X-bit labs

Three External Hard Disk Drives with 120GB Storage Capacity (page 5)

Category: Storage

by Andrey Kuznetcov

[ 07/06/2004 | 01:14 PM ]

WinBench 99: NTFS

As we switch to the NTFS file system, we see the numbers become smaller. The Western Digital WDXC1200JB takes the first and second places with USB 2.0 and FireWire, respectively, since it has a higher Business Disk Winmark score in the first case. Its 8MB buffer gives it a big advantage. Another Western Digital, the WDXU1200BB, finds itself on the third position, followed by the Maxtor OneTouch A14B120.

WinBench 99: NTFS (32GB)

The reduction of the storage space to 32GB cannot shatter the positions of the Western Digital WDXC1200JB – it is again the leader, taking the first two lines of the table. The FireWire interface is more efficient in High-End Disk Winmark, but noticeably poorer in Business Disk Winmark. The Western Digital WDXU1200BB snatches the third place due to a slightly better performance it showed in Business Disk Winmark compared to the OneTouch. The Maxtor nearly catches up with its main competitor because the access time difference is less important in this test.

WinBench 99: Disk Access Time

The diagram above shows how slow the Maxtor OneTouch A14B120 is at accessing the disk. This is natural because the manufacturer ships its external drives with the heads set up for the noiseless operational mode with better acoustic characteristics and low heat generation. The WDXU1200BB happens to have the best access time. The other drive from Western Digital has a better access time working via FireWire than via USB 2.0, but the difference is negligible and lies in the measurement error range.