StorageReview’s recent notebook drive roundup has opened the door to individual 2.5″ drive reviews. First up is a look at the SATA version of the Momentus 7200.1. Featuring a native serial design coupled with mechanics identical to that of the version reviewed in our earlier roundup, the ST910021AS targets SATA-capable notebooks as well as light-duty blade servers and SFF PCs. Come with us as we take a look!
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The switch to SATA from PATA is well underway on the 3.5″ form factor. Even Western Digital, a relative SATA latecomer, now features a native design in both its desktop and nearline families. On the notebook side of things, however, the move is just beginning. Last year, Fujitsu was the first to get a product to the market with the SATA version of its MHT-2080. Now, however, it is Seagate that is first to market with a 100 GB 7200 RPM SATA offering.
The ST910021AS, Seagate’s SATA version of the Momentus 7200.1, features an all-native design that incorporates NCQ. Physically speaking, however, the drive’s specs read identically to that of the unit covered in our recent notebook drive roundup– dual 50 GB platters, a 10.5 ms seek time, and an 8-megabyte buffer. As always, a 5-year warranty backs Seagate’s drive.
The SATA Momentus is quite a forward-looking product. The vast majority of notebooks machines on the market still rely on the standard 22×2 pin parallel interface. Featuring a physical interface no different from that of a 3.5″ desktop SATA drive, however, the ST910021AS potentially courts desktop users seeking the ultimate in quiet and cool operation as well as those seeking alternatives to 3.5″ devices for small form factor PCs. Fitting a PATA drive for desktop operation requires rails to widen the drive for proper mounting and a converter to move the unit to the standard 20×2 PATA pin array / 4-pin molex power combo. The ST910021AS, conversely, requires only appropriate mounting rails- it is already pin-compatible with the SATA interface found in contemporary desktop computers. The space-friendly form factor also targets the entry-level blade server market in applications centered around the CPU rather than the hard drive.
The following performance tests contrast the Momentus 7200.1 with the following 2.5″ notebook drives:
| Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 (80 GB) | Competing 5400 RPM PATA drive |
| Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 (100 GB) | Competing 7200 RPM PATA drive |
| Seagate Momentus 5400.2 (100 GB) | Manufacturer’s 5400 RPM PATA offering |
| Seagate Momentus 7200.1 PATA (100 GB) | PATA version of the review unit |
Access Time and Transfer RateFor diagnostic purposes only, StorageReview measures the following low-level parameters: Average Read Access Time– An average of 25,000 random read accesses of a single sector each conducted through IPEAK SPT’s AnalyzeDisk suite. The high sample size permits a much more accurate reading than most typical benchmarks deliver and provides an excellent figure with which one may contrast the claimed access time (claimed seek time + the drive spindle speed’s average rotational latency) provided by manufacturers. Average Write Access Time– An average of 25,000 random write accesses of a single sector each conducted through IPEAK SPT’s AnalyzeDisk suite. The high sample size permits a much more accurate reading than most typical benchmarks deliver. Due to differences in read and write head technology, seeks involving writes generally take more time than read accesses. |
WB99 Disk/Read Transfer Rate – Begin– The sequential transfer rate attained by the outermost zones in the hard disk. The figure typically represents the highest sustained transfer rate a drive delivers.
WB99 Disk/Read Transfer Rate – End– The sequential transfer rate attained by the innermost zones in the hard disk. The figure typically represents the lowest sustained transfer rate a drive delivers.
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Like the 5400 RPM Momentus, the SATA 7200.1 turns in an unusually high access time, as if the drive was locked into a read-after-write verification cycle. Remember, however, that we measure average random writes (and reads, for that matter) for purely academic reasons, however. Writes in particular enjoy buffering strategies (write-back caching) that render physical random performance virtually irrelevant.
| Some Perspective
It is important to remember that seek time and transfer rate measurements are mostly diagnostic in nature and not really measurements of “performance” per se. Assessing these two specs is quite similar to running a processor “benchmark” that confirms “yes, this processor really runs at 2.4 GHz and really does feature a 400 MHz FSB.” Many additional factors combine to yield aggregate high-level hard disk performance above and beyond these two easily measured yet largely irrelevant metrics. In the end, drives, like all other PC components, should be evaluated via application-level performance. Over the next few pages, this is exactly what we will do. Read on! |
Single-User PerformanceStorageReview uses the following tests to assess non-server use: StorageReview.com Office DriveMark 2006– A capture of VeriTest’s Business Winstone 2004 suite. Applications include Microsoft’s Office XP (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, and Project), Internet Explorer 6.0, Symantec Antivirus 2002 and Winzip 9.0 executed in a lightly-multitasked manner. StorageReview.com High-End DriveMark 2006– A capture of VeriTest’s Multimedia Content Creation Winstone 2004 suite. Applications include Adobe Photoshop v7.01, Adobe Premiere v6.5, Macromedia Director MX v9.0, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX v6.1, Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9.0, Newtek Lightwave 3D 7.5b, and Steinberg Wavelab 4.0f run in a lightly-multitasked manner. For more information, please click here. |
Gaming PerformanceThree decidedly different entertainment titles cover gaming performance in StorageReview’s test suite. FarCry, a first-person shooter, remains infamous for its lengthy map loads when switching levels. The Sims 2, though often referred to as a “people simulator,” is in its heart a strategy game and spends considerable time accessing the disk when loading houses and lots. Finally, World of Warcraft represents the testbed’s role-playing entry; it issues disk accesses when switching continents/dungeons as well as when loading new textures into RAM on the fly. For more information, please click here. |
Multi-User PerformanceUnlike single-user machines (whether a desktop or workstation), servers undergo highly random, non-localized access. StorageReview simulates these multi-user loads using IOMeter. The IOMeter File Server pattern balances a majority of reads and minority of writes spanning requests of varying sizes. IOMeter also facilitates user-configurable load levels by maintaining queue levels (outstanding I/Os) of a specified depth. Our tests start with the File Server pattern with a depth of 1 and double continuously until depth reaches 128 outstanding I/Os. Drives with any sort of command queuing abilities will always be tested with such features enabled. Unlike single-user patterns, multi-user loads always benefit when requests are reordered for more efficient retrieval. For more information click here. |
Noise and Power MeasurementsIdle Noise– The sound pressure emitted from a drive measured at a distance of 3 millimeters. The close-field measurement allows for increased resolution between drive sound pressures and eliminates interactions from outside environmental noise. Note that while the measurement is an A-weighted decibel score that weighs frequencies in proportion to human ear sensitivity, a low score does not necessarily predict whether or not a drive will exhibit a high-pitch whine that some may find intrusive. Conversely, a high score does not necessarily indicate that the drive exhibits an intrusive noise profile. Operating Power Dissipation– The power consumed by a drive, measured both while idle and when performing fully random seeks. In the relatively closed environment of a computer case, power dissipation correlates highly with drive temperature. The greater a drive’s power draw, the more significant its effect on the chassis’ internal temperature. |
Startup (Peak) Power Dissipation– The maximum power dissipated by a drive upon initial spin-up. This figure is relevant when a system features a large number of drives. Though most controllers feature logic that can stagger the spin-up of individual drives, peak power dissipation may nonetheless be of concern in very large arrays or in cases where a staggered start is not feasible. Generally speaking, drives hit peak power draw at different times on the 5V and 12V rails. The 12V peak usually occurs in the midst of initial spin-up. The 5V rail, however, usually hits maximum upon actuator initialization.
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ReliabilityThe StorageReview.com Reliability Survey aims to amalgamate individual reader experiences with various hard disks into a comprehensive warehouse of information from which meaningful results may be extracted. A multiple-layer filter sifts through collected data, silently omitting questionable results or results from questionable participants. A proprietary analysis engine then processes the qualified dataset. SR presents results to readers through a percentile ranking system.
According to filtered and analyzed data collected from participating StorageReview.com readers, the |
Note that the percentages in bold above may change as more information continues to be collected and analyzed. For more information, to input your experience with these and/or other drives, and to view comprehensive results, please visit the SR Drive Reliability Survey.
ConclusionWeighing in with a hefty $300 price tag at the time of this writing, Seagate’s Momentus 7200.1 certainly is not a drive for everybody. The average 3.5″ desktop drive delivers far better performance at a much lower cost per gigabyte. Further, most notebook machines do not utilize the SATA interface. Finally, blade servers accepting 2.5″ form factors that require any significant I/O performance remain much better off with devices such as Seagate’s own Savvio 10K.1. Perhaps more than anything, the ST910021AS stands as proof-of-concept that Seagate will be there at the head of the pack as the notebook world transitions to SATA operation. |
2.5″ drives, of course, draw far less power and generate significantly less noise than physically larger disks, however. There may be cheaper and faster alternatives, but the Momentus is about as quiet and cool-running as SATA gets. Those that value environmental performance and/or the small form factor above all else may find the SATA Momentus alluring.
