Thought this was interesting -- the race for areal density continues and now there are glass disk patters instead of aluminum........
Wednesday March 15, 5:59 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
IBM Announces World's Highest Capacity Hard Drive
e-Business Creating Unprecedented Demand for PC Storage
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2000--IBM today announced two new products that set world records for data storage -- the highest
capacity hard drive and the greatest areal density of any hard disk drive product.
The 7,200 rpm Deskstar 75GXP for desktop computers holds a whopping 75-gigabytes (GB) of data, more than 10 times the capacity of drives found in the
average home PC.
Users will benefit enormously from Deskstar 75GXP's ability to store more movies, pictures, music and business formation on their PCs. A single drive can now store the equivalent of up to 18 DVD movies in MPEG3 format, 159 music CDs or the data contained in a stack of documents 20 times taller than the Washington Monument.
``e-Business is fueling unprecedented demand for increased storage capacity on personal computers,' said Shiv Shivaji, IBM's marketing director for desktop hard drives. ``We're seeing increasing use of the Internet by people to download data-intensive software programs and applications, films, music, high-resolution photos and other multimedia content. Dramatic improvements in storage capacity, performance and reliability are helping enable this new economy.'
IBM also announced the Deskstar 40GV, which runs at 5,400 rpm, holds 40 GB of data and sets a new areal density record of 14.3 billion bits per square inch. Greater areal density allows more information to be stored in less space, producing a drive that is more reliable, quieter and more cost effective to manufacture.
These are the first IBM desktop drives to use glass disk platters instead of aluminum. The smoother and more rigid glass disks allow the recording head to read smaller bits of information that are packed more closely together. In addition, glass disks are more stable at higher speeds.
In addition, the new products are the first IBM desktop drives to use load/unload technology. This feature parks the recording heads off the disk surface when not in use, dramatically increasing the amount of shock the drive can handle when not in use.
The Deskstar 75GXP sets a new standard in disk drive performance with a maximum media data rate of 444 megabits per second (Mb/s) and 8.5 milliseconds (ms)average seek time, delivering optimal multimedia performance and video playback.
Other technologies that enhance the drives' performance include a faster processor, more advanced LSI chips and better hardware caching. And, these are the first drives compatible with fast ATA interfaces, allowing burst transfers up to 100 megabytes per second (MB/sec).
Through improved mechanical design, IBM has made both drive families quieter by several decibels. The 40GV drive includes a new Silent Seek mode to further reduce acoustics to near solid state levels. This makes them ideal for use in television set-top boxes and other new consumer devices that require quiet access to stored data.
Limited quantities of the new Deskstar 75GXP are shipping now to Dell Computer Corporation, Gateway, IBM Personal Systems Group and other major computer makers.
``The new IBM drives are able to deliver the high-end performance and capacity our customers need to take advantage of current technologies such as streaming
audio and video,' said Ron Van Dell, general manager, Dell Dimension products.
The Deskstar 75GXP will be shipping in full volume in April. For more information visit www.ibm.com/harddrive or call 1-888-426-5214.
IBM invented and shipped the first hard disk drive in 1956. In 1999, the company received more than 40 awards and honors worldwide for its hard drives and storage technologies.
Technical Specifications
Deskstar 75GXP
7,200 rpm, six capacities: 75/60/45/30/20/15 GB, 1 to 5 glass disk platters, 11.2 billion bits areal density, 8.5 ms average seek time, 444 Mb/s maximum media data rate, up to 100 MB/s host data rate, 2 MB buffer, 3.0 to 3.6 Bels, giant magnetoresistive (GMR) recording heads, load/unload technology.
Deskstar 40GV
5,400 rpm, three capacities: 40/30/20 GB, 2/1 glass disk platters, 14.3 billion bits areal density, 9.5 ms average seek time, 372 Mb/s maximum media data rate, up to 100 MB/s host data rate, 512 KB buffer, 2.9 Bels, GMR recording heads, load/unload technology. |
