Test System & Benchmarks

Intel Test System
CPU	Pentium 630 Retail (3.0GHz 2MB L2 1.31Vcore) Socket-775
Mainboard	Asus P5AD2-E Premium (BIOS 1005)
Memory	Corsairmicro 5400UL (2x512MB DC CL3-2-2-6)
Graphics	Sapphire X800XT PCI-ex
Power Supply	PC Power&Cooling TurboCool 850 SSI
Cooling	Alphacool Xtreme Pro Set NexXxos XP BOLD for Socket-775
Operating System	Windows XP SP2

Even if you give the following benchmarks a cursory glance please pay close attention to the HD Tach thumbnail comparisons and the HD Tune benchmarks which also indicate temps.

SiSoftware's Sandra Removable Storage benchmark and File System benchmark both identify any hard drive Partitions as distinct drives. Our comparison hard-drive, Maxtor's Diamond Max 9 Plus 120GB Serial-ATA has been "hard" partitioned through Windows XP Home Edition into C: 78.1GB and D: 36.3GB. Clicking on the thumbnails below will display results, beginning with C: (left), D: (center) and finally F: Diamond Max 10 (right). Below the thumbnails I've compiled a chart of individual tests in the File System Benchmark.





Drive Speed Test by Exhibition Software similar to Sandra Drive Speed identifies' partitions as proprietary drives.







ATTO has become a staple benchmark for the purpose of measuring data-drive read and write speeds. ATTO measures data transfer rate in MB/s and differentiates among partitions as well.







SimpliSoftware has revised their original Tach benchmark the result being HD Tach 3.0.1. The latest version measures hard drive based on Sequential Read, Random Access and Interface Burst speeds. HD Tach does not distinguish among partitions measuring hard-drive performance based solely on the physical device. HD Tach offers an accurate data base of just about every hard drive on the market, which can then be inserted into your result graph for comparison. In addition to the chart below, I've provided thumbnails to individual tests which are perhaps the most revealing in this review.



Clicking on the thumbnails below will show performance comparisons using HD Tach's database comparing both Maxtor's to the venerable Western Digital Raptor which features a 10,00RPM spindle/platter rotational speed, and maximum 7.8ms seek time. On the left we have the Diamond Max 9 120GB and on the right the Diamond Max 10 300GB.



Our final Benchmark HD Tune 2.10 also indicates temps at the top of the screen which also makes this test very important.







Conclusion

First the criticisms: the drive did not perform miracles where seek times were concerned, although it was not a poor performer by any means. This is a somewhat dated issue, however; I was disappointed to learn Maxtor no longer offers the same lengthy warranty they once did. Their current one year warranty for ATA HDs is on par with others, they also offer a 5-year on SCSI drives.

Hard drive technology has advanced in many respects even though seek times haven't decreased as much as we may like; storage capacity has certainly increased substantially. Certainly hard drives with 15,000RPM rotational speeds and sub 8ms seek times are impressive, however; their cost and operating parameters preclude substantial storage capacity.

Maxtor has been providing reliable hard drives for many years and I still have Maxtor drives which are over 5 years old and in working condition. Insofar as noise, this drive as well as my Maxtor Diamond Max 9 is quite silent. Gone are the days when I would call up a file only to see the Tower start jumping around like a three legged dog in a flea scratching contest and I could barely hear the neighborhood dogs howling because the drive was making clanking and clattering sounds on the human level as well as K9.

Our final benchmark, HD Tune included thermal readings and to ensure these were accurate I compared them to HDD Temps as measured via SpeedFan and Hardware Sensors Monitor. Based on this data the Diamond Max 10 runs cooler then its predecessor Diamond Max 9 Plus and I alternated the drives to ensure placement (in relation to one another) wasn't a factor.

Heat is the nemesis of the modern PC and just about every component therein. I find it most impressive the Diamond Max 10 even with additional platters, operated approximately 9°C cooler then the Diamond Max 9. As Reviewers we are of course to remain objective, however; my philosophy is that I'm useless as a product tester if in the conclusion I cannot offer my opinion based on my experience. I favor Maxtor hard drives for the reasons stated my preference for this drive did not "contaminate" the objectivity of the tests, nor influenced results because no opinion was formed until the verdict was in.

You’re reading this because you want to know if the Maxtor Diamond Max 10 300GB is a good hard drive, worthy of your hard earned money? Its a great hard drive and an excellent value at £93 or $129 NewEgg. I would like to thank Erin at Maxtor.

Questions/Comments: forum thread