WinBench 99's Disk/Read Transfer test pegs the Barracuda 180's outer-
zone sequential transfer rate at 42.8 MB/sec, substantially higher than last-generation units such as the
Barracuda 18XL or the
Quantum Atlas V. An inner-zone score of 24.8 MB/sec completes an STR graph not unlike last year's 10,000 RPM units.
The 'Cuda 180's access time comes in at 12.1 milliseconds, virtually identical to the lower-spec'ed Barracuda 18XL. Subtracting 4.2 milliseconds of rotational latency yields a measured seek time of 7.9 ms... about half a millisecond off of specs. Though its not a bad score for a high-density, twelve-platter drive, 12ms can't quite match the speedy scores turned in by the Atlas V as well as just about any 10k RPM disk.
WinMarks...
