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TEST RESULTS
Our sample was tested according to our standard
hard drive testing methodology. We focus mostly on
HDD noise, and great effort is taken to ensure it is comprehensively measured
and described. Performance is not tested, for reasons discussed in detail in
the methodology article.
It was compared against our reference notebook drive,
Samsung MP0402H, profiled in a recent
notebook drive review.
Two forms of hard drive noise are measured:
Airborne acoustics
Vibration-induced noise.
These two types of noise impact the subjective
perception of hard drive noise differently depending on how and where the drive
is mounted.
Both forms of noise are evaluated objectively and
subjectively. Both the subjective and objective analyses are essential to understanding
the acoustics of the drives. Airborne acoustics are measured using a professional
caliber SLM. Measurements are taken at a distance of one meter above the top
of the drive using an A-weighted filter. Vibration noise is rated on a scale
of 1-10 by comparing against our standard reference drives.
Unfortunately, AAM (Automatic Acoustic Management) is not supported
as a user-configurable option on the Momentus 7200.1, which means that our standard
means of generating seek noise via the AAM test function in Hitachi's
HDD Feature Tool could not be used. Instead, seek noise was generated
by copying a large file set within the drive. Unfortunately, this task does
not require as much random seeking as the AAM test, so seek noise was not as
constant as usual. To compensate, we spent more time than usual listening to
and measuring the seek noise.
A final caveat: As with most reviews, our comments
are relevant to the sample we tested. Your sample may not be identical. There
are always some sample variances, and manufacturers also make changes without
telling everyone.
Ambient noise at the time of testing was 18 dBA.
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NOTEBOOK DRIVE NOISE EVALUATION
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Drive
Mfg date
firmware version
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Vibration
1-10
(10 = no vibration)
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Activity State
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Airborne Acoustics
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Measured Power
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Samsung MP0402H
April 2004
firmware UC100-10
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8
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Idle
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17 dBA@1m
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0.8 W
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Seek (AAM)
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18 dBA@1m
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2.3 W
|
|
Seek (Normal)
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19-20 dBA@1m
|
2.4 W
|
|
Seagate Momentus 7200.1 ST910021AS
Date Code: 06101
firmware 3.04
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8
|
Idle
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21 dBA@1m
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1.7 W (heads unloaded)
2.9W (heads loaded)
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|
Seek (Normal)
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22-23 dBA@1m
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3.7 W
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At 21 dBA@1m, the 7200.1 was slighter louder than most of the other notebook drives we've tested.
The noise level was roughly on par with a quiet desktop
drive, such as the Samsung Spinpoint P80. The quality of the noise was
similar as well: Primarily, broadband air turbulence (whoosh) with a small amount of motor hum.
There was no high frequency noise to speak of; no whine was present. By comparison, the Samsung MP0402H had much less
broadband noise, but it produced a very slight high frequency whine perceptible from certain angles.
The level of vibration was also slightly higher than other tested notebook drives. It still qualifies as a low
vibration drive when desktop drives are considered. The vibration level was
very similar to the reference Samsung MP0402H drive, and I could not decide which had lower
vibration even after several direct A/B comparisons.
Because of the high rotation speed, the 7200.1 vibrates at a higher frequency
than most other notebook drives. The resonant frequency was also higher because
of this: 120 Hz instead of 90 Hz. Because human hearing is more sensitive at
120 Hz than at 90 Hz, the vibration noise from the 7200.1 seemed
a little higher than the MP0402H even though the vibration levels were almost
identical. The low vibrational hum is the same pitch as an ordinary 7,200 RPM
desktop drive.
The AAM status cannot be changed for the 7200.1, but this hardly matters as
seeks are almost inaudible. Contrary to the measured noise level, I could barely
distinguish the seek noise from the idle noise at a distance of one meter. Soft-mounting
may help the seek noise, since I could clearly pick out the seek noise once
the drive was placed on our vibration test box, but they were still quite muted.
Although the seeks of the 7200.1 were a little louder than those of the MP0402H, they seemed quieter subjectively because they were closer
to the idle noise level. They were also softer, with less high frequency noise
and a less percussive "attack".
Probably because of its higher spindle speed, the power consumption was higher
than other notebook drives we've measured. The idle power of 1.7W is
a little more than twice that of the MP0402H. Likewise, the
peak power consumption of seeks was 3.7W, watt higher than the Samsung
drive.
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