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GermanSeagate FreeAgent Pro 750 Gbytes
Evgenie Rudometov
authors@rudometov.com
Company Seagate which is the world's largest manufacturer of hard disk drives, has released the newest bar of the external disk drives FreeAgent Pro created on the basis of 3,5 ”HDD and capable considerably to expand an information field of a disk subsystem of the computer. The high representative of the given bar is the model with number ST307504FPA1E3-RK, hooked up by means of popular serial interfaces USB/eSATA/FireWire and 750 Gbytes possessing in the size
Together with fast growth of productivity of computer systems also sizes of the processed information not less promptly increase. As a result even more often the sizes of program files and data are gauged any more in kilobytes as it was all several years ago, and in gigabytes.
It is necessary to mark, that the share and quantity of volume files fast increase. Quite probably, that in some years we with a smile will speak about the sizes modern gigabajtnyh multimedia files as today, we we recollect polutoramegabajtnye sizes flexible 3,5-inch (3,5 ”) disks.
Certainly, — programs and data, obviously, it is required to allocate computer information fast increasing in sizes somewhere, both for constant usage, and for durable storage. The given circumstance is a problem both for individual, and for corporate users of transportable, desktop and server systems. Certainly, it is the uneasy task, especially considering traditional unsufficiency of size of hard disk drives (HDD, HardDisk Drive), the computers built in structure. And, certainly, first of all it concerns transportable systems, whose disk systems owing to design features do not differ high information capacity.
Really, for example, the hour video file of standard MiniDV possesses the size about 15 Gbytes while even the newest modern notebooks are often offered with HDD less than 100 Gbytes. What here to speak about those arrangements which have been bought, for example, couple of years back. And if for desktop systems sometimes it is possible to bring an attention to the question on changeover of a hard disk on more capacious model for transportable computers it becomes frequent for their owners difficultly solvable problem.
Thus, for users who require increase in an information field of the computers, the variants providing usage of external disk drives can be interesting. Such arrangements are hooked up to appropriate ports of computer systems by means of high-speed interfaces of type USB, FireWire, eSATA.
Unfortunately, the information capacity of the transportable disk drives offered in the market created on the basis of desksize HDD of form factors 1 ”, 1,8” and 2,5 ”, is not always comprehensible. In this case it is possible to use the external disk drives created on the basis of 3,5” HDD.
As an example of such arrangements it is possible to result the appropriate external disk drives offered by company Seagate. Recently this diggings has refreshed the set of the arrangements with 3,5 ”HDD, having released high-powered, vysokoemkie external disk drives of bar FreeAgent Pro. Similar arrangements can be used with success not only with desktop systems of a various pattern, but also with notebooks of different models, and, of course, with workstations and servers.
Disk drives FreeAgent Pro give to the users seriously concerning the figures, free and constant access to them. The applied software allows to synchronise automatically the necessary data with any arrangement with which operation is carried on.
The high representative of the specified bar of external disk drives of company Seagate now is the model marked by number ST307504FPA1E3-RK. The given arrangement is hooked up to the computer by means of serial interfaces USB/eSATA/FireWire and possesses information capacity of 750 Gbytes ( 750 000 000 000 byte).
Such model has been given for acquaintance and testing.
Package
Before to pass to the package description, it is necessary to mark, that to the bar of external disk drives FreeAgent Pro now six models. Their main characteristics are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. The bar of external disk drives FreeAgent Pro
Model number |
Size, |
Interfaces |
The limited warranty, |
ST303204FPA1E2-RK |
320 |
USB 2.0/eSATA |
5 |
ST305004FPA1E2-RK |
500 |
5 |
|
ST307504FPA1E2-RK |
750 |
5 |
|
ST303204FPA1E3-RK |
320 |
FireWire 400, |
5 |
ST305004FPA1E3-RK |
500 |
5 |
|
ST307504FPA1E3-RK |
750 |
5 |
Fig. 1. A package of disk drive SeagateFreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes
In structure of the given package of disk drive ST307504FPA1E3-RK (Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750 Gbytes), being now high model, enter: a packing box, disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes, removable interface USB/eSATA unit additional removable two-port FireWire (IEEE1394a unit, cables USB and FireWire, the adapter of the power supply of an alternate current, the quick reference guide on fast packing (Quick Start Guide) (is installed) also.
Key parametres
Appearance of disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes which have been hooked up to a notebook, is resulted in a Fig. 2. Its key parametres are presented in Table 2.
Fig. 2. Disk drive SeagateFreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes which have been hooked up to a notebook
Table 2. Key parametres Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes
Model |
ST307504FPA1E3-RK |
|
Size |
750 Gbytes |
|
Interfaces and their transfer rates, Mbit/with |
USB 2.0 |
480 |
eSATA |
3000 |
|
FireWire |
400 |
|
The sizes, mm |
The disk drive |
190,5х35,7х160,2 |
Supports |
25х132х76,2 |
|
Weight, kg |
0,9 |
|
Operating systems |
Windows XP/2000, Mac OS 10 |
|
Disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes created on the basis of 3,5 ”HDD, has rather compact dimensions and weight. Its design is very effective. However it is necessary to pay off for the polished black plastic with fast foreign matter of brilliant surfaces by prints of fingers.
Energopitanie the given arrangement it is carried out from the external adapter.
In construction Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes usage of different interfaces of hooking up is provided. Two variants are possible: USB/eSATA and FireWire. Change of interfaces is carried out by simple changeover of the interface board which is installed in special bay and hooked up by means of the technological plug. In a package it is applied two such cards. Thus one of them, providing usage USB/eSATA, is already installed. Handle of the disk drive is carried out from the computer, as with a usual hard disk.
Additional possibilities for users are given by the installed software. It shields the user from the unpleasant unexpectedness linked to damage or loss of data. Protection is carried out by automatic arhivirovanija files to which if necessary it is possible to get access easily.
As to high-speed parametres of disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro 750 their estimation fulfilled by means of specialised tests, is resulted more low.
Testing
In case of usage on the desktop computer or a notebook of the widespread operating system (OS) of Windows XP, according to implementators of the external disk drive, any additional driver is not required. And it is real, at hooking up of external disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes to the computer in a window there is an icon of an additional hard disk. Certainly, with this disk it is possible to work, as with the usual arrangement of an information storage, copying and-or erasing files. Very big informational size of the given external disk drive allows to write a lot of information (a Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. Parametres of disk drive SeagateFreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes
The estimation of speed of an exchange with disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes can be carried out by means of traditional test routines.
As test system for an estimation of high-speed parametres of the external disk drive the compact notebook Fujitsu Siemens AMILO M 1420 which productivity is high enough has been used.
Into its structure enter:
· the Motherboard constructed on the basis of a chip set of Intel 855GME with ICH4M,
· the Processor of Intel of Pentium M 735 (1.7 GHz, 2048 Kbytes of cache memory L2, clock rate of the processor bus of 100 MHz that provides data transfer with frequency of 400 MHz),
· the Disk drive on hard 2,5-inch magnetic disks HDD FUJITSU MHT2080AT with informational size of 80 Gbytes,
· Units of dynamic storage SO-DIMM DDR333 SDRAM of 512 Mb,
· ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600 PRO c 128 Videoadapter Mb RAM (chip ATI M10P),
· Optical drive DVD+RW RW8165,
· the Operating system of Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition.
As the additional disk drives used for matching with considered model Seagate, various arrangements from different manufacturers have been used. A part from them others have been created on the basis of hard disks, — on the basis of flash-memory chips. And with all Seagate FreeAgent Pro has shown very high metrics of productivity, leaving itself many recent champions, once again illustrating that fact, that technological progress is not necessary on a place.
So popular external disk drive ZIV of 20 Gbytes of company InPrice, for example, there is technicians of all any seemed five years ago by miracle. Really it hooked up by means of widespread interface USB amazed imagination of potential users in the big size on those times and considerable productivity. However today this external disk drive with informational size of 20 Gbytes already more than in three hundred times on size and more than in thirty times on productivity concedes to the presented model of external disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes.
In Table 3 and in a Fig. 4 results of an estimation of a transfer rate (more – better) on interface USB for external disk drives Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes (Seagate 750GB) and InPrice ZIV 20 Gbytes (ZIV 20GB) are resulted .
Table 3. The Transfer rate
Arrangements |
Tests |
|
Disk Transfer Rate: |
Disk Transfer Rate: |
|
Seagate 750GB |
29600 |
29300 |
ZIV 20GB |
981 |
979 |
Fig. 4. Results of performance of tests Winbench 99 Disk Transfer Rate
In Table 4 access time estimations (less – better) are resulted.
Table 4. Access time
Arrangements |
Results of testing |
Seagate 750GB |
18,8 msec |
ZIV 20GB |
26,1 msec |
Apparently from the presented results, for external disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes speed of the data exchange, transferred by means of popular interface USB, is rather high. It provides quite comfortable operation with the majority of multimedia tasks. In the same cases when even the big speed or other standards of data transfer all the same is required, it is possible to take advantage of the alternative interfaces presented eSATA and FireWire (IEEE1394a).
In summary it is necessary to mark, that company Seagate rather has declared recently the beginning of deliveries HDD, whose information capacity makes 1 Tbyte ( 1 000 000 000 0 00 byte). There is no doubt, that fast addition of the bar of external disk drives FreeAgent Pro by even more capacious model becomes result of this event.
External disk drive Seagate FreeAgent Pro of 750 Gbytes has been given by company EAST SIDE Consulting