Toshiba announced a new line-up of 1.8-inch hard disk drives (HDD) adopting a serial ATA interface, including the industry’s first drive of this type with a capacity of 160 gigabytes.

The new 160GB drive, MK1617GSG, and an 80GB drive, MK8017GSG, will enter mass production in August.

Toshiba’s new 1.8-inch HDDs boost interface speed to 1.5Gbps and offer a rotation speed of 5,400 rpm, faster than the current generation of Toshiba 1.8-inch HDD (MK1214GAH, parallel ATA, 120GB). By realizing the industry’s first 160GB 1.8-inch drive with a serial ATA interface, Toshiba assures that mobile PCs will be able to meet the most demanding user needs.

The new MK1617GSG drive is more environmentally efficient than Toshiba’s current MK1216GSG (120GB) model, and raises energy consumption efficiency, as defined under the Japanese legal standard, to 0.00281W/GB, a 25% improvement. The drive improves the maximum internal data transfer rate by approximately 17%, and supports faster data access in reading and writing that enhances overall performance.

Alongside Toshiba’s 1.8-inch HDD of 80GB and 120GB serial ATA interface drives already in the market, the new drives will provide product manufacturers with a broad line-up that supports diverse applications. The new drives will also contribute to achievement of environmentally conscious products in full compliance with the EU’s RoHS directive.

Hard disk drives for mobile PCs must be small, light and able to withstand vibration and shock. While Toshiba’s 1.8-inch HDD are more robust than 2.5-inch HDD, they have not matched the larger drives in data transfer rates. However, the company’s new 1.8-inch HDD combine a serial ATA interface with a faster rotational speed to realize a high speed transfer rate. Building on the achievements of providing a 1.8- inch HDD that employs industry’s largest capacity with a serial ATA interface, and expanding its product line-up, Toshiba will continue efforts to provide innovative products that meet market needs for HDD integrated mobile PCs.

The serial ATA interface supports an interface speed of 1.5Gbps, surpassing the performance of drives with a parallel ATA interface. The drives also operate at a maximum rotation speed of 5,400 rpm, 29% faster than Toshiba’s current MK1214GAH (parallel ATA, 120GB, 1.8-inch HDD), supporting much faster data transfers. The disk’s higher areal density improves the maximum internal data transfer rate by approximately 17%, and supports faster data access in reading and writing that enhances overall performance.