Toshiba today announces its first MN Series HDDs, bridging the value gap between top-end enterprise capacity HDDs and entry-level desktop HDDs, while still delivering 7,200RPM rotational latency performance.

The MN series delivers up to 8TB capacity in a 3.5-inch form factor for a broad range of file and object storage applications. With a 6 Gbit/s² SATA interface, 7,200 rotational speed, 1,000,000 hour MTTF³ rating, and a rated annual workload of 180TB⁴ transferred, the new HDD series delivers the performance and reliability needed for file and object storage workloads that typically utilize sequential data transfer operations. The drives are designed for 24/7 power-on operation and feature rotational vibration compensation technology to help provide consistent performance in tower and low-density style multi-drive enclosures, such as small NAS platforms.

“Many customers with predominantly file-oriented and fixed-content sequential write and read workloads are looking for cost-effective capacity for moderate workload storage applications,” said Scott Wright, director of HDD marketing at Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. With our new MN Series HDD models we are providing a workload range within the high workload data center work-horse Enterprise Capacity HDDs and relatively low workloads associated with client HDD models.”

The initial MN Series HDD models are available in 8TB, 6TB and 4TB capacities, each leveraging Toshiba’s proven Enterprise Capacity category HDD design legacy to deliver highly cost-effective storage for fixed-content workload-limited use cases. Targeted applications include mid-level, entry-level and SOHO NAS storage enclosures, remote-office back-up and archival storage, and home multimedia data archive and fixed-content object storage.