Jeff K, Those digital VHS boxes will need some big hard drives.
How many hours of MPEG II can we get on one of these 50G drives?
techweb.com
November 16, 1998, Issue: 1035
Section: Product Week -- Comdex
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Drive makers push up speed, capacity
Terry Costlow
Las Vegas - Disk-drive designers are continuing to push capacities and data-transfer rates to dizzying heights, while also adding new features to differentiate their wares. Data protection and quicker accessing times are among the traits that will be touted on the Comdex show floor.
Western Digital Corp. (Irvine, Calif.) has focused on data integrity and fast transfer rates in the latest members of its Caviar line. They store 4.3 Mbytes per platter, with capacities ranging up to 13 Gbytes. The drives are among the industry's first to implement the Ultra ATA 66 interface, which moves data at up to 66 Mbytes/second. Many companies are planning to adopt this early next year, but Western Digital is shipping the latest version of the ATA interface now so users won't have to alter their systems to gain its speed-doubling capability.
The drive also incorporates Western Digital's Data Lifeguard scheme. Data Lifeguard augments the Smart specification for self-monitoring, analysis and reporting techniques and may cut data loss in half, a spokesman said. Access times are typically 9.5 milliseconds. The platters spin at 5,400 rpm to provide low latency. The estimated street price of the 13-Gbyte version is $339; production shipments should start this month.
Desktop drives from Seagate Technology Inc. (Scotts Valley, Calif.) now have capacities of up to 17 Gbytes with 4.3-Gbyte platters. The drives have a 9-ms access time and move data at an internal rate of up to 188 Mbits/s. The Medalist drives have the 33-Mbyte/s Ultra ATA interface and the Ultra2 SCSI interface, moving data at 80 Mbytes/s. With the SCSI interface, the 4.5- and 9-Gbyte drives cost $290 and $505, respectively.
Seagate has also raised the capacity of its server-class 3.5-inch drives up to 50 Gbytes, the industry's highest capacity, with the 7,200-rpm Barracuda line. At the new capacity, the Barracuda has 3 Gbytes more than Seagate's 5-1/4-inch Elite line. That makes it likely that 5-1/4-inch drives will fade away as users turn to higher-volume 3.5-inch drives to trim costs without losing much capacity. It comes with Ultra2 SCSI and Fibre Channel interfaces. The 11-platter, half-height drives have a seek time of 7.4 ms. To keep costs low, the drive uses mechanics and electronics from other Barracuda drives and Seagate's 10,000-rpm Cheetah drive, which is also being unveiled at Comdex. The 50-Gbyte Barracuda costs $2,275 in single OEM quantities, shipping in February. Models with 18- and 36-Gbyte capacity are also available.
Quantum Corp. (Milpitas, Calif.) pushed its high-end drives forward on two fronts. The Atlas 10K joins the rapidly growing 10,000-rpm market and the 7,200-rpm Atlas IV adopts the Ultra 160 SCSI interface to push capacity up to 160 Mbytes/s. Both families have capacities of up to 36 Gbytes in half-height formats.
The Atlas 10K drives have 5-ms average seek times and move data off the head at up to 315 Mbits/s. The line employs Quantum's Shock Protection System, which protects against damage to the media when the drive is being shipped and installed. Quantum believes that's when a large percentage of drives are damaged. Drives with the 160-Mbyte version of SCSI, often called Ultra3 SCSI, are shipping now. Fibre Channel versions will ship next year.
Quantum's 7,200-rpm drive has an average seek time of 6.9 ms and a 257-Mbit/s rate off the head. The 9-Gbyte Atlas IV units retail for $595 and the 18-Gbyte model costs $895. The Atlas 10K family costs $795 and $1,195 in 9- and 18-Gbyte capacities, respectively.
Another server-class drive comes from Western Digital, which unveiled a family of low-profile Ultra2 SCSI drives that store up to 18.3 Gbytes. The drives have average seek times of 6.9 ms and move data from the head at up to 246 Mbits/s. SCSI drives retail for $655 and $1,115 for 9- and 18-Gbyte versions. |
