File Copy - No HDD Load
Read speeds tend to be quite quick in a RAID0 setup and we see the best performance with the RAID configurations in the file copies.
File Copy - Virus scan on test drives
While the times were fairly close in straight file copies, the Barracudas take less of a hit when they are placed under load. The 74GB Raptor takes an additional 20 seconds to copy the same files, while a single 7200.8 takes 11 seconds longer, demonstrating it's strength in a multitasking environment.
Noise
The Barracuda 7200.8's SoftSonic motor does a good job at keeping things fairly quiet. While the "ticking" of data is about the same as most drives we've worked with, the spin up of the drive is one of the quieter ones we've used. Comparing the Barracuda 7200.8 to the WD 74GB Raptor, the difference is quite obvious as the Raptor gives off a consistent hum that is audible even in a system that uses air cooling. Keep in mind that this is probably a side effect of spinning at 10 000rpm. We don't have a wide variety of 7200 drives here, as I only have a Maxtor Diamondmax, Western Digital SE and an older Barracuda SATA V and 7200.7, but the 7200.8 is about the same as out Maxtor making the two of them our quietest drives.
Final Words
Those of you looking for an obscene amount of storage with good hard drive performance will want to keep an eye out for the Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 400GB. While we didn't test the lesser capacity versions of the drive, we suspect performance should be similar, but at a lower price point.
In regards of our test drives, 400GB (800GB in a RAID0 or JBOD configuration) is a whole lot of storage and should be more than enough for most people's needs. I really can't imagine needing more at this time unless you're looking to build some kind of fileserver for media or backups, and for standard desktop use, this should be sufficient. While more capacity typically handicaps performance, the Barracuda 7200.8 drives pack 133GB per platter which minimizes the latency typically associated with large hard drives.
Speaking of performance, the Barracuda 7200.8 definitely improves upon the numbers put out by its previous generation of drives, but in a single drive environment (and in RAID0 in some instances), the Western Digital 74GB Raptor still holds the performance crown, despite not supporting NCQ. As we've explained in the past, and it still holds true today, Native Command Queuing isn't really utilized by most applications in a desktop environment. It's a nice feature to have, but it still isn't enough to make or break a decision when deciding among drives.
One clear advantage the Barracuda 7200.8 has over the Raptor is the price per Gigabyte ratio, as well as total capacity. The Raptors aren't cheap, and though the test drive we reviewed will still set you back , you do gain well over 300GB formatted. Another advantage Seagate holds over the industry is their 5-year warranty, which should be long enough to cover you until it's time for another drive upgrade.
