The Japanese conglomerate is offering new shingled magnetic recording (SMR) technology in its hard drives.
Considered technologically superior, solid-state drives have become increasingly popular. But that does not mean hard drives are obsolete, as demonstrated by Toshiba’s latest SMR technology.
The Tokyo-based company’s new 2TB 300 hard drives push storage technology to its limits, with better performance and more data density. This is thanks to overlapping data tracks that boost the drive’s data platters. In fact, it is called “shingled” magnetic recording because the overlapping is similar to “roof shingles,” maximizing space on the hard drive.
In contrast, conventional magnetic recording (CMR) lacks comparable data density because each of its tracks is distinct and separated from each other by a tiny distance. This tiny distance extrapolates to a significant reduction in data storage capacity.
More information about the drives
The cutting-edge drives are 7200 RPM, high spin models, utilizing a 6Gbit/s SATA interface for improved connectivity and data transfer.
Moreover, to boost performance, Toshiba’s new hard drives also have a 256MB buffer, enabling a maximum data transfer rate of 210 MB/s. This represents a substantial 19 percent increase from what Toshiba’s conventional P300 Desktop series offers.
The Japanese company’s officials claim that SMR 2TB P300 hard drives have a standard read/write power consumption rate of 5.21W when in use. This drops to 2.92W when not in use.
Where can these hard drives be utilized?
The company believes these new SMR hard drives can be incorporated wherever enhanced data storage and performance are needed–from personal PCs to workstations to gaming PCs. Toshiba will also offer them as standalone portable hard drives as external enclosures.
Although no price has been announced for the SMR P300 hard drives as of writing, Toshiba officials claim they will be available soon in the third quarter of 2022.