BananaHDD

Fujitsu MCM3130AP 1.3GB Magneto-optical (MO) Disc Drive (2002)

by BananaHDD
The Fujitsu MCM3130AP is an internal 3.5″ magneto-optical disc drive, produced from 2002-2003. As Fujitsu’s own documentation aptly states, these “take Fujitsu’s magneto-optical (MO) technology to new levels with its 640MB and 1.3GB drives”. While in both the USA & Europe magneto-optical media never really took off as well as it did elsewhere, this unit ... Read More

Conner Peripherals CP3360 360MB (1992)

by BananaHDD
The CP3360 is a beast from another time. Conner Peripherals were a well-known manufacturer for low-cost & simplistic drives, found in a myriad of OEM machines throughout the 90’s. However, the company didn’t always have a sole focus on the lower-end market, with drives like this being a stunning reminder of their capabilities. With a ... Read More

IBM Travelstar 32GH DJSA-232 32GB (2000)

by BananaHDD
The DJSA-232 is one of IBM’s most marvellous creations: a four-platter 2.5″ drive, with a height of only 12.5mm. Truly incredible stuff, particularly given the time in which this drive was produced. In 2023, this drive is still an incredible innovation for the hard drive industry, stuffing as many platters as possible in such a ... Read More

Hitachi DK31BJ-36LC 36GB (2000)

by BananaHDD
The Hitachi DK31BJ-36LC is, at least from initial looks, an absolute brick of an enterprise-unit from early-2000. Prior to their acquisition of IBM’s disk drive division in 2003, Hitachi focused on mobile & enterprise computing with their own division. The DK31BJ-36LC is one such example from the latter focus, being a high-end offering for the ... Read More

Samsung SpinPoint F3 EcoGreen HD203WI 2TB (2010)

by BananaHDD
The SpinPoint EcoGreen F3’s were Samsung’s first & final effort at mass-release of a 3.5″ hard disk drive series featuring a parking ramp. As Samsung’s drives are famously known for utilising contact start-stop throughout their modern history, the F3 EcoGreen’s are a different look at Samsung’s same-old design. Fortunately, (or perhaps for my own wallet, ... Read More

IBM Travelstar DHAA-2405 344MB (1994)

by BananaHDD
The DHAA-2405 is from IBM’s earlier days of the Travelstar name, a long-running series which surely most people reading this are familiar with. IBM had always been an impressive pioneer in the 2.5″ space, with development from IBM Japan adding to this feat. While the DHAA-2405 is not the highest end offering at the time ... Read More

Conner Peripherals CFS850A 850MB (1995)

by BananaHDD
The CFS850A is one of Conner’s past visions of their affordable drive series, coming in at a whopping 850MB in 1995. Like Conner’s of the past, the same “tub” design remains, with some differences (notably: no anodisation). A striking red label stands out, alongside a noisy seeking mechanism on top. If you want loud, these ... Read More

Hitachi Ultrastar 15K300 HUS153014VLS300 147GB (2009)

by BananaHDD
With mass availability in 2007, the Ultrastar 15K300 would be Hitachi’s latest & greatest high-speed enterprise hard disk series. Bridging the gap with these models being available in SAS, SCSI or fibre-channel configurations, it’s safe to say they had a very flexible end environment. As the name would suggest, these drives run at a blistering ... Read More

Fujitsu M2614ESA 182MB (1991)

by BananaHDD
The M2614ESA is a high-capacity drive released by Fujitsu in 1990. It’s a safe assumption that these drives, when new, were quite expensive. Given their SCSI interface, 182MB size and overall form-factor, these were a higher-end option when compared to many other models on the market. Sadly, not everything can last over 30 years, just ... Read More

Maxtor Atlas 10K V 8J300S0 300GB (2006)

by BananaHDD
The famous Atlas line originates from the hands of Quantum, having been acquired in 2001 by Maxtor. Surprisingly, Maxtor decided to finally enter the enterprise market after this acquisition, the Atlas 10K V’s being one of the last enterprise series in development before Seagate put the nail in the coffin after acquiring the company in ... Read More