Western Digital has begun churning out its dual-platter 640GB 3.5in Caviar SE16 hard drive in volume, the hard drive manufacturer said today, though buyers will be keener to hear when it'll ship drives with four or more platters.

The desktop-oriented SE16 line currently runs to 750GB, the top-of-the-line drive being a model with three 250GB platters. So it surely won't be long before WD has a 960GB unit out that packs in three 320GB platters.

For now, though WD is pitching the two-platter unit as a sweet spot balancing capacity, price, and thermal and sonic characteristics.

The 640GB model has a 3Gb/s SATA interface. There's 16MB of cache built in.

The 750GB model costs $200 from WD's online store, while the 640GB model costs $140 - 70 per cent of the price for 85 per cent of the capacity - which is currently what it's asking for the 500GB version.

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