Seagate 80 GB

The 80 GB ST380021A drive is part of the Barracuda ATA IV series of hard drives from Seagate. Highlights include 7,200 rpm, UltraATA/100 interface, and 2 MB cache buffer. Other capacities available include 60, 40, and 20 GB.

We tested the drive on an Asus PIV-B board with 64 MB RAM, Intel P4 2 GHz processor, and Windows 98. We used WinBench 99 to test the disk access time, transfer rate, and its CPU utilization. The drive showed superb performance in our tests. In disk access time, it scored 8.9 min, which was even better than its rated seek time of 9.5 min. In disk transfer rate, it scored a whopping 43 MB/sec. The drives CPU utilization was also not very high at 7.86 percent.

It also comes with a thick metal covering and a rubber jacket for protection from accidental shocks. Priced at Rs 12,900 the per GB cost of the drive comes to Rs 161, which is Rs 46 cheaper than the 5,400 rpm 80 GB Seagate drive (reviewed in September 2001).

Overall, given the performance, price, and a three-year warranty on the drive, it’s a good buy.

Neelima Vaid