Western Digital Launches New My Book Duo Storage Systems: 360 MB/s, USB-C, 20 TB
by Anton Shilov on August 25, 2017 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Storage
- WD
- HDDs
- Western Digital
- WD Red
- USB-C
- My Book Duo
Western Digital has released its new My Book Duo external storage systems for consumers. The new devices run two 3.5” WD Red HDDs in RAID 0 or 1 mode and have capacity of up to 20 TB. The drives come in a new enclosure that uses a USB 3.0 Type-C port to connect with hosts (hosts can use USB-C to USB-A adapters as well) and has an additional USB 3.0 Type-A port on the backside to connect other devices.
The WD My Book Duo storage systems are based on WD's Red series hard drives, running them in RAID 0 for extra performance or RAID 1 for redundancy. The WD Red HDDs have a 5400 RPM spindle speed and feature 64 MB, 128 MB, or 256 MB of cache. Internal transfer rates of WD Red drives vary from 147 MB/s to 210 MB/s depending on the capacity, and therefore performance of the WD My Book Duo systems will vary as well. Western Digital declares maximum performance of the new My Book Duo at 360 MB/s, which should be achievable by most of the models in the lineup.
Western Digital does not disclose which RAID controller it uses inside the My Book Duo storage systems, but states that it supports hardware AES-256 encryption. To password protect the external drives, users will have to use the WD Security software.
Speaking of software, the manufacturer ships the My Book Duo products with the WD Backup suite, which automatically backups data from Windows-based PCs as well as from cloud services, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Facebook, and Instagram. With Macs, users will have to use Apple’s Time Machine program. In addition, the WD My Book Duo comes with WD's Drive Utilities suite, which monitor and manage the health of the enclosed HDDs.
When it comes to overall size, Western Digital’s My Book Duo does not seem to be too bulky: it is 180 mm tall (7.09”), 100 mm wide (3.94”) and 160 mm deep (6.3”). The My Book Duo storage systems come with external power adapters — a 36 W wall-wart style power adapter for 12 TB model and below as well as a 48 W power brick for 16 TB and 20 TB SKUs. The latter is a bit strange because the WD Red 8 TB and 10 TB HDDs are filled with helium rather than traditional air, and consequently their power consumption is lower than the previous-generation lower capacity WD Red drives.
Western Digital's WD My Book Duo (2017) External Storage Devices | ||||||||
Capacity | Transfer Rate | Interface | Dimensions | Model Number | Price | |||
4 TB | Up to 360 MB/s, depends on model |
USB 3.0 Type-C | Height: 180 mm/7.09” Length: 160 mm/6.3” Width: 100 mm/3.94" |
WDBFBE0040JBK-NESN | $259.99 | |||
6 TB | WDBFBE0060JBK-NESN | $289.99 | ||||||
8 TB | WDBFBE0080JBK-NESN | $329.99 | ||||||
12 TB | WDBFBE0160JBK-NESN | $439.99 | ||||||
16 TB | WDBFBE0160JBK-NESN | $599.99 | ||||||
20 TB | WDBFBE0200JBK-NESN | $799.99 |
Western Digital has already begun shipments of its new My Book Duo storage systems for consumers. The devices are available from WD.com and from select retailers. The top-of-the-range 20 TB model costs $799.99, the entry-level 4 TB version is priced at $259.99, and a mid-range 12 TB SKU carries a $419.99 price tag. All the WD My Book Duo storage systems are covered by a three-year warranty.
Related Reading:
- Western Digital Launches New My Passport Ultra HDDs: New Enclosure, Up to 4 TB
- WD Adds Helium-Filled 10 TB NAS HDDs to WD Red, WD Red Pro Lineups
- Western Digital Expands Purple Lineup with a 10 TB Helium-Filled HDD
- Western Digital Introduces Its First Helium-Filled HDDs for Consumer Applications
- Western Digital Announces Ultrastar He12 12 TB and 14 TB HDDs
- Western Digital Adds Helium-Filled WD Gold 10 TB HDD to Lineup
Source: Western Digital
6 Comments
View All Comments
Charlie22911 - Friday, August 25, 2017 - link
Any word on if this contains a fan? Almost every WD/Segate branded enclosed I've purchased traps heat and makes the drives run very hot.hlm - Tuesday, August 29, 2017 - link
This product includes a fan, I think it is Sunon. Most WD dual-bay units have a fan - the single-drive units do not.cfenton - Saturday, August 26, 2017 - link
Just wanted to point out a minor typo. You have the 16GB model number for both the 12GB and the 16GB drive.CharonPDX - Sunday, August 27, 2017 - link
Just wanted to point out a minor typo. You have "GB" where you mean "TB". :-PHurr Durr - Sunday, August 27, 2017 - link
I wonder if this signals that more affordable modelas are coming too.