WD Builds High-Capacity, Helium-Filled HDDs 356
Lucas123 writes "Western Digital subsidiary HGST today announced that after 10 years of development it is preparing to release 3.5-in data center-class HDDs that are hermetically sealed with helium inside. The helium reduces drag and wind turbulence created by the spinning platters, all but eliminating track misregistration that has become a major issue to increasing drive density in recent years. Because of that, HGST will be able to add two more platters along with increasing the tracks per inch, which results in a 40% capacity increase. The drives will also use 23% less power because of the reduction of friction on the spindle. HGST said the new seven-platter helium drives will weigh 29% less per terabyte of capacity that today's five-platter drives. In other words, a seven-platter helium disk will weigh 690 grams, the same as today's five-platter drives."
Disaster (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:5, Funny)
Hard drive heads ride on a cusion of air (or in this case, a gas of some kind) so that they don't crash against the drive.
Why a gas? Why not float it using an electromagnet instead?
Re:Disaster (Score:5, Funny)
Only one problem (Score:5, Funny)
These disks are great except when you replay audio files the vocalists sound like munchkins.
Re:Disaster (Score:5, Funny)
*hands over nerd card*
Re:Disaster (Score:5, Funny)
Argon walks into a bar. An alarm goes off and the bartender yells "Hey, we don't serve your kind here!" Argon, of course, didn't react.
Sure they weigh less (Score:5, Funny)
Sure they weigh less, because they are filled with helium. But when the servers start lifting off the ground and floating off, they might have to rethink this idea.
Re:But the cost? (Score:5, Funny)
Reduced friction and reduced turbulence might enable higher seek times.
By higher I meant better, which in the case of seek times is of course lower.
Re:Done 40 years ago (Score:5, Funny)
Perhaps they sealed the drives with more helium.
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:2, Funny)
Yes, that was the fucking point of the joke.
Re:But the cost? (Score:4, Funny)
Reduced friction and reduced turbulence might enable higher seek times.
By higher I meant better, which in the case of seek times is of course lower.
That's what she said.
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:5, Funny)
I'm pretty sure the correct response was "WOOSH"
Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:4, Funny)
Don't worry, scrote. There are plenty of 'tards out there living really kick-ass lives. My first wife was 'tarded. She's a pilot now.
Re:Sure they weigh less (Score:5, Funny)
These hard drives are obviously made for cloud storage.
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:5, Funny)
"Not only that, but after the helium migrates through the pores in the metal housing, the heads will crash! Physically programmed disk death!"
Well, it's still better than their past efforts. The hydrogen-filled drives worked just great, until they got to New Jersey. Then they exploded.
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Scarce(r) resource (Score:5, Funny)
Funnies aside, not a good idea. High purity hydrogen makes many metal alloys brittle. Helium works so well because it's ideal gas that doesn't chemically react with almost anything.
Then how about Argon, Krypton, or Neon?
Nope. It doesn't react with any of those either.
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:5, Funny)
It's lower case, but "weeeesh". They're using helium, now. Didn't you read the article?
Re:Sure they weigh less (Score:2, Funny)
IBM Power 595 http://www-03.ibm.com/systems/power/hardware/595/specs.html [ibm.com] weighs about 3400 pounds.
One time, I asked a IBM guy why their servers weigh so much. He replied (jokingly) that if it didn't, all the fans would make it hover.
Re:Why not a vacuum (Score:4, Funny)
With these new helium filled drives, the "whoosh" would be in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.
And... How will my MP3s sound on one of these drives?