WinBench 99 measures the Barracuda ATA IV's average
access time at 14.8 milliseconds. Subtracting 4.2 milliseconds to account for the
average rotational latencyof a 7200 RPM
spindle speed yields a measured
seek time of 10.7 milliseconds... 1.1 ms off of Seagate's claim. Though this still represents a significant miss, it's an improvement over the
Barracuda ATA III, which somehow managed to miss its spec by 2.3 ms. Nonetheless, the 'Cuda ATA IV's lags behind the competition.
Despite its leading areal density, the Barracuda ATA IV is the first 'Cuda ATA that fails to lead the competition in sequential transfer rates. Western Digital's 33 GB/platter Caviar WD1000BB narrowly bests the 'Cuda in both outer-zone and inner-zone transfer rates. To Seagate's credit, however, the 'Cuda does significantly outdistance the rest of the competition. It also maintains > 40 MB/sec transfer rates over more than half its capacity.
WinMarks...
