Serial ATA Is Here: Seagate Barracuda ATA V and Five of the Latest Controllers Reviewed

CPU Overhead: Minimal

The CPU overhead is between 1.8% and 4.9%, depending on which controller is used. The table shows an average value of the measurements with all five controllers. Nevertheless, the CPU overhead is exceptionally low.

Noise: Extremely Low

Seagate is stressing the importance of their fifth-generation fluid bearings. They claim that this is the main reason why the Barracuda ATA V is currently the quietest high performance 7,200 rpm disk drive on the market.

Unfortunately, acoustic measuring equipment was not available while we were doing our tests. However, our subjective impression confirmed the manufacturer's claims. In comparison with the Barracuda ATA V, the WD2000JB sounds loud. During access, the drive is just audible, although the crackling noise can be reduced even further with Acoustic Management. When fitted to a computer, the Barracuda ATA V doesn't sound any louder than a 5,400 rpm drive.

Operating Temperature: Good Values

Seagate's noise reduction efforts seem to have focused on reducing the friction within the drive, since the surface temperature is also substantially lower than the competition running at the same speed. By way of comparison, the Samsung drive in the diagram is a 5,400 rpm drive.