WD is now shipping 450GB and 600GB versions of the WD VelociRaptor the next generation of its 10,000 RPM SATA family of hard drives. The new WD VelociRaptor hard drive is designed for blade servers, high-performance Macs, PCs, professional workstations, as well as 1U and 2U rack servers.

As the only 10,000 RPM SATA hard drive on the market, the WD VelociRaptor hard drive now comes packed with twice the capacity and up to 15% performance increase over the previous generation, according to Tom McDorman, vice president and general manager, WD. It's built with enterprise-class mechanics that provide 24x7 durability under high-performance demands and packs up to 600 GB of capacity into a 2.5-inch enterprise form factor, he adds.

The WD VelociRaptor drive is also available in the IcePack enclosure, a 3.5-inch mounting frame with a built-in heat sink -- a factory customization that fits the drive into a standard 3.5-inch system bay and keeps this drive cool when installed in a high-performance desktop chassis and 3.5-inch HDD form factor enterprise chassis.

WD VelociRaptor hard drives are available now at select distributors and resellers. They're also under evaluation with OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers and will be available through select commercial distributors within this quarter. The manufacturer's suggested retail price for the WD VelociRaptor 450GB is US$299, and the 600GB model is $329 USD. More information about WD VelociRaptor hard drives may be found on the company's web site (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=821).