◄ page 1ATTO Disk Benchmark The ATTO Disk Benchmark program is free and offers a comprehensive set of test variables to work with. In terms of disk performance, it measures interface transfer rates at various intervals for a user-specified length and then reports read and write speeds for these spot-tests. There are some minor improvements made to the 2.46 version of the program that allow for test lengths up to 2GB, but all of our benchmarks are conducted with 256MB total length. ATTO Disk Benchmark requires that an active partition be set on the drive being tested. Please consider the results displayed by this benchmark to be basic bandwidth speed performance indicators.
Seagate Momentus XT 750GB Solid State Hybrid Drive
RAID-0 Seagate Momentus XT 750GB Solid State Hybrid Drives Bandwidth speed tests begin with the Seagate Momentus XT attached to the motherboard's native Intel P67-Express SATA 6Gb/s port. Using the ATTO Disk Benchmark tool, the test drive performs file transfers ranging from 0.5 KB to 8192 KB. After several caching runs followed by restarts, the single 750GB Seagate Momentus XT revealed 115 MBps maximum read speed that plateaus from approximately 8-8192 KB file chunks, and 116 MBps peak write bandwidth plateaus from 32-8192 KB. The chart below illustrates how the Seagate Momentus XT compares:
PCMark 7 System Storage Test PCMark is an objective hardware performance benchmark tool for PCs running 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7. PCMark 7 is well suited for benchmarking any type of Microsoft Windows Vista/7 PC: from multimedia home entertainment systems and laptops, to dedicated workstations and high-end gaming rigs. Benchmark Reviews has utilized the System Storage test suite to demonstrate simulated real-world drive performance in this article.
PCMark runs several drive tests, each with a specific purpose. Once the benchmarking tests have completed, all of the results are combined into a PCMark score, while optional detailed results illustrate actual transaction speeds. After several cache runs and system restarts, the Seagate Momentus XT hybrid drive produced its best System Storage test score of 3216 with PCMark 7:
Seagate Momentus XT 750GB Solid State Hybrid Drive
RAID-0 Seagate Momentus XT 750GB Solid State Hybrid Drives Our tests were conducted on an Intel P67-Express Sandy Bridge motherboard using the onboard SATA 6Gb/s controller and 8x PCI-Express bus with 64-bit Windows 7. Overall results are displayed in the chart below:
Switching from synthetic to real-world benchmark tests, the next section times Windows 7 boot-up to determine how well these hybrid storage solutions cache data.
Windows 7 Boot-Up Times One of the primary claims that Seagate makes for its Momentus XT series is improved Windows start times, which we put to the test in this section. According to Seagate, the 2nd-generation 750GB Momentus XT "can cut your system start-up time by up to 65% over a traditional HDD". Our tests allowed the system to reboot ten times to ensure O/S files were cached to the drive before testing began. To normalize our results, the timer started at the POST screen and ended when the Windows 7 desktop appeared. This removed the additional time specialized controllers added (for RAID devices), which initialized prior to displaying the POST screen.
Analyzing the results helps to show how well Seagate Adaptive Memory Technology functions, which appears to significantly improve start-up times with the new 750GB Momentus XT model over a standard hard disk drive. Two 750GB Momentus XT solid state hybrid drives assembled into a RAID-0 array matched boot times with the premium OCZ Vertex 3 SSD, but were only one second faster than a single standalone hybrid drive. One SATA-based 750GB Momentus XT SSHD processed the Windows 7 start-up routine a second faster than the OCZ RevoDrive Hybrid PCI-Express storage solution, which is impressive considering the price difference.
Compressed File Transfers Synthetic benchmark tools are very useful, but sometimes it helps to reproduce real-world tasks; our file transfer test does exactly that. The goal of this test was to measure write time to the test drive, using three 1GB compressed files. Since we wanted to ensure our source drive was faster than all the destination drives tested, we utilized a RAM-Disk partition based on the a 4GB portion of the 16GB Kingston DDR3 installed in the system.
Each file weighed exactly 1GB (1073741824 bytes) after maximum GZip ultra compression, and three of these files were transferred from the source to destination all at once. This process was completed ten times on each hybrid drive to ensure caching algorithms were given every opportunity; however this was an unnecessary step as write-to file transfer functions are not cached. The results were consistent with every test, with the transfer time illustrated in the chart below:
Based on our results, file transfer speeds will depend on the media written to. In the case of hybrid drives that media is the hard disk, which benefits more from the integrated DRAM buffer than any logic-controlled SSD cache. The SSD performed file transfers fastest, followed by the RAID-0 combination of Momentus XT SSHDs. Beyond these two stand-out storage solutions, results were very similar.
Seagate Momentus XT Conclusion IMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate.
Our performance rating considers how effective the Seagate Momentus XT 750GB Solid State Hybrid Drive (model ST750LX003) performs against directly competing storage solutions. In our benchmark tests, the 750GB Seagate Momentus XT SSHD delivered 115/116 MBps peak read/write speeds using ATTO Disk Benchmark, while the RAID-0 set increased bandwidth to 231/215 MBps. These results confirm that random (synthetic) benchmark tests utilize the SSHDs hard disk drive, and that tests are not buffered to the SSD cache.
When we switched to real-world tests, such as the Windows boot time, file transfer, and PCMark 7 tests, Seagate FAST Factor firmware and Adaptive Memory Technology really helped Momentus XT shine. In these tests, especially Windows boot time and file transfer, the second-generation Momentus XT SSHD outperformed the PCI-Express hybrid solution and surpassed hard disk performance. While a single Momentus XT will be sufficient for more super-users, enthusiasts can overcome limited hard disk speeds by joining two of these drives together into a RAID-0 array.
Seagate has come a long way with the Momentus series, and the benchmarks shown a maturity in hybrid technology. Judging by the pace of development, it won't be long before the Momentus XT matches SSD performance in every task -not just what's cached. I'll agree that 8GB is a solid start, but eventually this SSD cache will need to grow beyond 32GB to really achieve what solid state drives can already do.
2.5" Notebook drives are low-visibility products: you see them just long enough to install and then they're forgotten. Like their Hard Disk Drive counterparts, Solid State Hybrid Drives (SSHD) are meant to place function before fashion. Anything above and beyond a simple metal shell is already more than what's expected in terms of the appearance, but unfortunately the Seagate Momentus-XT looks the part of 'strictly business'. Unlike many of the colorful brushed-aluminum enclosures we've seen for SSDs, the Momentus XT looks like most other notebook HDDs.
Construction is generally a strong point for solid state drive products, and the Seagate Momentus XT SSHD is no exception. While not quite up to the 1500-G shock resistance that most SSDs enjoy, the Seagate Momentus XT does boast a 539% higher operating shock tolerance than the WD VelociRaptor. Touting a five-year warranty helps to position the Seagate Momentus XT ahead of most other storage products, especially SSDs that often offer a basic 1-year warranty. Seagate delivers industry-leading quality and construction in all of their products, and the hybrid-performance/high-capacity Momentus XT series is the end-result of years of proven industry experience.
Value: My value rating is going to work a bit differently than previous articles, and there's good reason for this. When this drive was originally delivered, the MSRP was set at $189. After suffering warehouse floods in Thailand a few weeks ago, that launch price then soared to $245. I've got reservations with how well the 750GB Momentus XT carries value at this new price, compared with an actual SSD. Ultimately the consumer (you) will have to make this decision for yourself.
I really like where the Seagate Momentus XT series is heading, because I firmly believe all-in-one hybrid storage solutions are the future... at least until NAND flash components can cost as much as mechanical counterparts. Multi-part hybrid solutions with 3rd party software, such as those currently promoted by the competition, are hardly a match for integrated hybrid products like Momentus XT. Now grown to offer 750 Gigabytes of storage capacity, the new second-generation Seagate Momentus XT is offering the best of both worlds better than anyone else.
Pros: + All-in-one Hybrid storage solution does not require software
+ Outperforms PCI-Express hybrid solutions in boot and file transfers
+ Seagate Adaptive Memory tech buffers data for SSD responsiveness
+ 5-Year full Seagate product warranty
+ Large 750GB hybrid storage capacity
+ Extremely high HDD operational shock durability
+ Supports Native Command Queuing and SMART
+ SSD Failure does not effect preserved HDD data
+ 3rd-Generation SATA 6Gb/s compliant
Cons: - Lacks comparable IOPS operational performance to SSDs
- Expensive hybrid storage solution (post-facility flooding)
- Hard disk would benefit from 64MB DRAM buffer
Ratings: • Performance: 9.25
• Appearance: 7.50
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 9.25
• Value: 8.25
Final Score: 8.5 out of 10.
Quality Recognition: Benchmark Reviews Silver Tachometer Award.
source:benchmark reviews
