HDTach 2.61
The HDTach graphs for each disk, along with CPU utilisation and access time stats, will give us an initial view of performance that we can further analyse. HDTach stresses STR performance of a drive, read-only usually (and only in our case), more than anything else. We need futher tests to examine write and random access performance. It's only part of the picture, but still very useful in getting a quick picture of what's going on.The Freecom first, USB2.0 connected, 4200rpm, 2MB cache and 12ms quoted average access time. Let's see what HDTach makes of it.
That's not the best HDTach graph you're ever likely to see in your lifetime. STR performance tails off rather steeply near the end of the disk volume, it's never that high to start with and using the USB2.0 interface seems to tax the CPU a fair bit (although we can't always trust HDTach with that result). Not great, but given the other plus points of the disk - size, weight, capacity - it's hard to complain too much.
The 80GB 3000DV now. It's a 7200rpm disk with 2MB of cache, on the FireWire interface and it sports a 10ms average access time. Here's its HDTach result.
A nice flat graph that seems to peak at 31MB/sec and stay there for the entire 80GB. There's significance to that as we'll see later. Decent CPU usage on the FireWire interface and not too bad of an access time over FireWire, the 3000DV does well in HDTach.
160GB 5000DV now, the fastest disk on test, on paper at least. 7200rpm, 8MB, FireWire interface and 9.3ms quoted random access time, it's basically a DiamondMax 9 160GB with a FireWire bridge after the ATA interface.
The 8MB of cache does nothing for performance in HDTach, over the FireWire interface, as the 5000DV actually comes out slower than its lesser specified 3000DV brethren. We'll see if that carries through elsewhere in the testing.
The fat 300GB OneTouch now.
~29MB/sec and the slowest access time of the FireWire disks, the 5400rpm and 2MB cache specs of the big disk show their faces here.
