Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 400 GB SATA II Hard Drive
- HDD Form Factor: 3.5' x 1/3H (Low Profile)
- Capacity: 400 GB
- Designation: Desktop Computer
- Interface: Serial ATA
- Enclosure: Internal
- Spindle Speed: 7200 RPM
- Overview
-
Reviews
- Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
The SATA II is here....
Pros
large storage space, quiet operation, large buffer 16MB
Cons
data transfer rate not much better than its predecessor
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A good hard drive from a respected maker, a good hard drive for personal use and everyday applications....but still lacks performance required by demanding workstation platforms for fast throughput.
The Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3400633AS: New Features and ...
The Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB is the new generation of SATA hard drive by Seagate. This generation has a long list of family member, which includes 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, 200GB, 250GB, 300GB, 400GB and 500GB. It is important to note the 7200.9 designation, as there are 7200.7 and 7200.8 versions released previously. The 7200.7 and 7200.8 series use a SATA interface which is now known as SATA I (often referred to as SATA 1.5GB/s interface). In the past, I have had the opportunity to test and personally use the 7200.7 and 7200.8. The difference between the old 7200.x and the 7200.9 is the data transfer rate and memory buffer, including a generally faster average seek time. The 300GB, 400GB and 500GB come with the large 16MB memory buffer and an average seek time of 11 milliseconds (ms). The rest of the family member is equipped with the standard 8MB memory buffer and an average seek time of 8ms or 11ms.
The Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB features an improved NCQ (Native Command Queuing) technology that enables a faster handling of multitasking on accessing, reading, writing and transferring data in and out of the hard disk. It utilizes the new SATA II 3GB/s interface, capable of transferring data up to 300MB/s. And, it is backward compatible with the SATA 1.5GB/s interface. This means that the new SATA II 400GB can be connected to the SATA port and still work properly. Of course, it will not be able to boost the 300MB/s speed via the SATA (1.5GB/s) port.
The Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB is based on the 3-platter design, each with roughly 133GB of storage density. However, each member of the new SATA II Barracuda family uses slightly different platter. For example, the 500GB uses four platters, each with 125GB of storage density. The following lists a few information regarding the hard drive's specifications:
Model: Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3400633AS
Capacity: 400GB
Interface: SATA 3.0GB/s with NCQ
Cache (Memory Buffer): 16MB
Average Seek Time: 11ms
Average Latency: 4.6ms
Spindle Speed (Rotational Speed): 7200 RPM
Operating Shock Tolerance: 63Gs
Non-operating Shock: 350Gs
Warranty: 5 years
My relative's PC system, based on two 80GB hard drives, is getting crowded with video and photo files. We decided the best solution was to get the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB hard drive to provide uninterrupted workspace. We ordered the Barracuda SATA II 400GB from newegg.com. At the time, this unit was available as an OEM product, shipped without power/data signaling cables, instruction manual or CD-ROM installation disc. However, our motherboard supplies both the power cables (4-pin molex to SATA converter) as well as data signaling cables. To avoid limitation on data transfer speed (of 150MB/s), we used the SATA II signaling cable.
What you should know
While this maybe old stuff, when dealing with large capacity hard drives, there are a few things worth noting. The problem is related to 48-bit LBA (Logical Block Addressing). This problem splits in two criteria: Operating System (OS) and motherboard BIOS system.
Windows OS
Windows OS that support 48-bit LBA are Windows 2000 (Win2k) SP-4, Windows XP SP-1 or SP-2 (Home or Professional, 32-bit or 64-bit), Windows Server 2003.
Any of the above listed OS can access and use the entire 400GB (or at least about 363GB of it). Windows OS such as Win98, WinNT4.0, Win2k SP-1 or WinXP Pre-SP can only access the first 137GB of disk space. In the past, I have used a 160GB SATA on my system (connected to the first SATA port) under Win2k SP-1 as the main disk (with Win2k SP-1 installed on the first partition), and the system could only see the first 137GB. WinXP Pre-SP version (released prior to Aug 2002) also suffered the same limitation.
Many old motherboards and their BIOS system (those built prior to 2002) do not support 48-bit LBA. But these motherboards may not come with SATA control ports anyway.
To access the entire disk space beyond 137GB, there are several approaches.
1. Most motherboards support two SATA ports. If a Win2k SP-1 is used, the 400GB (or any disk larger than 137GB) should be treated as a data disk, and connected to the second port. Then use a smaller hard drive (connected to the first SATA port) as the system disk with Win2k SP-1 installed. Once the SATA driver is installed, Win2k SP-1 will be able to recognize the entire disk in the second port.
2. Many old motherboards have their SATA ports linked directly and treated as IDE devices. This may prevent the operating system to access the entire disk space larger than 137GB. The only solution is to obtain a PCI controller card to hook up this 400GB hard drive. It can be added to the existing system, which only requires installing the PCI driver. The use of a PCI card also enables any motherboard without onboard SATA controllers to use SATA devices readily.
Linux/UNIX OS
For a Linux OS, the core operating kernel version 2.4.20 or higher will be able to access the entire disk space. In the past, I have used Red Hat Linux 9 (kernel 2.4.20), Mandrake 9.2 (kernel 2.4.21), SuSE Linux 9.1 (kernel 2.4.21), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS/ES/WS 3 (kernel 2.4.21 backported from 2.6.0) on hard drives larger than 137GB without a problem. Linux will recognize and treat SATA hard drive as SCSI device, which distinguishes it from the standard IDE device.
Installation
We intended to add the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB as a data disk. Therefore, there was nothing much for us to do, except creating partitions (storage, photo and video) and formatting them for usage. To prepare the hard drive for usage under Windows XP system, I first booted into Linux system using its boot CD-ROM disc to use its fdisk utility system. I divided the partition; then booted the system back into Windows XP system (from its hard drive). Then under Windows XP's Disk Management under the Computer Management console, we set up the partitions; formatted and labeled them for proper identification.
It is important to note that our set up was based on the SATA I interface, using the onboard SATA control bus by Silicon SATALink Sil 3114. This SATA control of type I (hence, SATA I) is limited to data transfer of up to 150MB/s theoretically.
Our hard disk preparation described above was for adding the Barracuda 7200.9 400GB SATA II to the existing system. If you prepare the hard drive both as a main system disk as well as a data disk using separate partitions, the preparation can be done during Windows OS installation (as well as Linux installation).
Performance: Tests and Real-World Usage
I was anxious to find out how the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB hard drive perform compared to its predecessor. Prior to doing anything else, I ran a few tests using HD Tach and SiSoft Sandra 2005 to obtain benchmark results.
The Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB was set up in a system with the following components:
Motherboard: Abit IC-7G Max II
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.0E GHz Hyper-Threading
RAM: Kingston KVR DDR400 1024MB (2x512MB) dual-channel
Video: ATI Radeon 9700 Pro
Hard Drives: Western Digital SATA 80GB, Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA 80GB, Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB.
OS: Windows XP Professional SP-2
HD Tach gave the following results:
Burst Speed: 91.2 MB/s
Average Read: 56.8 MB/s
CPU Time: 6.5 %
Random Access Time: 14.9 ms
The above numbers can be interpreted that the higher the average read speed, combined with the smaller the access time and CPU time, the higher the performance and the better the hard drive.
SiSoft Sandra 2005 gave the following results:
Average Read: 57.0 MB/s
Average Write: 67.7 MB/s
The above results were short of my expectation, even though the numbers were a bit higher than those from Western Digital SATA 80GB and Barracuda 7200.7 80GB in the same system. My Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 SATA 250GB, under HD Tach benchmark, yielded an average read score of 57.5 MB/s and burst speed of 94.7 MB/s. SiSoft Sandra 2005 gave an average read speed of 56.3 MB/s and average write speed of 66.0 MB/s. Both tests were run a number of times and their average was calculated. Clearly the two numbers are highly consistent, which proves that the 7200.9 SATA II 400GB, even with its 16MB cache, does not have much benefit. However, it must be taken into account that the device was connected to a SATA/150 port. Therefore, the low result may be yielded based on these criteria.
However, under real-world usage, the 7200.9 SATA II 400GB seemed very responsive. Large photo image files were loaded into the memory using Photoshop CS. Then multitasking was done by rendering different images from the same folder (same partition). External data transfer rate appeared to improve drastically. We had to transfer old video files (many of them very large) from Seagate 7200.7 SATA 80GB into the 400GB; and the transfer rate was incredibly fast, faster than transferring the same file back into the 80GB's partition. Average transfer rate was 50 MB/s, based on a 4GB video file. Internal transfer rate (from one partition to the next) was average to be 20MB/s, not much higher than my 7200.8 SATA 250GB hard drive. Internal transfer between partitions is expected to be low, because of the time it takes for the read/write head to move (or transfer large chunk of data) from one partition to the next, with the read/write head moving back and forth. This proves that the 400GB's 16MB cache memory does help keep the flow of data in a fast pace.
In terms of noise, the unit was very quiet, even during seeking. Among the three hard drives, the 400GB was the quietest. However, it yielded a bit of heat during constant operation. We used an Antec SLK3700-AMB computer chassis to house the system, with a large 120mm fan in the front to blow cool air directly onto it. This will ensure the constant and cool temperature surrounding the hard drive to avoid heat buildup. Without any cooling system, it is likely that the hard drive will get very warm.
The Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB comes with a 5-year warranty. I have been using Seagate Barracuda SATA hard drives for about three years now, and I have not had one problem with them. I expect the same with this new hard drive to be dependable and reliable.
Limitation on bandwidth...expensive solution: A brief discussion
Adapter Card, New Motherboard or RAID 0 setup
The results I found above were based on the (now old) SATA150 (or SATA I) interface on an almost 2-year old motherboard. Had we used a new motherboard that supports SATA II port, the results would be different. I suspect the result to be higher, but by how much?
First, many SATA controllers integrated into most motherboards are based on a slow bandwidth. Our Abit IC-7G motherboard features Silicon SATALink Sil 3114 that is restricted to operate at 32-bit 33MHz bus speed. Therefore, its throughput was severely limited. Second, the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB is designed to complement the new "generation" of high-end motherboards in the desktop environments, those that have onboard SATA II controller ports. Some newer motherboards have onboard SATA II ports that take advantage of the PCI-Express controller for express lane which may increase data transfer rate. Most new motherboards come with new SATA II controller by Marvell 88SE6141 SATA II or Intel MatrixRaid technology. Based on my experience with the SATA I ports and their performance, I will reserve my judgment on this new technology, except stating that if they still use slow bus transport under 32-bit, the data transfer rate will not increase much.
To take full advantage of the fast data transfer rate, one would need a fast PCI SATA controller card. These cards require the use of PCI-X 64-bit with 66MHz, 100MHz or 133MHz bus speed. The bad news is that the PCI-X slots are only available in high-end workstation or server motherboards. They don't even come with high-end desktop motherboards. The alternative would be to use a PCI-Express (PCI-E) SATA controller card, since PCI-E x4 or x16 mostly come with mainstream motherboards nowadays. Unfortunately, these PCI-E or PCI-X cards are extremely expensive (could easily cost more than twice the motherboard you paid for). For us, consumers, who rely on using the integrated SATA controller on the motherboards, the 150MB/s data transfer rate by a SATA I or the 300MB/s by a SATA II will never be realized. My experience with the SATA150 bus speed and its limitation on data transfer suggests that the new SATA II and its integrated port on the motherboard will not provide much optimism, unless we are willing to spend a lot of money for a specialized PCI controller card.
While the throughput via a fast controller for SATA is speculated to be much higher, I have never tested this theory on SATA hard drives. However, I have been using both a 32-bit 33MHz and 64-bit 66MHz and 133MHz SCSI PCI-X controller cards for my SCSI hard drives. And I have seen tremendous data transfer rate through a PCI-X 64-bit 66MHz and 133MHz compared to the slow 32-bit 33MHz bus; in most cases, the benefit gained was nearly twice increase in speed.
Therefore, in order to achieve high performance on the Seagate Barracuda SATA II 400GB hard drive, one would have to get a high-speed PCI-Express card. A cheaper way to increase data transfer rate is to combine two SATA hard drives in RAID 0 by way of "striping", especially if you are using Windows XP Professional version. In the RAID 0 setup, two separate chunks of data are read from or written to both hard drives at the same time to increase speed. For example, a pair of 200GB or 250GB would provide good setup to yield a 400GB or 500GB workspace.
It is worth to mention that under our current setting, the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB yielded quite a performance, and represents a formidable hard drive for general and everyday PC applications in the SATA arena.
Conclusion
The Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB delivered performance as expected for a desktop environment. It yielded an overall results on par with my 7200.8 SATA 250GB hard drive, considering it was used under the SATA I port. However, I was surprised to see its results not much higher than its predecessor, especially since it is capable of throughput up to 300MB/s, despite the fact that interface was limited to 150MB/s rate. Nonetheless, it should show signs of improvements somewhat. After all, the throughput was never higher than the 150MB/s threshold.
Due to its backward compatibility with SATA I interface, the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB can be used on virtually any motherboards in your possession (provided they have the necessary supports and requirements as outlined at the beginning of this review). You do not need to buy a new motherboard that supports SATA II interface, unless, of course, you hope to increase its bandwidth and improve the overall performance on an already good performing hard drive.
There is also good reason for using SATA hard drives over their PATA (IDE) members, especially if the system consists of multiple hard drives (aside from the benefit of easy installation). SATA hard drives use separate data signaling cable to maintain optimum throughput without interruption. In contrast, IDE hard drives (if they are connected in Parallel --hence the word "P-ATA"-- as master and slave) generally suffer from bottleneck, because each device would have to wait until the other is done with its task. For a system with multiple hard drives for multitasking, the use of SATA devices is far more advantageous than the old IDE ones. Due to its individual data transport, SATA hard drives make an excellent RAID 0 setup. I have used this setup in the past with a pair of my SATA 120GB hard drives with impressive results.
In terms of price, the new Barracuda SATA II 400GB costs about $0.60 per gigabyte. This is pretty good and comparable to the old SATA or IDE hard drive price-wise.
The Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB is the new generation of SATA hard drive by Seagate. This generation has a long list of family member, which includes 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, 200GB, 250GB, 300GB, 400GB and 500GB. It is important to note the 7200.9 designation, as there are 7200.7 and 7200.8 versions released previously. The 7200.7 and 7200.8 series use a SATA interface which is now known as SATA I (often referred to as SATA 1.5GB/s interface). In the past, I have had the opportunity to test and personally use the 7200.7 and 7200.8. The difference between the old 7200.x and the 7200.9 is the data transfer rate and memory buffer, including a generally faster average seek time. The 300GB, 400GB and 500GB come with the large 16MB memory buffer and an average seek time of 11 milliseconds (ms). The rest of the family member is equipped with the standard 8MB memory buffer and an average seek time of 8ms or 11ms.
The Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB features an improved NCQ (Native Command Queuing) technology that enables a faster handling of multitasking on accessing, reading, writing and transferring data in and out of the hard disk. It utilizes the new SATA II 3GB/s interface, capable of transferring data up to 300MB/s. And, it is backward compatible with the SATA 1.5GB/s interface. This means that the new SATA II 400GB can be connected to the SATA port and still work properly. Of course, it will not be able to boost the 300MB/s speed via the SATA (1.5GB/s) port.
The Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB is based on the 3-platter design, each with roughly 133GB of storage density. However, each member of the new SATA II Barracuda family uses slightly different platter. For example, the 500GB uses four platters, each with 125GB of storage density. The following lists a few information regarding the hard drive's specifications:
Model: Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3400633AS
Capacity: 400GB
Interface: SATA 3.0GB/s with NCQ
Cache (Memory Buffer): 16MB
Average Seek Time: 11ms
Average Latency: 4.6ms
Spindle Speed (Rotational Speed): 7200 RPM
Operating Shock Tolerance: 63Gs
Non-operating Shock: 350Gs
Warranty: 5 years
My relative's PC system, based on two 80GB hard drives, is getting crowded with video and photo files. We decided the best solution was to get the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB hard drive to provide uninterrupted workspace. We ordered the Barracuda SATA II 400GB from newegg.com. At the time, this unit was available as an OEM product, shipped without power/data signaling cables, instruction manual or CD-ROM installation disc. However, our motherboard supplies both the power cables (4-pin molex to SATA converter) as well as data signaling cables. To avoid limitation on data transfer speed (of 150MB/s), we used the SATA II signaling cable.
What you should know
While this maybe old stuff, when dealing with large capacity hard drives, there are a few things worth noting. The problem is related to 48-bit LBA (Logical Block Addressing). This problem splits in two criteria: Operating System (OS) and motherboard BIOS system.
Windows OS
Windows OS that support 48-bit LBA are Windows 2000 (Win2k) SP-4, Windows XP SP-1 or SP-2 (Home or Professional, 32-bit or 64-bit), Windows Server 2003.
Any of the above listed OS can access and use the entire 400GB (or at least about 363GB of it). Windows OS such as Win98, WinNT4.0, Win2k SP-1 or WinXP Pre-SP can only access the first 137GB of disk space. In the past, I have used a 160GB SATA on my system (connected to the first SATA port) under Win2k SP-1 as the main disk (with Win2k SP-1 installed on the first partition), and the system could only see the first 137GB. WinXP Pre-SP version (released prior to Aug 2002) also suffered the same limitation.
Many old motherboards and their BIOS system (those built prior to 2002) do not support 48-bit LBA. But these motherboards may not come with SATA control ports anyway.
To access the entire disk space beyond 137GB, there are several approaches.
1. Most motherboards support two SATA ports. If a Win2k SP-1 is used, the 400GB (or any disk larger than 137GB) should be treated as a data disk, and connected to the second port. Then use a smaller hard drive (connected to the first SATA port) as the system disk with Win2k SP-1 installed. Once the SATA driver is installed, Win2k SP-1 will be able to recognize the entire disk in the second port.
2. Many old motherboards have their SATA ports linked directly and treated as IDE devices. This may prevent the operating system to access the entire disk space larger than 137GB. The only solution is to obtain a PCI controller card to hook up this 400GB hard drive. It can be added to the existing system, which only requires installing the PCI driver. The use of a PCI card also enables any motherboard without onboard SATA controllers to use SATA devices readily.
Linux/UNIX OS
For a Linux OS, the core operating kernel version 2.4.20 or higher will be able to access the entire disk space. In the past, I have used Red Hat Linux 9 (kernel 2.4.20), Mandrake 9.2 (kernel 2.4.21), SuSE Linux 9.1 (kernel 2.4.21), Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS/ES/WS 3 (kernel 2.4.21 backported from 2.6.0) on hard drives larger than 137GB without a problem. Linux will recognize and treat SATA hard drive as SCSI device, which distinguishes it from the standard IDE device.
Installation
We intended to add the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB as a data disk. Therefore, there was nothing much for us to do, except creating partitions (storage, photo and video) and formatting them for usage. To prepare the hard drive for usage under Windows XP system, I first booted into Linux system using its boot CD-ROM disc to use its fdisk utility system. I divided the partition; then booted the system back into Windows XP system (from its hard drive). Then under Windows XP's Disk Management under the Computer Management console, we set up the partitions; formatted and labeled them for proper identification.
It is important to note that our set up was based on the SATA I interface, using the onboard SATA control bus by Silicon SATALink Sil 3114. This SATA control of type I (hence, SATA I) is limited to data transfer of up to 150MB/s theoretically.
Our hard disk preparation described above was for adding the Barracuda 7200.9 400GB SATA II to the existing system. If you prepare the hard drive both as a main system disk as well as a data disk using separate partitions, the preparation can be done during Windows OS installation (as well as Linux installation).
Performance: Tests and Real-World Usage
I was anxious to find out how the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB hard drive perform compared to its predecessor. Prior to doing anything else, I ran a few tests using HD Tach and SiSoft Sandra 2005 to obtain benchmark results.
The Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB was set up in a system with the following components:
Motherboard: Abit IC-7G Max II
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3.0E GHz Hyper-Threading
RAM: Kingston KVR DDR400 1024MB (2x512MB) dual-channel
Video: ATI Radeon 9700 Pro
Hard Drives: Western Digital SATA 80GB, Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 SATA 80GB, Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB.
OS: Windows XP Professional SP-2
HD Tach gave the following results:
Burst Speed: 91.2 MB/s
Average Read: 56.8 MB/s
CPU Time: 6.5 %
Random Access Time: 14.9 ms
The above numbers can be interpreted that the higher the average read speed, combined with the smaller the access time and CPU time, the higher the performance and the better the hard drive.
SiSoft Sandra 2005 gave the following results:
Average Read: 57.0 MB/s
Average Write: 67.7 MB/s
The above results were short of my expectation, even though the numbers were a bit higher than those from Western Digital SATA 80GB and Barracuda 7200.7 80GB in the same system. My Seagate Barracuda 7200.8 SATA 250GB, under HD Tach benchmark, yielded an average read score of 57.5 MB/s and burst speed of 94.7 MB/s. SiSoft Sandra 2005 gave an average read speed of 56.3 MB/s and average write speed of 66.0 MB/s. Both tests were run a number of times and their average was calculated. Clearly the two numbers are highly consistent, which proves that the 7200.9 SATA II 400GB, even with its 16MB cache, does not have much benefit. However, it must be taken into account that the device was connected to a SATA/150 port. Therefore, the low result may be yielded based on these criteria.
However, under real-world usage, the 7200.9 SATA II 400GB seemed very responsive. Large photo image files were loaded into the memory using Photoshop CS. Then multitasking was done by rendering different images from the same folder (same partition). External data transfer rate appeared to improve drastically. We had to transfer old video files (many of them very large) from Seagate 7200.7 SATA 80GB into the 400GB; and the transfer rate was incredibly fast, faster than transferring the same file back into the 80GB's partition. Average transfer rate was 50 MB/s, based on a 4GB video file. Internal transfer rate (from one partition to the next) was average to be 20MB/s, not much higher than my 7200.8 SATA 250GB hard drive. Internal transfer between partitions is expected to be low, because of the time it takes for the read/write head to move (or transfer large chunk of data) from one partition to the next, with the read/write head moving back and forth. This proves that the 400GB's 16MB cache memory does help keep the flow of data in a fast pace.
In terms of noise, the unit was very quiet, even during seeking. Among the three hard drives, the 400GB was the quietest. However, it yielded a bit of heat during constant operation. We used an Antec SLK3700-AMB computer chassis to house the system, with a large 120mm fan in the front to blow cool air directly onto it. This will ensure the constant and cool temperature surrounding the hard drive to avoid heat buildup. Without any cooling system, it is likely that the hard drive will get very warm.
The Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB comes with a 5-year warranty. I have been using Seagate Barracuda SATA hard drives for about three years now, and I have not had one problem with them. I expect the same with this new hard drive to be dependable and reliable.
Limitation on bandwidth...expensive solution: A brief discussion
Adapter Card, New Motherboard or RAID 0 setup
The results I found above were based on the (now old) SATA150 (or SATA I) interface on an almost 2-year old motherboard. Had we used a new motherboard that supports SATA II port, the results would be different. I suspect the result to be higher, but by how much?
First, many SATA controllers integrated into most motherboards are based on a slow bandwidth. Our Abit IC-7G motherboard features Silicon SATALink Sil 3114 that is restricted to operate at 32-bit 33MHz bus speed. Therefore, its throughput was severely limited. Second, the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB is designed to complement the new "generation" of high-end motherboards in the desktop environments, those that have onboard SATA II controller ports. Some newer motherboards have onboard SATA II ports that take advantage of the PCI-Express controller for express lane which may increase data transfer rate. Most new motherboards come with new SATA II controller by Marvell 88SE6141 SATA II or Intel MatrixRaid technology. Based on my experience with the SATA I ports and their performance, I will reserve my judgment on this new technology, except stating that if they still use slow bus transport under 32-bit, the data transfer rate will not increase much.
To take full advantage of the fast data transfer rate, one would need a fast PCI SATA controller card. These cards require the use of PCI-X 64-bit with 66MHz, 100MHz or 133MHz bus speed. The bad news is that the PCI-X slots are only available in high-end workstation or server motherboards. They don't even come with high-end desktop motherboards. The alternative would be to use a PCI-Express (PCI-E) SATA controller card, since PCI-E x4 or x16 mostly come with mainstream motherboards nowadays. Unfortunately, these PCI-E or PCI-X cards are extremely expensive (could easily cost more than twice the motherboard you paid for). For us, consumers, who rely on using the integrated SATA controller on the motherboards, the 150MB/s data transfer rate by a SATA I or the 300MB/s by a SATA II will never be realized. My experience with the SATA150 bus speed and its limitation on data transfer suggests that the new SATA II and its integrated port on the motherboard will not provide much optimism, unless we are willing to spend a lot of money for a specialized PCI controller card.
While the throughput via a fast controller for SATA is speculated to be much higher, I have never tested this theory on SATA hard drives. However, I have been using both a 32-bit 33MHz and 64-bit 66MHz and 133MHz SCSI PCI-X controller cards for my SCSI hard drives. And I have seen tremendous data transfer rate through a PCI-X 64-bit 66MHz and 133MHz compared to the slow 32-bit 33MHz bus; in most cases, the benefit gained was nearly twice increase in speed.
Therefore, in order to achieve high performance on the Seagate Barracuda SATA II 400GB hard drive, one would have to get a high-speed PCI-Express card. A cheaper way to increase data transfer rate is to combine two SATA hard drives in RAID 0 by way of "striping", especially if you are using Windows XP Professional version. In the RAID 0 setup, two separate chunks of data are read from or written to both hard drives at the same time to increase speed. For example, a pair of 200GB or 250GB would provide good setup to yield a 400GB or 500GB workspace.
It is worth to mention that under our current setting, the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB yielded quite a performance, and represents a formidable hard drive for general and everyday PC applications in the SATA arena.
Conclusion
The Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB delivered performance as expected for a desktop environment. It yielded an overall results on par with my 7200.8 SATA 250GB hard drive, considering it was used under the SATA I port. However, I was surprised to see its results not much higher than its predecessor, especially since it is capable of throughput up to 300MB/s, despite the fact that interface was limited to 150MB/s rate. Nonetheless, it should show signs of improvements somewhat. After all, the throughput was never higher than the 150MB/s threshold.
Due to its backward compatibility with SATA I interface, the Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA II 400GB can be used on virtually any motherboards in your possession (provided they have the necessary supports and requirements as outlined at the beginning of this review). You do not need to buy a new motherboard that supports SATA II interface, unless, of course, you hope to increase its bandwidth and improve the overall performance on an already good performing hard drive.
There is also good reason for using SATA hard drives over their PATA (IDE) members, especially if the system consists of multiple hard drives (aside from the benefit of easy installation). SATA hard drives use separate data signaling cable to maintain optimum throughput without interruption. In contrast, IDE hard drives (if they are connected in Parallel --hence the word "P-ATA"-- as master and slave) generally suffer from bottleneck, because each device would have to wait until the other is done with its task. For a system with multiple hard drives for multitasking, the use of SATA devices is far more advantageous than the old IDE ones. Due to its individual data transport, SATA hard drives make an excellent RAID 0 setup. I have used this setup in the past with a pair of my SATA 120GB hard drives with impressive results.
In terms of price, the new Barracuda SATA II 400GB costs about $0.60 per gigabyte. This is pretty good and comparable to the old SATA or IDE hard drive price-wise.
