VR-Zone

As far as hard disks go, there is no such thing as 'equality' between notebook and desktop hard disks, especially where storage capacity is concerned.

Indeed, even as desktop users are getting used to the idea of having more than one 1TH hard disk sitting within their computer, notebook users had to contend with hard disks no larger than 640GB for the past few years.

Fortunately for the road warriors who need that much more space on a notebook, Toshiba America has announced that it has added 2 new 2.5” hard disks which can be used in “mobile PCs, all-in-ones, set-top boxes and similar units”.

The 2 hard disks in question are the MK7559GSXP, which comes in the standard 9.5mm thickness and boasts a capacity of 750GB, a huge improvement over the 500GB and 640GB 2.5” hard disks that are commonly found in the market today, and the Mkxx59GSM, which comes in capacities of either 750GB or 1.0TB and is 12.5mm thick, putting it out of contention of most consumer-level notebooks.

Specs-wise, Toshiba is also claiming a world's first with the MK7559GSXP: it apparently has the industry's highest area density of 541.4Gb per square inch (the Mkxx59GSM has a density of 482Gb per square inch, hence the added thickness). Both hard disks feature 8MB of buffer memory, along with the company's “silent seek: technology and energy efficiency techniques.

Toshiba expects both hard disks to start shipping out to OEMs and distributors within the next few months, so if you're on the lookout for a high-capacity hard disk on your notebook, it might be worth sitting it out for a while and waiting for these hard disks to hit our shores.