The HP C7973A is a LTO-3 Ultrium tape cartridge that has a capacity ranging from up to 400 GB of native data and 800 GB of compressed data. Transfer rates for the HP C7973A are 80 MB/s native and 160 MB/s compressed. Thus in matters of speed and capacity, HP C7973A LTO-3 tapes continue the LTO legacy of doubling the specifications over the previous generation. The number of tracks has increased from 512 to 706 and HP’s continuous testing program ensures not only that your HP C7973A LTO-3 tape will be compatible with all LTO-3 tape drives by all manufacturers, but also that your HP C7973A tape media lasts for up to 30 years and for at least 260 full backups. The HP C7973A LTO-3 tape has a tape length of 680m and uses a PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate) as its tape formulation. LTO-3 tape media is compatible with LTO-3 tape drives and LTO-3 W.O.R.M drives. The HP C7973 features self-cleaning capabilities and also the LTO-CM (Cartridge Memory) for faster access.