black2 Dual Drive is that its SSD portion both is shock and vibration-resistant, which in collaboration with the tested OK technology of the HDD makes it a reliable and the best dual-drive solution for consumers’ demanding highly capacitive and efficient drives.
Western Digital 'Black2 Dual Drive' System Compatibility and Software Requirements
As I already mentioned in the ‘Unboxing’ part, the WD Black2 Dual Drive brings a SUB web key, a USB to SATA cable, and some user manuals. However, installing this dual drive requires a working Internet connection and a software download. Based on the requirements, you can go for a fresh install or drive cloning. With the connectivity to the Internet, see the video describing the drive installation process here.
Based on various tests in different environments, the WD Black2 Dual Drive is found as compatible with several different types of computers:
- Notebooks
- All-in-one PCs
- Thin Client PCs
- Gaming PCs, and
- Dell XPS 15 L521x
- Dell Latitude D830
- ASUS X83V
- Gateway E56R41u
- Dell Latitude E6510
- Dell Latitude E6520
- Dell Latitude E6420
- Dell XPS 15 L521x
After the hardware compatibility, it is time to reveal the software compatibility of the WD Black2 Dual Drive. Well, as per the compatibility of the installation software, WD Black2 Dual Drive is compatible with a range of Windows operating systems, as listed below:
- Windows 8.1 (64-bit and 32-bit versions)
- Windows 8 (64-bit and 32-bit versions)
- Windows 7 (64-bit and 32-bit versions)
- Windows Vista (64-bit and 32-bit versions)
- Windows XP (only 32-bit version)
Boot SSD and HDD portions of this dual drive are accessible to the users, but the HDD portion will be ready to be used for data read and write purposes after the software installation. Currently, WD Black2 Dual Drive is available with a 5 years manufacturer’s warranty.
Pros
- Both SSD and HDD are together
- Simple and easy installation (see video for help)
- Efficient storage and faster access
- SSD could offer faster data read/write speed
- Expensive as compared to other conventional SSDs
Well, Black2 Dual Drive is certainly a great storage media to achieve highly efficient and considerably fast read/write operations. Since the drive is expensive, it is almost unreachable from the individual user’s approach.
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