| Seagate Momentus 7200.2 160GB SATA Hard Drive
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Conclusion:
The Seagate Momentus 7200.2 160GB SATA Hard Drive model ST9160823ASG offers strong performance for a 2.5" form factor drive, and manages to do so while remaining cool and quiet. The testing portion of the review confirmed the performance and low temperature operation, but what has not yet been mentioned is that the drive is very quiet. The specifications indicate that it produces between 2.5 and 2.9 bels between idle and load, and although that might not mean much to many people out there, it translates to whisper quiet. When compared to the other 5400 RPM drives used in the review, it was as quiet, despite spinning 33% faster at 7200 RPM.
Comparing the 7200.2 drive to other Seagate drives running at 5400 RPM shows that there really is no reason to consider a slow spinning drive any more (except for price, perhaps). It used to be that the faster drives produced more noise and more heat, but those days are obviously over.
This new series of Momentus drives also ushers in some less tangible features to Seagate's notebook drives, including "G-Force Protection" and improved energy efficiency. Couple all of these things with Seagate's five year warranty, and you have a 2.5" drive worth serious consideration.
The only issue I have with this drive is related to the function of the un-marked jumper. Considering that it is what allows the drive to operate at either 1.5 Gb/s or 3 Gb/s, I feel Seagate should add some detail to the label to explain its purpose. In testing, the position of the jumper only impacted one result, but people expecting SATA 3 Gb/s performance may get concerned if they see a burst speed of around 133 MB/s instead of something closer to 220 MB/s. Don't want those support phone lines ringing for something that simple!
A search of PriceGrabber finds the non-"G" version of the Seagate Momentus 7200.2 160GB SATA Hard Drive available from one retailer at a price of $240 US. A broader search of the Internet luckily reveals that PriceGrabber price is out of line, and that the "G-Force Protected" version of this drive can be had for about $182 (US). This price is reasonable considering the performance and interesting features found in the drive, but it is up to twice as expensive as some other 2.5" 160GB SATA drives that may lack some of these more advanced features.
Given the impressive performance, reduced heat production, low power consumption, and other new features, I award the 160GB Seagate Momentus 7200.2 160GB SATA Hard Drive the rating of "Highly Recommended".
Pros:
» Excellent performance
» Runs cool and quiet
» Low power consumption
» "G-Force Protection"
Cons:
» Pricy
» Drive label should detail jumper's function
Special thanks to Seagate for providing the Seagate Momentus 7200.2 160GB SATA Hard Drive to Bigbruin.com for review!
Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.
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