Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/22



IDE drives (more properly called ATA drives) have come a long way since they were first introduced in 1985 as a replacement for the ST-506/412 interface. Today, one can find 512k buffers, 5400 RPM speeds, sub 10ms seek times, and the much ballyhooed UltraATA 33 MB/sec transfer rate. We also stand before yet another advance; Seagate’s latest Medalist Pro and IBM’s Deskstar 14GXP promise 7200 RPM rotation speeds. As is often the case though, higher figures in popularly quoted specs don’t always seem to correlate to better benchmark figures. Although there are some 8 GB drives available and many > 8 GB products have been announced, the 6.4 GB capacity is the highest at which every major manufacturer is currently shipping at least one drive.

Initially we began testing these drives using Intel’s PIIX v3.01 Bus Mastering Drivers. After the initial benchmarking was completed, however, we found, as have many others, that the default drivers in Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 provide better performance with DMA enabled.

For this test, we used an ABIT LX6 motherboard (v1.1, bios v C7Q), a 266 MHz Intel Pentium II processor, a 64MB 10ns SDRAM DIMM, and a Matrox Millennium II PCI 4MB (bios v1.2, PowerDesk v3.80).

Quantum Bigfoot

A notable omission in this review is Quantum’s Bigfoot TX 6.4GB unit. The 5.25" form-factor Bigfoot is positioned as an low-cost alternative to traditional 3.5" low-profile drives. The Bigfoot is not intended to be a high-performance drive, however, and lags significantly behind 3.5" drives in performance.

The Bigfoot is the drive most commonly found in major retail-brand systems such as Compaq and Hewlett-Packard. Expect a review of the Quantum Bigfoot on Anand Tech Affiliate: The Storage Review in the near future.

The boot drive (Western Digital Caviar AC31600) contained Windows 95 OSR 2.1 patched with Intel’s 82371xB INF Update and Microsoft’s REMIDEUP.EXE fix. The test drive in question was the sole device located on the secondary controller built into the motherboard. The drive’s DMA box under System Properties’ Device Manager was checked. The tests were run at 1024x768 with 24 bit color at 85 Hz using small fonts. ZDBop’s Startup Manager was used to prevent loading of background applications. ZDBop’s WinBench 98 v1.0’s Disk Test Suites were run on all test drives.



 

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Fujitsu MPB3064AT

Average Score

Business Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

1098

SS/Database

936

WP

1338

Publishing

1058

Browsers

1242

Task Switching

1550

High-End Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

3366

AVS/Express 3.1

1996

Frontpage 97

2878

MicroStation 95

6210

Photoshop 4.0

2800

Premiere 4.2

6136

PV-Wave 6.1

2376

Visual C++ 5.0

7796

Disk/Read Random Access (ms)

16.6

Disk/Read Transfer Rate (KB/s)

Beginning

9580

End

5928

Disk/Read CPU Utilization (%)

6.7

Transfer Rate (KB/s)

8724

Fujitsu is not as well-known a hard drive name as some of the others featured in this review… we were very eager to test the MPB3064AT in hopes of finding a diamond-in-the-rough. The drive sports an >10ms seek time, 5400 RPM rotational speed and a 256k buffer, all par for the course in this roundup. Unfortunately, we were ultimately disappointed with the numbers that the drive posted. In both the Business and High-End Disk WinMarks, the Fujitsu was at the bottom of the charts. The drive isn’t sold by many vendors, but those that do sell it have attractive prices on it. Nevertheless, this drive cannot be recommended.

 



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IBM Deskstar 5 DHEA 36480

Average Score

Business Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

1362

SS/Database

1202

WP

1668

Publishing

1270

Browsers

1554

Task Switching

1726

High-End Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

3910

AVS/Express 3.1

2382

Frontpage 97

3092

MicroStation 95

7586

Photoshop 4.0

3200

Premiere 4.2

7440

PV-Wave 6.1

2828

Visual C++ 5.0

8722

Disk/Read Random Access (ms)

15.0

Disk/Read Transfer Rate (KB/s)

Beginning

10300

End

6460

Disk/Read CPU Utilization (%)

5.2

Transfer Rate (KB/s)

10334

IBM, still the largest computer corporation today, is not commonly-known for its hard drives. When one thinks of ATA drives, the Maxtor and Western Digital models that one sees at major retail outlets are what come to mind. Even so, IBMs Deskstar 5 took top honors in both the Business and High-End Disk WinMarks. Despite its high speed, the drive was astonishingly quiet, operating unobtrusively in the background with little noise. There are some reports that the Deskstar does not run properly in overclocked systems with bus speeds and 75 or 83 MHz; we informally used the unit on an ABIT LX6 and FIC PA-2007, both clocked at 75 MHz, with no problems. The IBM is a little pricey when compared to the competition, though not prohibitively so. Top performance garners the Deskstar 5 this roundups performance recommendation.



 

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Maxtor DiamondMax 86480D6

Average Score

Business Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

1234

SS/Database

1170

WP

1462

Publishing

1110

Browsers

1338

Task Switching

2210

High-End Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

3552

AVS/Express 3.1

2108

Frontpage 97

2994

MicroStation 95

6262

Photoshop 4.0

3056

Premiere 4.2

6640

PV-Wave 6.1

2520

Visual C++ 5.0

7790

Disk/Read Random Access (ms)

17.6

Disk/Read Transfer Rate (KB/s)

Beginning

11900

End

7400

Disk/Read CPU Utilization (%)

5.3

Transfer Rate (KB/s)

11854

Maxtor, unlike many of the other drives in this roundup, enjoys a strong retail presence. One can walk into any CompUSA or Best Buy, for example, and see, along with Western Digital, Maxtor DiamondMax drives in many different sizes. Common perception among retail consumers is that of the two brands, Western Digital always provides superior performance at a higher price. We were thus pleasantly surprised to find that the DiamondMax bested the Caviar in almost every major performance category. The drive also operates considerably quieter than the Western Digital offering. When combined with a typically lower price, the decision becomes clear: Of the drives one commonly finds in retail stores, the Maxtor is the better buy.

 



 

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Quantum Fireball SE QM36400SE-A

Average Score

Business Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

1254

SS/Database

1128

WP

1522

Publishing

1144

Browsers

1426

Task Switching

1822

High-End Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

3722

AVS/Express 3.1

2306

Frontpage 97

2920

MicroStation 95

7032

Photoshop 4.0

3038

Premiere 4.2

6952

PV-Wave 6.1

2720

Visual C++ 5.0

8220

Disk/Read Random Access (ms)

16.3

Disk/Read Transfer Rate (KB/s)

Beginning

11800

End

7170

Disk/Read CPU Utilization (%)

5.9

Transfer Rate (KB/s)

11758

Though it does not enjoy as significant a retail presence as Maxtor and Western Digital, Quantum drives are quite often found as the stock unit in retail systems. Quantum has two offerings in the 6.4 GB Ultra ATA range, the performance-oriented Fireball SE along the value-oriented Bigfoot TX (see sidebar). Despite a relatively low 128kb buffer size, the Fireball SE trailed only IBM’s Deskstar 5 in performance, edging out Maxtor’s DiamondMax to finish second in both the Business and High-End Disk WinMarks. The Fireball is also very reasonably priced through mail-order, OEM packaging. Above-average performance along with competitive pricing make the Quantum Fireball SE an easy value recommendation.

 



 

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Seagate Medalist Pro ST36451A

Average Score

Business Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

1210

SS/Database

1044

WP

1492

Publishing

1146

Browsers

1322

Task Switching

1676

High-End Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

3498

AVS/Express 3.1

2146

Frontpage 97

3126

MicroStation 95

6648

Photoshop 4.0

2570

Premiere 4.2

6086

PV-Wave 6.1

2586

Visual C++ 5.0

8056

Disk/Read Random Access (ms)

16.7

Disk/Read Transfer Rate (KB/s)

Beginning

7866

End

5032

Disk/Read CPU Utilization (%)

4.0

Transfer Rate (KB/s)

7872

In some ways, Seagate’s Medalist Pro is similar to Quantum’s Fireball SE. Although a recognized name, Seagate does not have a strong retail presence. Like the Fireball, the Medalist Pro is competitively priced. In some ways, the Medalist Pro is very different from the Fireball SE. Instead of the paltry 128k buffer, for example, it offers an ATA-hefty 512k. And, unlike the Fireball, the Medalist Pro disappoints with substandard performance. The drive finished close to the bottom of the pack, ahead of only the last-place Fujitsu drive. The ST36451A is apparently being phased out in favor of the promising 7200rpm Medalist Pro series. Seagate’s current offering, though, cannot be recommended.

 



 

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Western Digital Caviar WDAC36400

Average Score

Business Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

1218

SS/Database

1042

WP

1488

Publishing

1162

Browsers

1384

Task Switching

1628

High-End Disk WinMark 98 (KB/s)

3532

AVS/Express 3.1

2192

Frontpage 97

2880

MicroStation 95

6738

Photoshop 4.0

2710

Premiere 4.2

6562

PV-Wave 6.1

2664

Visual C++ 5.0

7456

Disk/Read Random Access (ms)

16.5

Disk/Read Transfer Rate (KB/s)

Beginning

10300

End

6110

Disk/Read CPU Utilization (%)

5.2

Transfer Rate (KB/s)

10288

The Western Digital Caviar drive series enjoys both wide retail distribution along with a stellar retail reputation. Western Digital prides itself on being the "world’s most recommended hard drive." However, middling performance and noisy operation combine to preclude Storage Review from joining the rest of the world. If ATA performance is one’s goal IBM’s Deskstar 5 outdistances the Caviar by a significant margin, albeit at an increase in cost. Quantum’s Fireball SE, although harder to find, offers better performance for less money. Maxtor’s DiamondMax, the retail twin of the Caviar, can be just as easily obtained, usually costs a bit less, and provides slightly better performance. The most notable trait of the Caviar was the noise the actuator/head assembly made when seeking; it was substantially louder than every other drive in this roundup. All in all, the Caviar delivers mediocre performance at a rather high price, and thus is not recommended.

 



 

Ziff Davis Winbench 98

WinMark (higher is better) Disk/Read (lower is better)
Business
(KB/s)
High End
(KB/s)
Random Access
(ms)
CPU Utilization
(%)
Fujitsu MPB3064AT 1098 3366 16.6 6.7
IBM Deskstar 5 DHEA 36480 1362 3910 15.0 5.2
Maxtor DiamondMax 86480D6 1234 3552 17.6 5.3
Quantum Fireball SE QM36400SE-A 1254 3722 16.3 5.9
Seagate Medalist Pro ST36451A 1210 3498 16.7 4.0
Western Digital Caviar WDAC36400 1218 3532 15.0 5.2