Performance in Intel IOMeter

Sequential Read & Write Patterns

Now let’s proceed from the low-level IOMark to the synthetic IOMeter. IOMeter is sending a stream of read and write requests with a request queue depth of 4. The size of the requested data block is changed each minute, so that we could see the dependence of the drive’s sequential read/write speed on the size of the data block. This test is indicative of the maximum speed the drive can achieve.

The numeric data can be viewed in tables. We’ll discuss graphs and diagrams.

• IOMeter: Sequential Read results

Yes, the increased recording density gives the new HDDs an edge against the older ones in terms of speed. In terms of top speed the HDDs are ranked exactly like in the low-level data-transfer test. When it comes to sequential reading in small data chunks, the Seagate 7200.3 is beyond competition. It is ahead of all the 2.5-inch products, including the Western Digital Scorpio Blue, as well as of both 3.5-inch drives included into the test. In the Western Digital camp the two Scorpios deliver the same speed with large data blocks but the Scorpio Black is ahead with small data blocks.

• IOMeter: Sequential Write results

The picture is different at sequential writing: Western Digital is superior with small data blocks, the Scorpio Black leading the way. However, the latter is slower than the Scorpio Blue and Seagate 7200.3 when processing large data blocks.