While I didn?t see the huge performance jump that I only half-expected, I was still rather impressed with Seagate?s SATA drives. While the Seagate ST3160023AS did out-perform the Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 in the majority of the tests, the SATA hype didn?t match up with the results I have seen.
Seagate?s SATA drives, much like any other SATA drive, do have several major advantages over PATA drives. The slim cables and easy-to-use connectors offer a fantastic alternative to the bulky ribbon cables that have plagued our computers for ages. Physical installation of the drives is less of a chore and setting up the drives in the BIOS was extremely easy with the ABIT IC7-MAX3 I used to test the drives.
The noise produced by Seagate?s drives was very minimal. These are, by far, the quietest drives I have ever come by. Heat levels aren?t anything to worry about either. While the drive can get hot, it causes no danger. I have used Seagate?s SATA drives without active cooling for months and have had no reliability problems at all.
If you are looking for a bleeding edge, performance packed, ass kicking hard drive, your hopes are probably a little too high. Seagate?s SATA flavored drives are fantastic in their own right, but you might want to hold out for the second, or even third generation of SATA drives if you are looking for unheard-of performance. However, if you are looking for a solid drive that is quiet, reliable and on the higher end of the performance spectrum, I would most definitely recommend these drives to anyone with an SATA-ready motherboard.