Conclusion
Both the 40 GB and the 100 GB versions of Toshiba's GSX series are down to earth and perform well; access times are nice and I/O performance is at a good level. However, taking a look at our benchmark results, the new drives aren't able to outperform their direct competition.
In particular, Seagate's Momentus 5400.2 pulls ahead clearly, passing the 40 MB/s mark, while the Toshibas remain at 35 MB/s. Given that we are talking about a new product (although based on current technology), we can't help but feeling a bit disappointed. In addition to that, Seagate upgraded the drive warranty to five years with others offering three years. Toshiba offers a rather short two-year warranty, which makes clear that this drive offering is what we first suggested: a way to introduce Serial ATA to the Toshiba portfolio, but without real technological advancement.
