IBM claims quietest notebook hard drive

IBM has claimed that its new line of Travelstar hard drives for notebooks are the quietest in the world.

With reduced noise levels, faster speeds and higher performance, Big Blue claims that Travelstar provides the "optimal storage solution for data, music, video, digital photo and streaming media".

The company plans to integrate its Drive Noise Suppression System across its entire product line to reduce noise levels. The system replaces the traditional ball-bearing design with fluid dynamic bearing spindle motor technology that lowers acoustical noise and improves shock tolerance, according to IBM.

Big Blue claimed that while most mobile drives spin at 4200 rotations per minute (RPM), Travelstar managed 5400 RPM allowing individual machines to store either 48,000 high resolution photographs, 74 musical CDs, 48,000 paperback novels or 12 DVD movies.

The largest IBM drive for desktop PCs is 80Gb, while the smaller 32Gb and 48Gb models will be used for notebooks.

The company plans to ship the new drives to worldwide notebook manufacturers, including Compaq, Dell and Hewlett Packard, in the second quarter of 2001.

Dave Reinsel, an analyst at IDC, said that IBM is the market leader in hard disk drives for notebook computers and the top seller of notebooks. "It is still on top in notebook drives and they have been for some time," he said.

Big Blue was responsible for 41 per cent of global notebook drive sales last year, followed by Toshiba with 24 per cent, according to IDC.