What Is the Difference Between the Western Digital Black Drives and the Blue Drives?

Western Digital offers both "Blue" and "Black" hard drive versions. The Blue is advertised for "performance and reliability," whereas the higher end Black version is advertised as "maximum performance." These semantic descriptions don't clarify why one may be preferred over the other. As it turns out, the differences are quite numerous.

1. Interface

   • Both Western Digital's Black and Blue versions offer a SATA 3.0 and 6.0 Gbps interface. However, only the Blue version is available for older IDE "ribbon" connections.

   Capacity

   • The Western Digital Blue hard drive offer capacities from 80GB to 1TB. The Western Digital Black hard drive offers capacities from 500GB to 2TB.

   Cache

   • A hard drive's cache offers a buffer where data is temporarily stored as it is written to the hard drive. Generally speaking, the larger the cache, the better performance you experience. The Blue version offers cache sizes from 8 to 32MB, whereas the Black version extends this range from 32 to 64MB.

   Processors

   • Each hard drive must possess a processor for controlling data read from and written to the hard drive. The Black version double's the Blue's capabilities by including dual processors.

   Actuators

   • The hard drive's actuator moves the head to locate data on the drive. The Black version features dual actuators, which helps quickly pinpoint data on larger drives. This feature is only available for 1.5 and 2TB-capacity Black drives.

   Warranty

   • The Blue version offers a three-year warranty, whereas the Black version offers a five-year warranty.

   Efficiency

   • The greater processing power, dual actuators and increased performance of the Black version comes at a price. Users of the Black version may experience greater heat and noise production, as well as higher energy use.

   Price

   • Price is another area the Blue version triumphs with decreased costs, compared to the equivalent Black version.