Notebook Hard Drives: 750GB And 640GB Models Reviewed

Conclusion

These four new drives arrived with a bang, not because any particular model is dramatically superior, but because all four are clearly better than their 500GB predecessors. They’re faster in almost all benchmarks, and they even require less power to operate. However, one drive stands out slightly. The 750GB Western Digital Scorpio Blue isn’t only the highest-capacity 2.5” hard drive available today (among 9.5 mm drives), it’s also one of the fastest. Its application and I/O performance is above average, and it dominates the benchmarks when it comes to throughput, throughput efficiency, and idle power.

The other drives have their advantages, as well. A 640GB capacity point (instead of 750GB) is a 15% cut, but I’d bet that the price difference will be significantly larger. There is no competition for the WD drive yet, while all hard drive makers compete for customers at 640GB. If you can live with a 640GB drive, then Toshiba will provide the best application performance, while Samsung’s drive has throughput capabilities able to match WD’s new high-flyer.

Although Seagate is a bit weak on throughput, its I/O performance and application performance results are better than what you typically get from Samsung or WD.

In short, Samsung and WD are the best drives if you primarily look for high capacity storage, while Seagate or Toshiba offer stronger application performance.