Positioning Plus Transfer Performance Specifications

The two specifications discussed in this section are given the "privilege" of being discussed first--like they care, right? --for an important reason. They are the only specs that illustrate aspects of the performance of the hard disk in both fundamental ways: positioning and transfer. As such, they are very important to look for and understand. They certainly are not the only important specifications, and there are some knowledgeable people who rank other metrics higher than these, but few would dispute that they are essential enough that you should always look for them on any hard disk you evaluate.

Next: Spindle Speed