Conclusion

If you've already read our review of the 640 GB Western Digital Scorpio Blue (WD6400BEVT), you will remember that we were pretty disappointed with its performance. Despite its higher-density platters and consequently higher transfer rates, the WD6400BEVT could not beat the older 320 GB Western Digital Scorpio. This is mostly due to the "Advanced Format effect".

Then Western Digital gave the Scorpio Blue family a new boost in storage capacity and performance by replacing the 320 GB platters in the WD6400BEVT with new higher-density 500 GB platters in the 1 TB WD Blue (WD10JPVT) hard disk drive. They also introduced a new stainless-steel top plate and a more robust headstack design, increasing the drive's shock tolerance to 400 Gs during reads.

They then introduced a slimmer version - the 1 TB WD Blue Slim (WD10SPCX), with some improvements on paper - a faster SATA 6 Gb/s interface and a larger 16 GB cache. However, this didn't translate into significantly better performance. In fact, the WD10SPCX was only slightly faster at sequential reads and writes, while being slower than the standard-height WD10JPVT in random reads and writes.

The WD10SPCX's key advantage, therefore, is its slimmer form factor and lower weight. It not only fits Ultrabooks (that only accept 7 mm drives) but also weighs 18% less at just 90 g. Its more compact design and redesigned headstack also improved its shock resistance to 350 Gs (during operation), although the single-platter 500 GB WD Blue Slim (WD5000LPVT) beats it with a shock resistance of 400 Gs!

That said, notebook manufacturers and end-users would do well to note that while the WD10JPVT is very cool when it idles, certain parts of the drive can get very hot at full load. This is perhaps the most significant issue we have encountered with this drive, although it won't be a problem as long as the drive does not exceed its rated ambient temperature of 60 °C. We would recommend you use a notebook cooler if you are living in a tropical country where ambient temperatures can exceed 37 °C.

Overall, we are quite satisfied with the performance of the 1 TB WD Blue Slim (WD10SPCX). It delivers about the same performance as the excellent 1 TB WD Blue (WD10JPVT) in a slimmer, lighter form factor. Those who need more storage in their Ultrabooks should definitely consider this drive, because it offers a spacious 1 TB of storage space for about US$ 100 (~RM 310).

Find the lowest current prices on the WD10SPCX on Amazon or Pricegrabber!

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