Testing Participants

Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 60GB (HTS721060G9AT00)

This drive has a storage capacity of 60GB and is equipped with a traditional ATA interface. We’d like to use the name of this model as an example of how Hitachi’s HDD markings should be read. The first two digits after the letters “HTS” indicate the drive’s spindle rotation speed (“72” = 7200rpm). The next two digits stand for the maximum storage capacity in this family, which is 100GB on this case. Then, the next two digits more tell you the storage capacity of the given model (“60” = 60GB). Among the other symbols you may want to note the last pair of letters: “AT” stands for Parallel ATA and “SA” for Serial ATA interface.

The average retail price of this drive is $160.

Hitachi Travelstar 7K100 100GB (HTS721010G9SA00)

Besides having a storage capacity of 100GB, this model also supports the newer SATA interface.

The average retail price of this drive is $220.

Seagate Momentus 7200.1 100GB SATA (ST910021AS)

Like the 100GB ATA (ST910021A) model, this hard drive has a storage capacity of 100GB and a spindle rotation speed of 7200rpm. The buffer size is 8MB; the average seek time is 10.5 milliseconds and the latency is 4.2 milliseconds. The difference between the two models is in the interface. The reviewed model supports Serial ATA. Like all models of this series, the drive features a Softsonic FDB motor and QuietStep ramp load technology for better acoustic characteristics.

The average retail price of the drive is $230.