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    Hitachi unveils first 500GB drive for notebooks

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by Jayjubear, Jan 3, 2008.

  1. Jayjubear

    Jayjubear Notebook Consultant

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  2. Apollo13

    Apollo13 100% 16:10 Screens

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    Nice find. Pretty impressive capacity; 320 GB was the highest before, wasn't it? Now if only they'll come out with higher capacity (and perhaps less expensive) 10000 RPM notebook drives.
     
  3. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    Note that this HDD has 3 platters, so it is 1/2" (12.5mm) thick and therefore won't fit in most notebooks. See the datasheet if you want all the details.

    Technologically, it's no big jump from the 320GB on 2 platters (ie standard HDD thickness) already available from WD, Samsung and maybe others.

    John
     
  4. jefwif

    jefwif Notebook Guru

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    yeah 3 platters just makes for an almost impossible install in most existing computers. watch out for "exclusive" lappys coming with it...
     
  5. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    There's a few laptops (they tend to be the fatter ones) around that can take the 1/2" thick HDDs. It's not so long ago (~1 year) when 200GB meant a 1/2" thick HDD.

    I doubt if notebook manufacturers will redesign to take the 1/2" HDDs. By the time such notebooks hit the market the HDD manufacturers will have put at least 200GB onto a platter and maybe 250GB (ie 400 to 500GB in a standard thickness HDD).

    Or maybe someone will reinvent the 3/4" thick notebook HDD in order to be first to the terabyte @ 2.5". There was a time when that was the standard thickness (from memory the 1.4GB HDD in the attached photo is from 1996).

    John
     

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  6. fabarati

    fabarati Frorum Obfuscator

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    Yeah, that's not a notebook drive, it's a blade server drive. It's not even SATA, but SAS.