1.8" Hard Drives: Small is Beautiful
Comparing The Candidates
Toshiba's new 1.8" drives are the second generation to benefit from perpendicular recording. In contrast, Hitachi still uses conventional, longitudinal recording technology, which explains the capacity differences: Hitachi can provide 30 GB per 1.8" platter while Toshiba's drives store 40 GB each.
The platter configuration determines the height of both 1.8" drive products: if two platters are used, both models have a height of 8 mm (0.315"), while the single-platter versions get by with a height of only 5 mm (0.197"). Toshiba offers its drives with a Micro-ATA interface or using the CE-compliant Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) connector. Hitachi decided to implement either the full Mini-ATA connector, which is used by all 2.5" UltraATA drives, or the ZIF interface.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Hitachi C4K60 | Toshiba MK8004/4007 |
---|---|---|
Capacity Points | 20, 30, 40 and 60 GB | 20, 30, 40, 60 and 80 GB |
Spindle Speed | 4,200 RPM | 4,200 RPM |
Interface | UltraATA/100(ZIF, Mini ATA) | UltraATA/100(ZIF, Micro ATA) |
Cache | 2 MB | 2 MB |
Seek Time | 15 ms | 15 ms |
Weight | Single platter models: 46 g (1.62 oz)Dual platter models: 57 g (2.01 oz) | Single platter models: 51 g (1.8 oz)Dual platter models: 62 g (2.19 oz) |
Operating Temperature | 5-60°C (41-140°F) | 5-60°C (41-140°F) |
Power Draw(Max/Active/Idle/Stand-by) | 1.4/1.0/0.4/0.08 W | 1.8/1.1/0.4/0.07 W |
The high capacity drives are thicker due to their two-platter configuration.
We received Hitachi's CE version of the C4K60, which uses a ZIF interface to connect the drive to its host. However, the protocol used is UltraATA/100.
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