Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/02/toshiba_1tb_notebook_drive/
Toshiba launches thinner spinner
1TB standard notebook format drive
Posted in Storage, 2nd August 2011 13:23 GMT
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Seagate's failure to capitalise on its start-of-year areal density advantages is being laid bare: Toshiba has followed Samsung and Western Digital by adding a 1TB, standard format notebook drive to its roster, leaving Seagate out in the cold.
Toshiba's MQ01ABD is an advance on its 3-platter, 1TB notebook drive, the MK1059GSM, which doesn't fit in a standard notebook drive bay as it has a 12.5mm z-height (thickness). That drive stores 334GB on each of its platters.
The newer product stores 500GB and its areal density rating is 744.1Gbits/in2, which Toshiba claims is "best-in-class storage density." The M8 SpinPoint's areal density is 625Gbit/in2, a good deal less. WD doesn't reveal the Scorpio Blue's areal density.
Two platters means a 9.5mm z-height and the standard notebook drive bay is now available to Toshiba at this capacity level, following from Samsung's earlier SpinPoint M8 [1] and Western Digital's recent 1TB Scorpio Blue [2]. Seagate is buying Samsung and so will get its hands on this drive.
Toshiba's thinner spinner has an 8MB buffer, a SATA II interface and spins at 5,400rpm. Tosh says it is aimed at applications such as high-end notebook and desktop PCs, mobile workstations, gaming consoles, DVR set-top boxes, and external storage boxes.
The company says it is both energy efficient and quiet, drawing 0.55watts during idle mode and "emitting a maximum of 19dB at idle and 24dB during seek operations". It's also "greener" than previous Tosh drives.
The new disk will be in mass production in mid-August, with capacity points of 250, 320, 500 and 750GB as well as the 1TB maximum. ®