Seagate Delivers Performance-Packed Versions of Award-Winning Family of Hawk Disc Drives; New 1- and 2-Gbyte Hawk 2XL drives employ PRML read channel and embedded servo technologies to provide exceptional performance in a value-oriented design.

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 1995--Seagate Technology will begin shipping a pair of new 3.5-inch Hawk family disc drives featuring thin film heads, PRML (Partial-Response, Maximum Likelihood) read channels and embedded servos in a value-packed storage device for workstations and network system server applications.

The new 1- and 2-Gbyte Hawk 2XL drives are designed to continue Seagate's leadership in the strategically important areas of performance and value. They also provide the storage capacity points required for these markets, particularly those involving professional audio/video and image processing.

"In this industry, systems manufacturers expect to painlessly migrate to higher disc drive performance every 12 to 18 months," said Don Colton, Seagate vice president of Product Line Management. "In order to do this successfully, our design teams must choose the right combinations of leading-edge technologies. The Hawk 2XL is an excellent example of how Seagate can deliver this kind of value."

Like its predecessors, the Hawk 2XL drives offer many of the same features that have been responsible for the award-winning Hawk family's success. The new 1.05- and 2.15-Gbyte formatted-capacity drives feature 9-millisecond average read seek times (10 ms write), a 5.54 ms latency and 256 or 512 Kbyte multisegmented caches. The drives will be available in both 10 Mbyte/sec and 20 Mbyte/sec Fast and Wide SCSI (small computer system interface) options. They also incorporate Seagate's second-generation Advanced SCSI Architecture (ASA-II) technology, and are available in an 80-pin SCSI standard SCA (Single Connector Attachment) as well as conventional SCSI connectors.

The Hawk 2XL's combination of ASA II, the PRML read channel and an embedded servo provides internal data rates required for multimedia file creation and playback and professional audio/video applications such as non-linear video editing. Applications involving high-resolution graphics, imaging and pre-press operations also require the Hawk's level of performance. The Hawk 2XL's uninterruptable data rates make it a superior choice for multimedia and professional A/V applications.

"The Hawk family has been a real workhorse for the industry, and the Hawk 2XL is a great addition to its portfolio," said Gary Gentry, director of Workstation and Server Products marketing at Seagate. "By using proven thin-film head and embedded-servo technologies in conjunction with a new PRML read channel, we are well positioned to fulfill the expectations of the market in terms of providing an excellent balance of price and performance."

"Seagate has shipped more than 2.6 million Hawk drives to the market, which affirms the reliability and strength of high-volume production the Hawk 2XL will leverage to become one of the best values in SCSI drives on the market," Gentry added.

Samples of the Hawk 2XL are scheduled to be available in the second calendar quarter of 1995, with production scheduled to begin in the third quarter.

Seagate Technology is a data technology company that provides products for storing, managing and accessing digital information on the world's computer and data communications systems. Seagate's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SEG."

CONTACT: Seagate Technology

David Webb, 408/439-2838