Fig 1 : IDE ST31200A

Fig 2 : SATA ST320029AS

Conclusion

It's a pity that we are unable to get hold of a similar IDE mode of the 120G to do the comparative tests. In our test, we found that we can route better with the thinner SATA cables. It is now tidier than before. The SATA cables won't block air flow and this keeps things cool within the casing. SATA is also hot pluggable. The ports are also dedicated to one bus one HD. There is also improved CRC check not only on data but also on command sets for better overall reliability.

After I completed the benchmarks, I touched the HD and I feel that it's warm. I used a normal (not digital) and it gauges 41 Deg Celsius. I found that the sides of the HD hotter than the top. I think it's advisable to get some real cool air blow into the PC casing to reduce the heat. This HD is one of the quietest HD I have ever used. In fact, I can only hear the humming noise coming from my PC's Power Supply. (the HD is placed outside the PC).

With more and more vendors manufacturing mainboards with onboard SATA interface, I feel that 2003 would be the year where there will be a transition from IDE to SATA. If you ever have a chance to use a SATA drive, I doubt you would want to switch back to IDE anymore. On SATA there is no longer the need to configure jumpers for Primary/Secondary Master/Slave jumpers.

The Seagate SATA drives should be available in the market in Jan 2003 and price information is not available yet.

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