T is for Turbo: The Hitachi DeskStar T7K250

Conclusion: The Access Time King!

Fortunately, the noise emission of the DeskStar T7K250 has remained similar to that of its predecessor. At the same time, the new drive produces less heat, an advantage that is a direct result of the lower number of platters. In this respect, current desktop hard drives have become virtually indistinguishable from one another.

In the end, the T7K250 wasn't able to beat the reigning champion in the field of peak data transfer rates, the Samsung Spinpoint P120 . However, the new DeskStar really shone when it came to access times, taking second place only to Western Digital's Raptor series, which spins at 10,000 RPM.

All in all, the Samsung drive gets our nod if you're only looking for an upgrade to increase your storage space. If the new drive is also intended to house your operating system, we suggest the new Hitachi drive instead.