|
Everything is better in RAID!
If you've never tried RAID then you are really
missing out on performance. RAID stands for
Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks or Redundant Array of Independent
Disks. Simply put, RAID is a data storage scheme that uses multiple hard
drives to replicate data among the drives. Depending on the
configuration of the RAID or "RAID Level", the benefits of running RAID
can be increased by data integrity, fault-tolerance, throughput or
capacity.
RAID Levels
There are many
types of RAID levels, but some of the more popular levels are RAID 0
(Striping), RAID 1 (Mirroring), RAID 0+1 (Striping & Mirroring), and
RAID 5 (Block and Parity Striping). However, today we will only test
hard drives in RAID 0.
Striping (RAID 0)
When a disk array is striped, the read and
write blocks of data are interleaved between the sectors of multiple
drives. Performance is increased, since the workload is
balanced between drives (or "members") that form the array. Identical
drives are recommended for performance as well as data storage
efficiency.
The disk array’s data
capacity is equal to the number of drive members multiplied by the
smallest array member’s capacity. For example, one 100 GB and three 120
GB drives will form a 400 GB (4 x 100 GB) disk array instead of 460 GB.
The stripe block size value can be set logically from 16KB, 32KB, and
64KB. This selection will directly affect performance. Larger block
sizes are better for random disk access (like email, POS, or web
servers), while smaller sizes are better for sequential access.
RAID 0 Tests
HD Tach: Quick
Bench / 8MB Zones
Your heart on drugs? No that's a pair of Barracuda LP drives on
RAID! To my disbelief, the slower RPM "low power" hard drives
perform better in RAID 0 than the Barracuda 7200.12. HD Tach is
showing the burst rates breaking the 3GB barrier and the average
write has...well...it gave us a false reading, the same as the
7200.12. Fortunately, this error is only on the short bench.
|
Burst Speed: |
3430.9
MB/s |
|
Average Read: |
181.1 MB/s |
|
Average Write: |
benchmark error |
RAID 0 Tests
HD Tach: Long
Bench / 32MB Zones
Here we see HD Tach Long Bench give us some numbers that are more
believable. Again, the LP drives out perform the faster RPM
Barracuda 7200.12 as you will soon see.
|
Burst Speed: |
2549.9
MB/s |
|
Average Read: |
183.6 MB/s |
|
Average Write: |
119.2 MB/s |
RAID 0 Tests
HD Tune
|
Minimum Transfer Rate: |
167.8 MB/sec |
|
Maximum Transfer Rate: |
191.4 MB/sec |
|
Average Transfer Rate: |
173.4 MB/sec |
|
Access Time: |
12.5 ms |
|
Burst Rate: |
97.9 MB/sec |
|
CPU Usage: |
5.8% |
Once again the Barracuda LP drives out perform the Barracuda
7200.12. This speaks loudly for the LP drives while it puts the
7200.12 to shame. Slower RPM hard drive, less power consumption, yet
near equal to better performance? I think Seagate has a winner
here...
Comparing LP to 7200.12
To compare the LP series to the 7200.12, I have included single and
RAID 0 hard
drive benchmarks using HD Tach "long benchmarks" of the 1TB 7200.12
and the 2TB Barracuda LP. Normally, this wouldn't be a fair
comparison, but you will be shocked by the results. Here is how they compare:
|
|
1TB 7200.12
ST31000528AS |
2TB LP
ST32000542AS |
|
|
Single Hard Drive |
|
Burst Speed: |
161.3 MB/s |
160.8
MB/s |
|
Average Read: |
108.0 MB/s |
96.7 MB/s |
|
Average Write: |
96.2 MB/s |
86.5 MB/s |
|
|
RAID 0 |
|
Burst Speed: |
2253.0
MB/s |
2549.9
MB/s |
|
Average Read: |
176.9 MB/s |
183.6 MB/s |
|
Average Write: |
115.4 MB/s |
119.2 MB/s |
If you compare a single Barracuda LP to the Barracuda 7200.12, the
7200.12 edges out the LP in the performance department. This is
expected when comparing a 5,900 rpm drive to one that spins at 7200
rpm. However, when those same hard drives are in RAID 0
configuration, the tables turn. In RAID 0, the Barracuda LP hard
drives are the clear winner.
Conclusion
First of all, is the "green" technology, slower RPM, and less power
consumption hurting performance? Not really. Yes it performed
slightly slower than the faster Barracuda 7200.12, but the 7200.12
has the advantage of 7,200 rpm speed. Also, the LP drives
perform much faster in RAID 0 on the ASUS P6T Deluxe. Therefore I
would say that the performance hit is minimal in single
configuration and is voided out completely when in RAID 0. Although
Seagate is targeting the LP series towards external hard drive
solutions and low power systems such as media centers, I still
believe this hard drive could be useful in just about any computer.
Now, does the LP drives actually consume less power. We'll have to
trust Seagate on that one as their tech docs do show a slight
decrease in power consumption when compared to the 7200.11 and
7200.12. Most of which is probably due to the hard drive spinning at
only 5,900 rpm. But saving "up to" 50% in power costs over the
lifetime of the system? I think that statement pushes reality since
a typical hard drive only consumes a small fraction of the system power.
Regardless, power savings is power savings and you can't argue with
that.
Lastly, will going green cost you green...dollars that is? The
answer is no. A two terabyte hard drive by any manufacturer will run
you anywhere from $210 on up to $240. Therefore, price isn't an
issue here at all.
The performance is good, the price is good, and anything that costs
less to operate has to be good. With all passing marks, I would say
that the Barracuda LP hard drive is a good choice for your next
low power system build or external storage device. The LP series wont single handedly
save the planet, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
Club Overclocker Recommended!
|
 |
| Performance: |
4 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: |
4 out of 5 |
|
 |
 |
 | Project Skill Level
(5 being most difficult) |
3
out of 5 |
 | 
