Hitachi has announced the latest additions to its Travelstar line of drives for notebook computers, the 5K750 and 7K750 series. The 2.5" drives are available with capacities up to 750GB in a standard 9mm form factor.
Hitachi has announced the latest additions to its Travelstar line of drives for notebook computers, the 5K750 and 7K750 series. The drives offer up to 750GB capacity in a standard 9mm height, with densities up to 375GB/platter. The drives will be available in 500GB/640GB/750GB capacities; other specifications include a SATA 3.0Gb/s interface and the new Advanced Format, which uses a 4K sector size. The Advanced Format improves data integrity in high capacities and improves performance.
The 5K750 series is Hitachi’s new mainstream drive line; it has a 5,400RPM spindle speed and 8MB buffer. Hitachi says it consumes just 0.5 watts of power at idle and 1.4 watts while reading and writing.
The 7K750 series is a high-performance line with a fast 7,200RPM spindle speed and 16MB buffer. Hitachi says the 7K750 consumes 1.8W of power while reading and writing. The 7K750 series is available as a Self-Encrypting Drive (SED), which encrypt data using protected keys in real time; without the encryption key, the hard drive is unreadable.
The 5K750 and 7K750 are also available in Enhanced Availability (EA) editions, which are designed for servers and other systems requiring 24/7 operation. More common features of the drives include Thermal Fly-height control for better soft error rate and improved reliability; TrueTrack Technology for tracking accuracy in high vibration environments; lastly, Fluid dynamic bearing motors for quiet operation.
Availability
The Travelstar 5K750 is currently shipping in volume; retail kits will be available this November for MSRP $129.99; the EA version will be shipping to OEMs by the end of the year. The 7K750 line, including EA and retail kits, will be available in Q1 2011; pricing information has not been announced.
