Toshiba clarifies which hdds use smr

Toshiba has clarified on its website which of its HDDs use shingled magnetic recording. The use of SMR can have adverse effects on write speeds, the company reports. A total of ten Toshiba HDDs use this technique.

Toshiba lists the hard drives with smr on its website. The manufacturer writes that the use of SMR can have adverse effects on the write speeds of the HDD, especially during random writes, although it also makes it easier to increase the storage capacities.

In Toshiba’s current line of desktop and surveillance HDDs, smr is used by the P300 HDDs with storage capacities of 6 and 4TB. The DT02 and DT02-V drives with the same capacities also use shingled magnetic recording. The other HDDs in those series do not use SMR. In the company’s 2.5″ HDDs, which are intended for laptops, consoles and use in external enclosures, four models use smr. These are the L200 and MQ04 drives with 1 and 2TB of storage.

Earlier this month, HDD manufacturers were criticized by website Blocks & Files about the use of SMR without mentioning it. Toshiba was also criticized for this. Western Digital also announced last week which of its HDDs use SMR. In addition, that company promised to update its marketing materials and mention any use of this technique. Seagate says it does not feel the need to disclose which of its hard drives use smr.

Toshiba HDDs with smr