Posted in: Computer Hardware

HDDs are still kings when it comes to capacity (especially if you look at GB/$ ratio) and HGST, a Western Digital subsidiary, has been working hard to ensure that this remains the case. The company’s new helium-filled Ultrastar He6 HDDs have 6TB capacity, 50% more than the 4TB of current drives.

The helium-based design has other advantages too – the gas is significantly less dense than air, which results in less friction and lower operating temperature for the drive. Helium-filled HDDs spinning at 7,200RPM run 5 degrees cooler than conventional HDDs.

They use up to 23% less power too, which is another major consideration for datacenters. HGST plans to sell to server and storage array manufactures. Netflix, a client of HGST, says these two factors will play a big role in optimizing the video streaming servers of the company.

Anyway, the Ultrastar He6 is the same size as conventional 4TB drives but fits seven platters instead of five, which helps increase the storage capacity. The He6 drives are also lighter (no, not because helium is lighter than air), which will be good for laptops so here’s hoping the company brings its helium design to 2.5″ drives, too.

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