Fujitsu's 2.5-inch drives hit 500GB

Fujitsus 2.5-inch MHZ2 BT drives have capacities reaching 500GB and consume 1.8 watts of power.(Credit: Fujitsu)

Fujitsu announced two new 2.5-inch hard drives Monday that push capacity up a big notch to 400GB and 500GB.

The models will begin shipping in May, and the company said it hopes to ship 20 million this fiscal year.

But the drives, part of the MHZ2 BT series, aren't the fastest models around, spinning at 4,200rpm. Many laptop drives spin at 5,400rpm, and some at 7,200rpm. But it does consume relatively little power--1.8 watts when reading or writing, according to the company.

Fujitsu also intends the drive for use in digital video recorders, set-top boxes, tape backup replacement systems, and external hard drives, the company said. Several of those devices aren't as demanding of fast response but do demand lower power consumption.