Is On-The-Go Storage Ready for Primetime?

Features
By Marcel Binder
published

Test Setup

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System Hardware
Processor(s)2x Intel Xeon Processor (Nocona core)3.6 GHz, FSB800, 1 MB L2 Cache
PlatformAsus NCL-DS (Socket 604)Intel E7520 Chipset, BIOS 1005
RAMCorsair CM72DD512AR-400 (DDR2-400 ECC, reg.)2x 512 MB, CL3-3-3-10 Timings
System Hard DriveWestern Digital Caviar WD1200JB120 GB, 7,200 rpm, 8 MB Cache, UltraATA/100
Test Hard Drive ISeagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3500641500 GB, 7,200 rpm, 16 MB Cache, SATA/300
Mass Storage Controller(s)Intel 82801EB UltraATA/100 Controller (ICH5)Silicon Image SATALink SiL3512Driver 1.2.0.57Promise FastTrak TX4310Driver 2.06.1.310Promise SATA 300TX4Driver 1.0.0.33
NetworkingBroadcom BCM5721 On-Board Gigabit Ethernet NIC
Graphics CardOn-Board GraphicsATI RageXL, 8 MB
System Hardware
Performance Measurementsc’t h2benchw 3.6
PCMark05V1.01
I/O PerformanceIOMeter 2003.05.10Fileserver-BenchmarkWebserver-BenchmarkDatabase-BenchmarkWorkstation-Benchmark
System Software & Drivers
OSMicrosoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition,Service Pack 1
Platform DriverIntel Chipset Installation Utility 7.0.0.1025
Graphics DriverDefault Windows Graphics Driver

Startech And Thecus’ Mid-Tier Offerings

We tested the Infosafe with a Samsung HM160JI 2.5" SATA hard disk. Access times for the Infosafe fell in the middle of the usual range : 18.5 ms average read time, and median transfer rates of 27.6 MB/s for read and 22.7 for write. None of these numbers elicits too much enthusiasm.

Nor does the Thecus YES nano N1050 set any speed records, either. Its average access time was 18.2 ms, and its media transfer rates were 28.7 MB/s for read, and 22.8 MB/s for write. Here, we used a Samsung HM160JC 2.5" hard disk for our tests.

All these results fall within the normal range for USB 2.0 performance.

Marcel Binder
Marcel Binder