New Deathstars announced

[Stereodude]

IBM's making yet more of them...

http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=28881283

Stereodude

 

[timwhit]

I thought the 75GXP already had command queuing? What am I missing here?

Is Hitachi in control of IBM's business yet? I though they IBM was transferring 80% of the business over to Hitachi shortly after the sale went through last year.

 

[timwhit]

I noticed something else weird about this new drive.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Deskstar 180GXP
180/120/80/60/40/30 GB (GB = 1 billion bytes, accessible capacity
may be less)
25.4 mm in height
7,200 RPM
45.5 billion bits per square inch maximum areal density
3/2/1 aluminum platter(s)
6/4/2 GMR recording heads
350 G (2ms) non-operating shock (2/1 platter)
4.17 ms average latency
7/5.9/5 watt idle power (3/2/1/ disk)
8.5 ms (3/2-disks), 8.8 ms average seek time (1-Disk)
ATA 6 interface
3.0/2.3/2.6 Bels typical idle acoustics (3/2/1 disk)
Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) motor

I thought IBM has been using glass platters for the last couple years? Maybe they weren't working as well as had been expected.

They also will have fluid dynamic bearings which is a nice addition.

 

[time]

As far as I can tell, even after a quick search, the technology for all these FDB motors is owned by Seagate Motor Group. They pioneered it in 1997.

IBM released a white paper on FDB motors at the start of this year, indicating they considered them the way forward.

Here's an awfully cynical thought: is this a rebadged model from Seagate?

Like timwhit, I'm struggling with the idea of a new drive release without some mention of Hitachi.

 

[Tea]

Looks to me as though IBM Storage is moving to deal with its one great crippling factor: production cost. This is something they desperately need to do if the company is to survive. I'm pleased to see it happening, because we all need IBM to stay in the market to provide competition. As for Hitachi's involvement, it looks as though they are playing it low-key.

 

[Stereodude]

Here's the official link.

http://www.storage.ibm.com/hdd/desk/ds180gxp.htm

Interestingly some have 8MB buffers. IBM claims 56 to 29 meg/sec transfers.

Stereodude

 

[Prof.Wizard]

Don't be too "harsh" with the new drive.
Before we proclaim it DeathStar we need to see how it performs and for how long.

I liked the 8MB cache version and the FDB motors available.

 

[Onomatopoeic]

I noticed something else weird about this new drive.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Deskstar 180GXP
180/120/80/60/40/30 GB (GB = 1 billion bytes, accessible capacity
may be less)

...I thought IBM has been using glass platters for the last couple years? Maybe they weren't working as well as had been expected...

I had heard a while back that IBM was "going back" to aluminum platters for the next generation of ATA hard drive (...160 / 180 / 200 ? GXP, looks like it'll be 180GXP) as glass platters (+ heat) was apparently a major part of the write problem that plagued 75GXP drives. The heads in some 75GXP drives would start writing or reading a bit off-kilter over time, thus causing those fast Deskstar heads to go into a seek-frenzy situation (a.k.a. -- "grinding sounds" which weren't really grinding at all, just ultra-fast head movements). ). If I could hazard a gander, I suspect that a company called Komag supplies these latest GXP platters.

Glass platters still have a rightful place in hard disc storage, and that's with mobile storage where -- incredibly -- glass platter material is less prone to shock damage than aluminum platter material.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

Glass platters still have a rightful place in hard disc storage, and that's with mobile storage where -- incredibly -- glass platter material is less prone to shock damage than aluminum platter material.

iGary is right.

 

[Tea]

Looks like you are stuck with it, Onamataplatformwhoosiwhasisname. Maybe you could try being an xGary for a while, but I doubt it would make a difference. The name seems to be here to stay.

 

[time]

And let us pray that the apparently omniscient being behind the names is also here to stay. You get a gold star with "A+" on it from me, Gary. :bow:

 

[Prof.Wizard]

I just wonder how many e-mail addresses Gary has... I've already seen some 5+ incarnations of him.
But Gary, oh Gary... you're being betrayed by the way you write "United States" in your Location... :wink:

 

[Handruin]

I just wonder how many e-mail addresses Gary has... I've already seen some 5+ incarnations of him.
But Gary, oh Gary... you're being betrayed by the way you write "United States" in your Location... :wink:

For that matter it isn't hard to have tons of e-mail addresses. With a domain name, you can have {anything}@yourdomain.com

If Gary has a domain and uses that for e-mail, it would be easy.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

Beware of my future incarnations then. In less than a week I'll launch my web hosting service.
:monky: :monky: :monky: :monky:

 

[Handruin]

Beware of my future incarnations then. In less than a week I'll launch my web hosting service.
:monky: :monky: :monky: :monky:

You becoming a web reseller, or just opening a regular site?

 

[CougTek]

Beware of my future incarnations then. In less than a week I'll launch my web hosting service.

Having five Gary is ok, but one P.W. is just enough, thanks.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

You becoming a web reseller ... ?

Actually I'm buying Microsoft.

 

[Handruin]

You becoming a web reseller ... ?

Actually I'm buying Microsoft.

I'm sorry PW, you didn't finish your sentence:

...Microsoft windows 3.1?