Fujitsu MHZ2 BT: the latest 500GB 2.5-inch laptop drive

Solid state is still what gets our motors purring, but 500GB of storage in your laptop isn't anything to scoff at, either. Fujitsu's new MHZ2 BT is the second drive to hit the half-terabyte mark, but just like the Hitachi 500 gigger it's a non-standard height (12.5mm), meaning you won't be able to slap it in most laptops or enclosures -- unless you're willing to shave out an extra ~3mm of surrounding matter. Expect 'em out in May.

[PsychOfMSE @ Feb 25th 2008 2:31AM]

I'd love to have another 250 gigs of storage space in my macbook, but I dont know how I feel about scraping out 'surrounding matter' to fit it in. Does anyone know how difficult this would be and if it would void my warranty?

[monkfishbandana @ Feb 25th 2008 2:43AM]

a) It would be quite difficult due to the awkward position of the HDD enclosure.
b) Yes. Yes it would.

[E71 @ Feb 25th 2008 9:32AM]

Mmm... I hope the Archos Generation 6 PMPs have a drive of this capacity. They have to add proper 720p/1080p video support anyway, so upping the capacity to 500GB seems to be the right thing to do.

[jedibugs @ Feb 25th 2008 12:46PM]

There's supposedly a standard-height Samsung 500GB 2.5" drive coming out next month. It was shown at CES in January.

[Gus @ Feb 26th 2008 2:25PM]

Why would you need resolution higher than 480p on a screen smaller than 10 inches?

[Will @ Feb 25th 2008 2:32AM]

Screw hard discs!
I want affordable solid state!

[Reader @ Feb 25th 2008 3:16AM]

I want a pony.

[Bobs @ Feb 25th 2008 4:56AM]

Yeah? well, yesterday, I wanted a damn cupcake, so I bummed some mix from my mom and made some. I need a job.

[Jimbo @ Feb 25th 2008 2:33AM]

This is quite frustrating. They don't freaking fit in a lot of products out there! There's a reason for these standards, and I know it must be frustrating to the engineers to have to go down one platter, but there are too many people out there who are going to buy this product and either have no chance of using it... or screw up the cooling with the fatter drive, damaging their laptop (And the drive too).

Let's keep these drives at 9.5 mm, please. Or, if it's that big a deal, don't call these 2.5"... call them 12.5mm, the most important figure.

[phanbouy @ Feb 25th 2008 2:40AM]

Speaking of 9.5mm drives, I'm thinking of taking on the task of upgrading my 1st gen MBP drive. The Hitachi 200GB @ 7200rpm looks very nice, but I've heard that the newer 5400 rpm flavors of perpendicular recording drives make a good overall package of performance / price / energy use / vibration. What say yall?

[Ayle @ Feb 25th 2008 3:25AM]

They do: the higher data density makes up for the lack of speed.

[c_henry @ Feb 25th 2008 3:42AM]

Samsung has a 9.5mm 500GB drive though:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/06/samsung-intros-spinpoint-m6-500gb-standard-height-laptop-drive/

Being released in March.

[Bernhard @ Feb 25th 2008 4:09AM]

Where will all this memory madness lead to... other than high-def porn.

[phanbouy @ Feb 25th 2008 4:46AM]

your avatar scares me

[Poom @ Feb 25th 2008 5:27AM]

@phanbouy: LOL, I agree!

[Bernhard @ Feb 25th 2008 6:39AM]

Feeling guilty about something?

[phanbouy @ Feb 25th 2008 10:51AM]

nope i use osx =) nice try though weirdo

[Yem @ Feb 25th 2008 5:03AM]

There is no standard standard - there's only the defacto standard of 9.5mm. Perhaps the industry will switch back to 12.5mm if drive manufacturers can't keep to the lower height?

http://www.storagereview.com/guide2000/ref/hdd/op/formIn25.html

[Jessica @ Feb 25th 2008 6:19AM]

Awesome good work from Fujitsu, by the time we feel the importance of free space in our machines to keep the track of our work. For memory freaks like me its a good news!!

[vileta2 @ Feb 26th 2008 3:05AM]

I lol'd.

[The Aggie CEO @ Feb 25th 2008 7:03AM]

I just want it to fit in my PS3.......

[Dan Davis @ Feb 25th 2008 9:21AM]

Agreed... I've been thinking about upgrading my 60GB drive and this seems more appealing to me than an external drive.

[Alex R @ Feb 25th 2008 11:43AM]

No, you just want the PariahStation3 to fit in.

[The Aggie CEO @ Feb 26th 2008 1:19PM]

say what Alex??

[FRZ @ Feb 25th 2008 8:58AM]

Kinda useless if it doesn't fit in current laptops. I would have tought about it at least if it did. My T42 desparately need an HD upgrade.

[Paul in Maryland @ Feb 25th 2008 9:43AM]

Jimbo is right: Thousands will buy this, find it doesn't fit their laptops, then try to return it, demanding that the low-margin retailer eat the restocking fee. Heads will roll at Fujitsu, and rightly so.

[Mark @ Feb 25th 2008 11:46AM]

I should point out that actually this is the 3rd 2.5 inch 500GB hard drive announced, samsung are also going to release one in march, except it is 9.5mm thick, so no reason to by this or Hitachi's drive as Samsung's is able to actually fit in a standard enclosure.