Performance in FC-Test
For this test two 32GB partitions are created on the disk and formatted in NTFS and then in FAT32. After that a file-set is created. It is then read from the disk, copied within the same partition and then copied into another partition. The time taken to perform these operations is measured and the speed of the disk is calculated. The Windows and Programs file-sets consist of a large number of small files whereas the other three patterns (ISO, MP3, and Install) include a few large files each.
We’d like to note that the copying test is indicative of the drive’s behavior under complex load. In fact, the HDD is working with two asynchronous threads (one for reading and one for writing) when copying files.
This test produces too much data, so we will only discuss the results achieved with the Install, ISO and Programs file-sets in NTFS. You can use the links below to view the full results:
Western Digital’s model wins this test, being the fastest drive to write every file-set. The Samsung might challenge the winner but its performance proved to depend heavily on the size of the processed files. It didn’t like the mixed set of large files from the Install pattern. The other drives are similar to each other with the exception of the Seagate which falls behind with large files.
The Samsung is in the lead when reading files. It now copes well with every file-set. The HDD from Western Digital looks good, too, handling small files very efficiently (it did not get to be the leader only because it didn’t win with large files). The Seagate is a disappointment: being very fast with larger files, it is the worst drive of all with small ones. The Hitachi is not fast, either.
The Samsung is the best copying files within the same partition. The HDD from Western Digital overtakes it in the Install pattern only, and by a negligible margin. The other HDDs go close to each other, excepting the Toshiba which is the slowest with every file-set and the Hitachi which is surprisingly fast at copying large files.
The standings do not change much when we increase the distance of copying. The HDD from Western Digital now wins with the smallest files whereas the Samsung is ahead with the other two file-sets. The Toshiba has left its last place to the Seagate. Both are very slow, though.