Western Digital is shipping its 750GB, 2.5-inch, 2-platter drive ahead of Toshiba, although Toshiba announced first.

The Scorpio Blue 750 drive has 375GB capacity per platter and spins at 5400rpm. With 8MB of cache and a 3GBit/s SATA II interface it is broadly identical to Toshiba's MK7559GSXP.

This was announced last week and will sample this month. Effectively OEMs have two sources for these drives from day one.

It's rumoured that a higher performance Scorpio Black drive can be anticipated in the next few months, which will feature a 7200 RPM speed, 16MB of cache, and a free-fall sensor.

The current top-performing Scorpio Black, announced in September last year, has up to 320GB capacity and a 3Gbit/s SATA interface. We expect a high-performing drive, not a higher capacity one; suggestive of a faster interface.

The next-generation 600GB, 10,000rpm VelociRaptor could ship shortly. The current VelociRaptor has up to 300GB capacity, a 10K spin speed and the 3Gbit/s SATA interface.

Rumours are also beginning to swirl around of WD having a 3TB 3.5-inch hard drive in development.

WD's Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the Scorpio Blue 750 is $149.00, and the drive comes with a 3-year warranty. ®