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DRIVE COMPARISON TABLE
|
Drive
Mfg date
firmware version
|
Vibration
1-10
(10 = no vibration)
|
Activity State
|
Airborne Acoustics
(dBA@1m)
|
Measured
Power
|
|
5,400 ~ 5,900 RPM DESKTOP DRIVES
|
|
Samsung EcoGreen F2 500GB HD502HI
February 2009
firmware 1AG01114
|
8
|
Idle
|
12
|
3.2 W
|
|
Seek (AAM)
|
15
|
5.3 W
|
|
Seek
|
16
|
6.1 W
|
|
Seagate Pipeline HD .2 1TB ST31000424CS
April 2009
firmware SC13
|
7
|
Idle
|
12
|
4.3 W
|
|
Seek
|
16
|
7.3 W
|
|
WD Caviar Green 1.5TB WD15EADS
November 2009
firmware 01.00A01
|
9
|
Idle
|
13
|
4.5 W
(2.8 W heads unloaded)
|
|
Seek (AAM)
|
14
|
5.8 W
|
|
Seek
|
|
Seagate Pipeline HD .2 500GB ST3500414CS
March 2009
firmware SC13
|
8
|
Idle
|
13
|
2.7 W
|
|
Seek
|
14
|
6.7 W
|
|
WD Caviar Green
2TB WD20EADS
February 2009
firmware 01.00A01
|
7
|
Idle
|
13
|
6.4 W (4.0W heads unloaded)
|
|
Seek (AAM)
|
6.5 W
|
|
Seek
|
13~14
|
6.5 W
|
|
Samsung EcoGreen F4 2TB HD204UI
August 2010
firmware 1AQ10001
|
7
|
Idle
|
13
|
4.0 W
|
|
Seek
|
15
|
5.6 W
|
|
Seagate Pipeline HD
500GB ST3500321CS
July 2008
firmware SC14
|
6
|
Idle
|
14
|
4.1 W
|
|
Seek
|
15
|
6.9 W
|
|
Seagate Barracuda LP 2TB ST32000542AS
June 2009
firmware CC32
|
6
|
Idle
|
14
|
4.7W
|
|
Seek
|
17
|
7.9W
|
|
Samsung EcoGreen F3
2TB HD203WI
May 2010
firmware 1AN10003
|
7
|
Idle
|
15~16
|
4.7 W
|
|
Seek (AAM)
|
17~18
|
6.1W
|
|
Seek
|
18~19
|
6.9 W
|
|
7,200 RPM DESKTOP DRIVES
|
|
Seagate Pipeline HD Pro
1TB ST31000533CS
September 2008
firmware SC15
|
4
|
Idle
|
15
|
7.1 W
|
|
Seek
|
16
|
10.1 W
|
|
Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB ST32000651AS
May 2010
firmware CC13
|
7~8
|
Idle
|
17
|
7.0 W
|
|
Seek
|
18~19
|
7.9 W
|
|
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11
1.5TB ST31500341AS
October 2008
firmware SD17
|
4
|
Idle
|
17
|
8.8 W
|
|
Seek
|
19
|
10.7 W
|
|
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB ST3500418AS
September 2009
firmware CC37
|
8
|
Idle [muffled]
|
18
[16]
|
4.7 W
|
|
Seek [muffled]
|
19~20
[18]
|
7.9W
|
|
WD Caviar Black
1TB WD1001FALS
July 2008
firmware 05.00K05
|
4
|
Idle
|
21
|
8.5 W
|
|
Seek (AAM)
|
10.9 W
|
|
Seek
|
25
|
11.0 W
|
|
10,000 RPM DESKTOP DRIVES
|
|
WD VelociRaptor 300GB WD3000GLFS
May 2008
firmware 03.03V01
|
8
(w/o frame)
|
Idle
|
15
|
8.2 W
|
|
Seek (AAM)
|
20
|
12.2 W
|
|
Seek
|
22
|
12.2 W
|
AUDIO RECORDINGS
These recordings were made with a high resolution, lab quality, digital recording
system inside SPCR's own 11
dBA ambient anechoic chamber, then converted to LAME 128kbps encoded MP3s.
We've listened long and hard to ensure there is no audible degradation from
the original WAV files to these MP3s. They represent a quick snapshot of what
we heard during the review.
These recordings are intended to give you an idea of how the product sounds
in actual use — one meter is a reasonable typical distance between a computer
or computer component and your ear. The recording contains stretches of ambient
noise that you can use to judge the relative loudness of the subject. Be aware
that very quiet subjects may not be audible — if we couldn't hear it from
one meter, chances are we couldn't record it either!
The recordings start with 5 to 10 seconds of ambient noise, then 10 second
segments of the drive in the following states: idle, seek with AAM enabled (if
applicable), and seek with AAM disabled.
Comparatives:
CONCLUSIONS
Samsung EcoGreen F4 2TB
The newest EcoGreen is a huge improvement noise-wise over the
disappointing F3. Measuring only 13 dBA and 15 dBA at one meter when idle and
seeking, respectively, the acoustics of the 2TB F4 at last brings EcoGreen parity
with Caviar Green. When it comes to power consumption, the 2TB F4 is actually
superior to the 2TB Green, using almost 1W less when seeking, and it idles using
the same amount of energy as the WD with its heads parked. (It should be noted
however that the 2TB WD Green we are comparing it to is an older 4-platter model.
Newer WD GP revisions have been shipping recently with three 667GB platters,
which probably brings power down. We'll be checking on this soon.)
From a performance standpoint, like most "green" models,
the F4 is relatively slow compared to 7200 RPM drives. Boot and loading times
are a step behind, and when copying small files it can only beat 2.5" variants.
Copying large files is the one area in which it excels, its one saving grace.
We wouldn't employ it as a boot drive to hold an operating system and applications
for daily use, but it is almost perfect for media storage. Retailing for between
US$100 and US$110, it is also extremely affordable.
Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB
The latest member of the iconic Seagate Barracuda family is not
a very quiet drive, but its acoustic character is adequate in quality. It will
be clearly audible in most systems, but it sounds quite soft and isn't irritating
except when seeking. Its overall noise level is about the same as the Barracuda
7200.11/7200.12, but Seagate did make huge strives in bringing down the level
of vibration. In this regard, it is comparable to 5400 RPM models from Samsung
and WD — this can make a huge difference in real world acoustics, especially
in cases with mechanically poor drive cages and/or if multiple drives are present.
Power consumption has also been reduced significantly.
Of course the main advantage of a 7200 RPM drive is speed, and
the XT definitely has that. It performed very well in our test suite, beaten
only by a SSD in application and file copy performance, and coming in third
behind a SSD and Seagate's hybrid Momentus
XT in boot and loading times. However, it wasn't that much faster than
a 1TB Barracuda 7200.11, so its US$200 price-tag seems inflated, perhaps
due to its SATA 6Gbps controller. Unless you require high capacity for applications
and games, you would probably be better off with a budget SSD coupled with a
large 5400 RPM HDD; such a combination can be purchased for a comparable amount.
Many thanks to Seagate
and Samsung respectively for the
EcoGreen F4 2TB and Barracuda XT 2TB samples.
* * *
SPCR Articles of Related Interest:
Seagate Momentus XT: The Best
of Both Worlds?
Samsung
2TB EcoGreen F3 Hard Drive
Western
Digital Green 1.5TB vs. Seagate 7200.12 500GB
More
500GB notebook drives: Seagate 7200.4 & Hitachi 5K500.B
5900rpm
Seagate Hard Drives: Barracuda LP, Pipeline HD .2
Samsung F2 EcoGreen
HD502HI: Silent 500GB 3.5" HDD
* * *
Discuss
this article in the SPCR Forums
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