Disc drive performance by reducing areal data storage density

A method for configuring a disc drive having a head which writes data to and retrieves data from a recording surface of a rotatable disc, comprising:

• selecting a total user data storage capacity for the recording surface;
• selecting a total number of user data fields to meet the data storage capacity, each data field storing a selected number of bits;
• generating a preliminary zone table to describe an initial format for the recording surface in which the user data fields are distributed among a plurality of concentric zones, each zone having a plurality of data tracks and each track in each zone having a common number of data fields so that each track in each zone has a selected data storage capacity and a different initial bit density for a selected first write frequency for each zone;
• and
• adjusting the preliminary zone table to provide an updated zone table by selectively decreasing at least selected ones of the selected first write frequencies to provide a second write frequency for each zone that will achieve the selected data storage capacity of each track in said zone, thereby reducing the data density of at least selected tracks.

A disc drive, comprising:

• a data transducing head;
• a communication channel operably coupled to the head;
• and
• a rotatable disc having a recording surface to which data are stored by the head and from which data are retrieved by the head, the communication channel operating to transfer data between the head and a host device associated with the disc drive, the recording surface formatted in accordance with a method comprising:
• identifying a total number of user data fields to meet a desired user data storage capacity for the recording surface, each user data field storing a selected number of user data bits;
• generating a preliminary zone table by distributing the total number of user data fields among a plurality of concentric data tracks and arranging the data tracks into a plurality of concentric zones, wherein the data tracks in each respective zone have a common number of the user data fields and have different data densities for a selected first write frequency for each respective zone, said different data densities selected in relation to a desired data density profile across the recording surface;
• and
• providing a final zone table by selecting a second write frequency for each zone equal or less than the first write frequency that will achieve the selected data storage capacity of each track in said zone, thereby reducing data density of at least selected tracks.