Hard drives will soon reach 2 terabytes thanks to direct technology

The storage capacity of hard drives for desktops, laptops, and music devices is expanding thanks to Perpendicular Recording Technology (PRM), allowing for higher data storage while maintaining high speeds compared to current techniques.

The Momentus 5400.3 hard drive, 160 GB utilizing PRM technology (above) alongside the Seagate 5400.2 hard drive. (PC World)

The horizontal recording technology in storage products on the market is revealing limitations in density, and manufacturers have spent many years addressing these issues. One highly regarded solution is PRM technology, which allows bits of data—corresponding to magnetized molecules—to be arranged vertically on the surface to increase the information density on each disk. As a result, consumers will have the opportunity to own high-capacity, low-cost products for storing high-definition multimedia content.

Toshiba has released 1.8-inch PRM drives with capacities of 40 GB and 80 GB. At the time of announcement, Toshiba’s Megabeat MP3 player was the only product equipped with perpendicular recording technology, indicating that PRM will soon appear in a range of consumer electronics and laptops.

Next is the American company Seagate with its Momentus 5400.3 series, a 2.5-inch drive available in capacities ranging from 30 GB to 160 GB. The 160 GB model is currently the largest notebook hard drive on the market. In addition to allowing for more data storage, it also consumes less power, generates less heat, and operates more quietly. Currently, many BIOS systems do not recognize hard drives over 137 GB, but systems running Windows XP SP1 and later, as well as Linux, have supported the 160 GB drives.

Seagate predicts that a single 3.5-inch PRM drive, with a capacity of 2 terabytes (TB) for desktops, a 2.5-inch 1 TB drive for laptops, and a 1-inch 50 GB drive for MP3 players will soon become a reality.

Currently, the highest-capacity hard drive on the market (500 GB) achieves a density of 125 Gb/inch². Meanwhile, the Toshiba PMR and Seagate Momentus 5400.3 models boast a density of 133 Gb/inch²—a significant improvement over the average of 100 Gb/inch² at this time.

According to Seagate, due to superior capacity, heat generation, and operational speed, this new storage technology will quickly be embraced by users. Moreover, these drives will maintain the current price of $2 per GB, meaning consumers can purchase a 160 GB drive for $320.

Here’s a comparison table of hard drives using PRM technology versus Seagate’s horizontal recording technology (both have a speed of 5,400 RPM, are 2.5 inches in size, have an 8 MB buffer, and an ATA-100 interface):