IBM Unveils New Hard Drives for High-Performance Applications

Strategic Insights -

IBM has announced several new hard drives, including the world's fastest drive for video streaming applications, which is ideal for use by video producers and movie editors. The 10,020 RPM, 9.1-gigabyte (GB) Ultrastar 9LZX is a thinner version of the 9.1 GB model introduced about a year ago and operates at much lower temperatures, making it an efficient option for high-performance applications.

Key Takeaways:

  • IBM's new 10,020 RPM hard drives, including the 9LZX and 18ZX, are designed for use in NT and UNIX workstations and servers, with the 9LZX being the coolest IBM 10,020 RPM drive available.
  • The 18.2 GB, 10,020 RPM Ultrastar 18ZX is designed for use in high-performance applications, including video and data mining, and is ideal for large corporate intranets and the Internet.
  • The 36.4 GB, 7,200 RPM Ultrastar 36XP is designed for UNIX and RAID servers and storage subsystems, and can hold a whopping 17 hours of MPEG-2 video or the equivalent of five Super Bowl games.
  • IBM's new 18.2 GB, high-value 7,200 RPM Ultrastar 18ES features giant magnetoresistive (GMR) head technology, providing a high areal density of more than three billion bits per square inch.
  • The GMR technology contributes to the high reliability and lower cost of the drive, making it ideal for demanding applications.
  • IBM's latest server hard drives feature Drive Temperature Indicator Processor (Drive-TIP), allowing users to monitor the temperature of the drive and adjust it if necessary.
  • The new drives also feature large buffers of up to 4 MB, contributing to their high performance.
  • IBM has improved the acoustics on its newest 10,020 RPM server drives, making them the quietest IBM server drives yet.

Statistics:

  • The 9LZX can read data at a rate of up to 243.7 Mbits/sec.
  • The 18ZX has an areal density of 2.02 billion bits per square inch.
  • The 36XP can hold 17 hours of MPEG-2 video.
  • The 18ES has a data transfer rate of up to 159-244 Mbits/sec.
  • The new drives are shipping in limited quantities to customers worldwide now.
  • The 36XP weighs about the same as an apple pie.

Sources:

  • IBM Tuesday announcement: "IBM Unveils New Ultrastar Hard Drives for High-Performance Applications"
  • IBM Press Release: "IBM Introduces New Ultrastar Hard Drives for High-Performance Applications"
  • Avid Technology, Inc. statement: "Overall, the testing of Ultrastar 9LZX demonstrated strong performance -- nothing less than what we have come to expect from Ultrastar drives."
  • IBM Product Specifications: Ultrastar 18ES, Ultrastar 36XP, and Ultrastar 18ZX/9LZX
  • http://www.ibm.com/harddrive
  • 1-888-IBM-5214