Leapfrogging Seagate again, Western Digital has announced the world's first 1TB 2.5-inch drive, a 3-platter Scorpio Blue.
The company says it has the industry's highest areal density for such drives, 333GB/platter. Two drives are available with these platters: a 750GB one, available now from certain distributors and resellers, …
requires it to have 2¼ platters. Unless by comprehension of how hard-drives work is completely borked (perfectly possible - I am not a hardware whizz), fractional platters seems unlikely to me.
Could it perhaps be a 2-platter 666GB drive or using three platters of 250GB each?
Surely it would have been devilish to make a 666GB one...
#
ehm, are they using buggy Pentium 66MHz for the calculations? how is that using 3 platters with that density gives a 1GB drive, but using only two of them magically gives 750GB (instead of 666GB) ?!
It's market segmentation guys. The two drives will have exactly the same platters if it is a 750gb model and not a 666gb model - but the firmware will lock out some of the space (look at the price difference!). If they've done their job properly, it'll lock out the inner, slower tacks and the smaller disc will perform better overall.
It was possible on some older disks to actually unlock extra space with a bit of trick firmware.
Unlikely. They will 'waterfall' platters. Those that make the grade in terms of available sectors will be in the 1TB, those that don't will probably be used in the 750GB.
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WD unfurls 1TB Scorpio
Leapfrogging Seagate again, Western Digital has announced the world's first 1TB 2.5-inch drive, a 3-platter Scorpio Blue. The company says it has the industry's highest areal density for such drives, 333GB/platter. Two drives are available with these platters: a 750GB one, available now from certain distributors and resellers, …
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Posted Monday 27th July 2009 12:08 GMT
Darius
PS3 #
Shame it's too big for the PS3. It does fit my laptop though so I may purchase one.
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 12:17 GMT
Rik Hemsley
Excellent #
Only one question: Will it fit in laptops, or will it be too tall?
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 12:56 GMT
Bilgepipe
3 years #
Only a three year warranty, on a state-of-the-art hard disk? Sounds like a rushed product I won't be entrusting my data to.
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 13:34 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Ooooo, will this fit in.... #
.... my AppleTV?
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 13:34 GMT
MrWeeble
750GB drive using 333GB/platter #
requires it to have 2¼ platters. Unless by comprehension of how hard-drives work is completely borked (perfectly possible - I am not a hardware whizz), fractional platters seems unlikely to me.
Could it perhaps be a 2-platter 666GB drive or using three platters of 250GB each?
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 13:34 GMT
Gangsta
Future PS3 HardDrive #
I'm looking forward to a 1TB drive on my PS3,... when they develop a larger platter.
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 13:43 GMT
Paolo Marini
Surely it would have been devilish to make a 666GB one... #
ehm, are they using buggy Pentium 66MHz for the calculations? how is that using 3 platters with that density gives a 1GB drive, but using only two of them magically gives 750GB (instead of 666GB) ?!
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 14:42 GMT
Chippy-Minton
Marketing #
It's market segmentation guys. The two drives will have exactly the same platters if it is a 750gb model and not a 666gb model - but the firmware will lock out some of the space (look at the price difference!). If they've done their job properly, it'll lock out the inner, slower tacks and the smaller disc will perform better overall.
It was possible on some older disks to actually unlock extra space with a bit of trick firmware.
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 14:58 GMT
{¯`·.¸_LÅMߤ¥_¸.·´¯}
@Chippy-Minton #
Unlikely. They will 'waterfall' platters. Those that make the grade in terms of available sectors will be in the 1TB, those that don't will probably be used in the 750GB.
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 15:00 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Kibi verses Kilo #
Perhaps
333GB @ 1024 (2^10)
750GB @ 1000 (10^3)
Whoever let marketing people near science needs shooting...
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 16:04 GMT
Alan 6
@Rik Hemsley #
Read the article again, but this time read it all the way down, then you'll find your answer...
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 19:33 GMT
Simon Ward
Mmmmm .... tempting #
Being 12.5mm deep it sure as hell won't go in my laptop. However, it *might* just go into one of my external enclosures ....
*goes off to look for his vernier calipers*
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 20:46 GMT
Mark 188
YES!!! oh wait #
12.5mm so they wont fit in anything id like to use them in. samsung fit 3 platters in a 9.5mm drive why cant WD?
Posted Monday 27th July 2009 20:46 GMT
Mage
I knew my laptop was good #
A Dell Inspiron 8200 might take a 12.5mm drive, but MIDE, not SATA :(
Perhaps 750Gbyte is apprx 2.5 platters.
i.e. 5 heads rather than 6?
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