Since we observed the same tendencies in FAT32 and NTFS, we decided to cut down the number of diagrams and save you some time looking through all of them :)

In terms of write speed, the new Maxtor 6Y080L0 is an absolute winner, while the previous model performed as fast as the IBM drive last time we tested it. In all patterns the new Maxtor drive defeated the predecessors, showing over 20% performance advantage over them in some cases.

However, as it came to reading the new Maxtor managed to do well only when reading large files. The small and medium-sized files remained within IBM’s powers. However, here the new Maxtor drive also defeats all its predecessors.

During copy operations, different protocols start telling on the results. But in all modes except large files copy, the new Maxtor solution is a little faster than the predecessors.

Copying from one partition to another aggravated the situation for the new Maxtor 6Y080L0. in more than 50% of the cases it is defeated completely by the old HDD model.

Conclusion

The new Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 proved to be a worthy candidate for your system. Besides the “raw speed” increase due to higher data density per platter, it also showed very well polished-off firmware. And it is very often more important that high physical speed, as you might have already understood from our previous articles. Like in real life: wild physical power can sometimes be not enough, that is when intelligence may help to achieve much bigger heights.

Of course, enhanced firmware algorithms didn’t make this drive a server one, but allowed it to compete with the solution from IBM on equal terms in video and sound processing applications. Our today’s test session lets us state that the new Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 6Y080L0 is undoubtedly better than the old model: it is faster in most tests and features one platter instead of two. So, it boasts lower noise level and higher reliability.

One thing is still not quite clear: all the drives from the DiamondMax Plus 9 family acquired the new firmware, but does it mean that all the drives will also start using new 80GB platters? Let’s do a short calculation: 6Y080L0 allows saving one platter and one read/write head. The same thing is true for a 160GB model. 6Y120L0 allows saving one read/write head, and the 6Y060L0 model cannot be redesigned to save anything. Now, do you need any more hints the way the modification of the Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 family will take? ;)