Drive Surface Temperature
Seagate has implemented a workload management system, which it claims will help to lower ambient temperature. The temperature we recorded was 124°F, which hits mid-range according to our tests. This is ~51°C, within Seagate's 55°C specification, and not cause for too much concern. In a multi-unit arena, however, it could become a performance/potential failure issue. On the other hand, such storage appliances would be ventilated much better than our test sample, which we operated on an open table.
Heat becomes an important consideration for unit longevity, especially when dealing with something spinning at 7,200 or 10,000 RPM. Decreasing ambient temperatures throughout the tower through use of system/drive coolers leads to greater reliability and can become extremely important when multiple drives are used.
Windows XP Startup Performance
It's interesting to note that the Raptor 74 GB ADFD finished behind others in the Raptor line in this particular test. The Barracuda was near the bottom of the pack, reporting in at just under eight seconds.
