Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) has unveiled a new line up of 3TB storage solutions for a broad range of users from consumers to OEMs. Given the company’s global strength, and the continued support of its retail and channel partners, Hitachi GST is well positioned to move the industry forward in leveraging high-capacity 3TB drives across a variety of segments, all while using one of the world’s most reliable hard drive platforms with proven quality and performance.

Hitachi Deskstar Internal Hard Drive Kits

Just in time for holiday shoppers, a Hitachi Deskstar Internal Hard Drive Kit is a perfect gift for that special someone who wants to add more capacity and speed to their desktop computer for high-intensity multimedia applications like games and video. The new 3TB, 7,200 RPM Kit¹ includes a high-performance Deskstar 7K3000 hard drive, mounting screws, step-by-step instructions, and a software download that allows 32- and 64-bit Microsoft Windows, Apple OS X and Linux systems to tap into the full capacity and power of the 3TB drive, as one big massive data drive, without having to install extra hardware. Consumers who have 32- or 64-bit Apple Mac OS X or Linux systems can enjoy the drive as a data drive or a boot drive right out of the box - no software download is required. Due to the 2.2TB limit on certain systems, Windows Vista and Windows 7 users should consult Hitachi’s 2.2TB web for system compatibility guidelines to use the drive as a boot drive.

The new Hitachi Internal Hard Drive Kit comes in capacities of 3TB and 2TB, making them ideal for storing massive amounts of digital content. All drives ship with a 64MB buffer and a 6Gb/s SATA interface, providing quick access to data.

The 3TB Hitachi Deskstar Internal Hard Drive Kit is shipping this week to online and retail stores with a MSRP of $249.99.

Hitachi XL Desktop External Hard Drives

Backed by Hitachi GST’s reputation for quality and reliability, the Hitachi XL Desktop External Drive offers users a simple and reliable way to store and protect life’s most important digital content. With up to 3TB capacity and USB 2.0 connectivity, the Hitachi XL Desktop Drive gives both Mac and PC users enough capacity to store or backup their growing music libraries, digital photos and movie collections. Placed vertically or horizontally, the drive fits perfectly into any home or office environment. Wrapped in a smooth black finish, the Hitachi XL Desktop Drive comes in capacities of 3TB, 2TB and 1TB.

The Hitachi XL Desktop External Drives are now available. MSRPs are $249.99 for 3TB, $169.99 for 2TB and $99.99 for 1TB.

Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 and 5K3000 Hard Drives for OEMs and Channel Partners

Today, Hitachi GST also announced that it is shipping its new 3TB, 2TB and 1.5TB Deskstar 7K3000 drive family to OEMs and select distribution partners around the world. Based on Hitachi GST’s proven design, the new Deskstar 7K3000 drive delivers an exceptional blend of reliability, capacity, performance and power efficiency for video RAID arrays, home or business PCs, high-performance workstations and gaming systems.

All Deskstar 7K3000 drives deliver excellent power efficiency and reduced thermal emissions. The Deskstar 7K3000 drive is also one of the fastest and most energy-efficient 7,200 RPM drives on the market. When compared to previous generation Deskstar drives, the 7K3000 PCMark Vantage test scores show up to a 27 percent performance improvement, and an idle power savings of up at least nine percent.

Catering to the power-conscious system builder or OEM, the new Hitachi Deskstar 5K3000 family of drives delivers low power and quieter operation for environmentally-friendly computers. In capacities of 3TB, 2TB and 1.5TB with a 32MB buffer, these drives combine Hitachi’s innovative Coolspin™ Technology to create a new class of performance-optimized, energy-efficient drives that run cooler and require less power. They deliver up to 29 percent lower power and 14 percent quieter acoustics than the Deskstar 7K3000.

“In a world of technology, there’s one common thread among all of us – storage. It’s ubiquitous, and is growing rapidly as we continue to purchase, create, download and save content daily. With our new 3TB solutions, we’re delivering huge capacity to a broad base of users to help them meet today’s — and tomorrow’s — data storage needs,” said Mike Williams, vice president and general manager of Hitachi Branded Business. “Our 3TB offerings are a perfect addition to our family as it supports our strong following of channel partners, creative professionals and end users who require reliable, high-performance, high-capacity storage.”

The Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 family of hard drives has been shipping to OEMs and select distributors worldwide since November 2010. The 1.5TB and 2TB Deskstar 5K3000 drives with Coolspin technology will ship in December; the 3TB Deskstar 5K3000 will ship next quarter.