2x Hard Drives in RAID 0
HD Tach: Quick Bench / 8MB Zones

Next we install a second 1.5TB hard drive and setup a RAID 0 array. With the excellent numbers we received in single drive configuration, I expect great things in RAID 0. Let's get to it...  

As expected, the RAID 0 array knocks the benchmark numbers out of the park. While the burst rate remains the same, the average read and write numbers increase dramatically. Yes, the SATA drivers are more mature since our last tests, but we are seeing anywhere from a 40 to 60 MB/s performance increase over the 1TB 7200.11 in RAID. Unbelievable...

2x Hard Drives in RAID 0
HD Tach: Long Bench / 32MB Zones

Switching to 32MB Zones, the RAID 0 performance remains virtually the same.

2x Hard Drives in RAID 0
HD Tune

Even the HD Tune numbers are very strong. However there is a major increase in CPU Usage. While a single 1.5TB drive showed a CPU usage of about 9%, the RAID 0 array is pulling about 24 to 25%. This is a major strain on the CPU, but it may also explain the huge increase in data transfer performance. Higher transfer rates = more CPU usage. Keep in mind that the integrated RAID controller will also put strain on the CPU.

7200.11 vs. 7200.10 & Conclusion

To give you an idea on just how fast these new Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 7200.11 hard drives are, I'm tossing in a comparison chart with the Barracuda 1TB 7200.11. These benchmarks are on the same test system with the exact same configuration.

1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 Single Hard Drive Test
HD Tach: Long Bench / 32MB Zones

The end results when comparing the 1TB to the 1.5TB are nothing less than remarkable. I don't think I have ever seen a solid 20% increase in both read and write performance when simply increasing the size of a hard drive in the same series. I'm not sure I've even seen that kind of increase in going from series to series. Now let's talk about the burst rates... Then again, what else can you say when burst rate performance goes up by 79%? Seagate has obviously performed some major tweaks on these new drives.

Conclusion

Seagate has done an amazing job with the 1.5TB Barracuda 7200.11. The data transfer performance is just out of this world and it's hard to believe the 1.5TB drive is even in the same series. The performance increase is so great across the board that Seagate could have easily created an all new series starting with this unit. It's also an awesome to see Seagate bump up the storage capacity of these drives by 500 gigs at a time. I remember when I bought my first 30 gigabyte hard drive thinking that I'd NEVER use that much space in a million years. Now we have 1500 gigabytes in a single drive.

Now for the price... The 1TB hard drive retailed for about $350 when it was first release just one year ago. A 500GB increase in storage, a 20% increase in read & write performance, and 1 year later and this drive can be snatched up on NewEgg for only $180 as of the date of this review. That's only 12 cents per gigabyte! I'll take a dozen please!

In the end the 1.5TB Barracuda 7200.11 is the fastest and best priced Serial ATA hard drive I've seen from Seagate. Impressed? Yes... Happy? Very... Excellent job Seagate!

UPDATE: Due to recent firmware issues with the 1.5TB Barracuda 7200.11 hard drives, we are pulling our "Club Overclocker Recommended" seal from this review. Seagate is working hard to solve the issue with consumers, as well as RMA defective drives, but unfortunately this particular hard drive has caused some owners some major headaches. If you are experiencing problems with your hard drive, we urge you to contact Seagate to RMA the defective drive ASAP. 

Performance:	5 out of 5
Innovation:	5 out of 5
Quality:	5 out of 5
Stability:	5 out of 5
Aesthetics:	4 out of 5
Software/Drivers Pack:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Value:	5 out of 5
Project Skill Level (5 being most difficult)	3 out of 5