Performance in FC-Test

Now we will check the enclosures in our own FC-Test utility which measures the time it takes to perform certain operations over a few file-sets which differ in the number and size of the files included, and then calculates the speed.

The Windows and Programs patterns consist of many small-size files, while the MP3, ISO and Install patterns include fewer files of a bigger size. Two 32GB partitions are created on the drives for the copy operations, and the file-sets are then copied within one partition (Copy Near) and from one partition to another (Copy Far).

The drives will be first tested with FAT32.

The enclosures working across SATA and eSATA interfaces – the AgeStar CFB3A1 and the Vantec NexStar3 NST360SU, respectively – enjoy an obvious and big advantage over the rest of the participating devices in the speed of creating (i.e. writing) the file-sets. The hard drives can show their best performance when installed into these enclosures.

The two FireWire-interfaced devices (AgeStar ICB5A and ICB5A1) and the USB-interfaced VPA-35018 and Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU stand out among the rest of the enclosures. The AgeStar ICB5A, connected across USB 2.0, has a very low write speed with small files.

The read speed diagram doesn’t reveal any surprises. The same two enclosures with SATA and eSATA interfaces are ahead of their competitors, the Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU being the better of the two. The enclosures with a FireWire interface follow behind the leaders and are themselves followed by the ViPowER VPA-35018 and the Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU which are the best among USB-connected enclosures. The remaining devices have similar read speeds.

Copying within one partition involves doing both reading and writing, so the results are a cross between the results of the previous two tests. The leaders are the same again – the two enclosures with SATA and eSATA interfaces have no real opponents. The Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU is again a little better than the other. The FireWire-connected enclosures AgeStar ICB5A and ICB5A1 are somewhat better than the devices connected via USB 2.0. Among the latter, the ViPowER VPA-35018 and the Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU can be distinguished. The AgeStar ICB5A, connected via USB 2.0, is the worst enclosure in this test,

And the last diagram shows how fast the enclosures with the drives are at copying files from one partition to another. The general picture remains the same as in the other tests, with minor changes. The enclosures with SATA and eSATA interfaces are in the lead, the Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU being the faster of the two. The pair of FireWire-interfaced enclosures has split up: the AgeStar ICB5A1 still looks superior to its opponents whereas the AgeStar ICB5A is noticeably slower and is also the slowest when attached via USB 2.0. The ViPowER VPA-35018 and the above-mentioned Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU can be singled out among the enclosures that work across a USB 2.0 interface.

Besides that, you can note that the Tsunami Speed 3500S has almost the same speed irrespective of the interface of the installed drive.