Fujitsu has announced the release of its 2.5in 500GB 4200RPM Sata hard disk drive.

The fourth-generation high capacity 4200RPM drive, part of the MHZ2 BT series, has been designed in response to the growing need for hard disk drives in the 2.5in form factor.

Such drives can support high volume storage for products such as desktop PCs, notebooks, digital video recorders and external hard drives, Fujitsu said.

The unit requires only 1.8W of power for read and write operations, ranking it among the most power-efficient in its class, the company claims.

The drive is part of Fujitsu's Green Policy Innovation Program to promote energy-efficient products and services as a way of helping customers lower their ecological footprint.

"With the expansion of HD digital broadcasts and internet-based video distribution, there is an increasing need for high-capacity drives that can handle large volume data storage in portable devices," said Lorne Wilson, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Fujitsu Computer Products of America.