Samsung squeezes 500GB per platter

Samsung has announced a new series of hard drives that will find their way into our computers and external hard drives before you know it. The new series is called the Spinpoint F3. The big claim to fame for the new drives is the fact that they only use two platters with 500GB of storage each. That means that your average 1TB HDD using these platters needs only two compared to the three 333GB platters used in most drives.

What does it matter in the world of storage you ask? A terabyte is a terabyte right? Well the big improvement in using fewer platters on a hard drive is that there are less moving parts, which means less power is needed and the drive has a longer lifespan.



Samsung says that the drives offer up to 30% more performance than a 1TB drive using three platters in the same 3.5-inch form factor. The reduction in mechanical parts also contributes to an improved ability for the drive to survive shocks and less chance of data failure. The drive spins at 7,200rpm and uses the 3.0Gbps SATA interface. The F3 line is shipping now in 500GB capacity and the 1TB drive will ship this month.