The Basics:
The features and specifications reveal that the model number of the unit provided for review is "ST9160823ASG". The G on the end indicates "G-Force Protection", the name for Seagate's new free-fall sensing technology which protects data when a drive is dropped or bumped. The 7200.2 Momentus drives are available in 80, 100, 120, and 160GB models, and the G-Force Protection feature is optional on 80 and 160GB models.
Other interesting items include transfer rates up to SATA 3 Gb/s, Native Command Queueing, low noise production, and power consumption that rivals what you would typically find in a 5400 RPM drive. Energy efficiency is not only a positive feature for improving battery life, but it may also lead to a low operating temperature. And of course, one of the most appealing things to see on just about any Seagate product is that industry leading, five year warranty!
The images below provide an overview of the top of the Seagate Momentus 7200.2 model ST9160823ASG. Nothing to get excited about, but the label does provide some basic technical information, a connection schematic, and a variety of manufacturing information/bar codes.
 
The next set of images provide an overview of the bottom of the drive, where the green PCB and the SATA data and power connections are visible. Arguably one of the best 'upgrades' from a PATA to a SATA 2.5" drive is the elimination of the awkward power/data connections to the standard set of connections shared with 3.5" drives.
 
The jumper shown to the left of the SATA data connection enables 3 Gb/s speeds. With the jumper in place it is capped at 1.5 Gb/s, and with it removed the full potential of the drive is available to boards that support it. One suggestion I have related to this jumper is that Seagate should add some data to the label for proper placement. OEM drives, such as this review sample, come with no paper work to explain the jumper's function, and a search of the Seagate website turned up nothing, either.
Testing:
A few synthetic and real world tests were conducted on the 160GB Seagate Momentus 7200.2 hard drive, using a test system with the following key components:
» Intel D840 3.2 GHz Dual Core processor
» ABIT Aw8D motherboard
» 2x 1GB Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 DDR2 memory
» 1x 200GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 SATA hard drive
» Windows XP Professional operating system
Although this drive is intended for use with a laptop computer, the test system described above was used in order to have one platform with both PATA and SATA 3Gbps connections.
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