Samsung T133, comparative impressions
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 10:09 am
Hi all,
Here are some impressions of a Samsung T133 HD300LD drive I bought last weekend.
My references are a Samsung SP1614N (SATA, Nidec motor) and a Maxtor DiamondMax10 300GB (PATA). Drives are mounted in a P180, see bottom of post for system specs.
Remember that my assesments of the T133 are based on experience with just a single sample.
The drive in case looks regular, nothing special to notice. Motor is a Nidec. Interface is PATA.
Vibration is very high, noticeably more than the P80 and much more than the Diamondmax. My DM10 vibrates very little, contrary to the result of Devon and Mikes review, guess I got a lucky sample. Anyway, my assesment is based on just putting a hand on the drive while idle/seeking, not a resonator box like used in the reviews, so not exactly very scientific.
The way the T133 creates interference with my P80 is louder and more anoying than the DM10.
Idle noise of the T133 is mainly whoosh, with only a very faint whine which actually seems more muted than that of the P80. The character of the whoosh is similar to the P80, but more broadband, with a lot off hum to it. It's of course louder than the P80 but not terribly so and I was positively suprised.
The Diamondmax is noticeably louder at idle and the noise is a more evenly distributed broadband whoosh/hiss with a harsher "metalic" character to it, compared to the T133 (my DM10 sounds very similar to the one reviewed here at SPCR).
Seeks are not particularly impressive. Character of the sound is similar to the P80 and relatively "pleasant", but the seeks are considerably louder and sharper. AAM has limited effect but does take the sharpest edges off and makes the noise more of a constant "chatter". Diamondmax (with AAM on!) has comparatively very muted seeks that almost drown completely in the idle noise, although if not fully suspended the case will naturaly amplify.
All in all, I imagine people using full suspension and looking for a large capacity storage drive should consider it. The silicone mounts in the P180 do a good job, but all in all I think I prefer the Diamondmax 10 due to seeks and vibration, although idlenoise is higher. In use, mounted in the P180, both the T133 and DM10 come across as quiet drives, and I would not have any problem using either. However, my plan was to put one of the two in an external USB box for backup, and at the moment it looks like the looser is going to be the T133.
If anyone else has bought this drive, please share your experience.
My system specs:
Antec P180 with one Yate Loon D12SL-12 @ ~6V (rear, rubber bolts)
Thermalright SP948U + Papst 92mm (Speedfan controlled, ~5V@idle)
Nexus NX3000 PSU (fan mounted with rubber bolts)
Passive northbridge and ditto graphics
Here are some impressions of a Samsung T133 HD300LD drive I bought last weekend.
My references are a Samsung SP1614N (SATA, Nidec motor) and a Maxtor DiamondMax10 300GB (PATA). Drives are mounted in a P180, see bottom of post for system specs.
Remember that my assesments of the T133 are based on experience with just a single sample.
The drive in case looks regular, nothing special to notice. Motor is a Nidec. Interface is PATA.
Vibration is very high, noticeably more than the P80 and much more than the Diamondmax. My DM10 vibrates very little, contrary to the result of Devon and Mikes review, guess I got a lucky sample. Anyway, my assesment is based on just putting a hand on the drive while idle/seeking, not a resonator box like used in the reviews, so not exactly very scientific.
The way the T133 creates interference with my P80 is louder and more anoying than the DM10.
Idle noise of the T133 is mainly whoosh, with only a very faint whine which actually seems more muted than that of the P80. The character of the whoosh is similar to the P80, but more broadband, with a lot off hum to it. It's of course louder than the P80 but not terribly so and I was positively suprised.
The Diamondmax is noticeably louder at idle and the noise is a more evenly distributed broadband whoosh/hiss with a harsher "metalic" character to it, compared to the T133 (my DM10 sounds very similar to the one reviewed here at SPCR).
Seeks are not particularly impressive. Character of the sound is similar to the P80 and relatively "pleasant", but the seeks are considerably louder and sharper. AAM has limited effect but does take the sharpest edges off and makes the noise more of a constant "chatter". Diamondmax (with AAM on!) has comparatively very muted seeks that almost drown completely in the idle noise, although if not fully suspended the case will naturaly amplify.
All in all, I imagine people using full suspension and looking for a large capacity storage drive should consider it. The silicone mounts in the P180 do a good job, but all in all I think I prefer the Diamondmax 10 due to seeks and vibration, although idlenoise is higher. In use, mounted in the P180, both the T133 and DM10 come across as quiet drives, and I would not have any problem using either. However, my plan was to put one of the two in an external USB box for backup, and at the moment it looks like the looser is going to be the T133.
If anyone else has bought this drive, please share your experience.
My system specs:
Antec P180 with one Yate Loon D12SL-12 @ ~6V (rear, rubber bolts)
Thermalright SP948U + Papst 92mm (Speedfan controlled, ~5V@idle)
Nexus NX3000 PSU (fan mounted with rubber bolts)
Passive northbridge and ditto graphics