Samsung SpinPoint M80 (160 GB, SATA)
Samsung is on the move, as we expect its 250 GB 5,400-RPM drive as well as a first hybrid hard drive fairly soon. The SpinPoint M80 will be replaced by the M5S (perpendicular recording, 125 GB per platter) later this year, yet the M80 with a capacity of up to 160 GB still does well: It delivers up to 45 MB/s at an average access time of 17.9 ms, which isn't record-breaking, but certainly acceptable. The 160 GB version also scores some points by being efficient: 0.8 W idle power is a good result for a two-platter drive, while 2.6 W activity power is an average result as well. It's interesting to see that the UltraATA/133 version is much more efficient, as it requires only 0.5 W in idle. We've observed these kinds of results in drives from several drive vendors, which underscores how SATA does not improve energy requirements.
