> From: Chuck Norcutt <cuhpxabephgg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Drives spend much of their time trying to find and get to the
> data and not too much on the actual data transfer time once they've
> found it... That is especially so on a multi-tasking computer
> where other processes may be vying for use of the same drive and
> disrupting the smooth streaming of data with demands for the read/
> write
> head to move somewhere else on the drive. There is no "instantaneous
> transfer" going on while the heads are bounding hither and yon between
> tracks.
Buffering and caching, both in the drive, and in the OS, mitigate a
great deal of seek time and rotational latency.
The fastest drives -- designed for video and audio production -- not
only have 10,000 rpm spindle speeds (to reduce latency), but also have
larger buffer caches. But this costs money.
The newest drives, with capacities of 750GB and up, employ "vertical
recording," where more than one bit is recorded for any given location
on the disk. This means the transfer speed off the platter is
essentially doubled. So if you're interested in speed, don't mess with
anything below 750GB.
:::: Hydrogen power will dramatically reduce greenhouse gas
admissions. -- George W. Bush ::::
:::: Jan Steinman <http://www.VeggieVanGogh.com> ::::
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