Western Digital Black² Dual Drive Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

Priced at $339.99 over on Newegg, the Black² Dual Drive is not the cheapest option out there for anyone who is looking for both SSD and HDD storage mediums, considering two separate drives with similar performance levels will cost around $100-140 less. This does not rule out the drive as a viable option however as laptops and compact systems allow this drive to prove worthwhile with an all-in-one design, giving users the benefit of both worlds which may have not been possible before; thus making the price more understanding. Back in the UK, Overclockers UK have the Black² available for a shade under £250 whilst in the EU, Amazon.de prices start at just under €250.

Overview

Since the solid state drive has come into the limelight, the dream of having both the high-capacity that a hard drive can pack and the pure performance from an SSD in one single unit has been on the wish list of many of us. Whilst this dream is now a reality with 1TB SSDs available on the market from the likes of Samsung, OCZ and Crucial to name but a few, the simple fact of the matter is that they are still twice the price of what the Black² is and as a result are not likely to be an option for many users. The Black² is not a hybrid drive as we have previously seen and it can be used as two totally separate drives once installed – something that hybrid or cached drives can’t do.

When it comes down to the performance of each medium, the Slim HDD gives us the performance that we would expect from a 2.5″ drive, however the SSD portion drive is a little behind a solo SSD when it comes to write performance. We have to give Western Digital credit where it is due though. Being able to shoe horn a 120GB SSD into the confines of a 2.5″ hard drive and have both connect through a single interface is no easy feat and with respectable read speeds of around 430MB/s on offer the slower write speed of around 140MB/s is soon forgiven.

As our connected lives grow, the size of our laptops has shrunk and consequently the option for two drives has to go, thus bringing us round to the benefit of the Black² once more. By having both storage mediums within the confinement of a single drive, users can easily upgrade their systems and give them both the boost in speed and extension on capacity that is wanted and needed. There is only one restriction when looking at buying and that’s the 9.5mm height that will restrict the compatibility with some newer systems sadly. But for the systems where it can be installed, there is no need to look around for an optical drive bay adaptor to sacrifice one storage medium for another. Simply put, the Black² is going to be one of hte best options out there for you if you want the balance between speed and storage whilst having full control on what is stored on each medium.

All in all, the Black² dual drive is a great solution to a storage conundrum and I’m certain that we will be seeing one or two more drives like this cropping up in the near future. The pricing is well-balanced for the large storage capacity that is on offer as well as the SSD speed, however this drive is just treading it toes into the price bracket for 480-512GB SSDs that naturally will offer faster performance all round. The end decision simply comes down to how much storage is wanted. If you’re going to need the space then by all means go for it, those who are more interested in speed may want to consider a pure SSD whilst trading in half the capacity.

Pros:

• Two separate volumes in one single unit
• Best solution for SSD read performance and HDD capacity
• 5 year warranty
• Well known brand

Cons:

• Pricing is similar to that of pure SSDs with half the capacity

“The choice of SSD performance or hard drive capacity is a major stumbling block for many users and the Black² Dual Drive with its separate 120GB SSD and 1TB HDD volumes in a single package will offer the best of both worlds for a respectable price. For those with compact systems that want the best of both worlds, this is a great option – but take into a consideration that a 512GB is around the same price. The choice ultimately comes down to faster speeds or greater storage capacity, take this into consideration before you buy.”

Thanks to Western Digital for providing this review sample.