Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000: Terabyte Storage arrives on the Desktop

PCMark05 Performance

We are utilizing the HDD test suite within PCMark05 for further comparative hard disk scores as it provides a mixture of actual application results and specific read/write percentages utilized within these programs. It is also a readily available benchmark that others can use for comparative purposes. The program utilizes the RankDisk application within the Intel iPeak SPT suite of tools to record a trace of disk activity during usage of real world applications. These traces are then replayed to generate performance measurements based upon the actual disk operations within each application. The HDD test suite contains 53% read and 47% write operations with each trace section utilizing varied amounts of read or write operations. Additional information about the test suite can be found in PDF format here PCMark05 whitepaper.

The PCMark05 test results are based upon the following trace runs:

Windows XP Startup: This test consists of 90% reading and 10% writes that tracks XP activities at start-up.

Application Loading: This test consists of 83% reading and 17% writes that tracks the opening and closing of the following programs.

• Microsoft Word
  
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
  
• Windows Media Player
  
• 3Dmark 2001SE
  
• Leadtek WinFast DVD
  
• Mozilla Internet Browser

General Hard Disk Drive Usage: This test consists of 60% reading and 40% writes that tracks application usage utilizing the following settings.

• Opening a Microsoft Word document, performing grammar check, saving and closing
  
• Compression and decompression using WinZip
  
• Encrypting and decrypting a file using PowerCrypt
  
• Scanning files for viruses using F-Secure Antivirus
  
• Playing an MP3 file with Winamp
  
• Playing a WAV file with Winamp
  
• Playing a DivX video using the DivX codec and Windows Media Player
  
• Playing a WMV video file using Windows Media Player
  
• Viewing pictures using Windows Picture Viewer
  
• Browsing the Internet using Microsoft Internet Explorer
  
• Loading, playing and exiting a game with Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon

Virus Scanning: This test consists of 99.5% read operations as the test tracks the scanning activities of 600MB of files for viruses.

File Write: This test consists of 100% write activities by writing 680MB of files onto the hard disk.







Our PCMark05 numbers surprised us with the 7K1000 scoring better than our previous champion, the WD 150GB Raptor. The performance delta between the 7K1000 and WD1500AHFD is minimal with the major differences occurring in the General Usage and Application sections of the test where combined write and read speeds favor the Raptor's rotational/access speeds while the 7K1000 scores extremely well in the Virus Scan tests especially when both AAM and NCQ are turned off.

We are providing test results with the 7K1000 in this series of benchmarks with AAM/NCQ on, AAM/NCQ off, and NCQ on only. The overall score goes to the NCQ only configuration but the AAM/NCQ on configuration only finishes 7 points behind. It was a toss up between the two configurations with the tests where read operations were prevalent benefiting the NCQ only setup. This is to be expected as random access times are about 30% slower with AAM on but it does not correlate to a noticeable difference in performance. This is one drive where you can have it quiet and fast at the same time. Our recommendation is to leave AAM and NCQ on unless you spend your day benchmarking virus scan programs.