Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid HDD w/ built-in 4GB SSD

So, the drive spins down automatically even if you have it set to not spin down in the Windows power settings?

 

My Seagate XT is leaving now and I feel a little sad. Man what a hard drive. I just can't get over how fast it is.

But it seems to have a lot to do with the controller. My friend has Macbook Pro 15" with Nvidia controller and on his (he says) the WD Black is faster. On my DM3 with the ICH9 controller it's the other way around.

I never noticed the spinning down problem. Maybe it has to do with my usage pattern, I'm not sure.

 

From my undertanding it is seperate from AAM and/or APM. I would assume then windows would not control this either at least without a specific driver to do just that. At least it was tis way with the original FW.

This was one of the early big complaints on newegg reviews too. It would have been nice to hear for Seagate as to what the new FW officially addresses...........

Edit; from what they are saying in the forums at Seagate the FW rids the sytem of the spin down issue and a drive pausing issue from heat above 44C too. I never experienced a drive pause though, then again I run under 44C.......

 

It's just amazing that Seagate cannot address what the new firmware is supposed to fix! Last week many people complained the updater failed but I have not been following this.

I'll wait to see what falls out..

 

How typical of Seagate that this drive requires a firmware update . . . I have never updated the firmware on a hard drive and don't intend to start now. I'll wait to see what WD/Hitachi come out with that competes with this.

 

According to the tomshardware chart, playing back video with the original firmware it uses .66w more than the Scorpio Black which is a lot. This has me on the fence.

I'm using a 320gb Scorpio Black now. Going to a 40gb SSD + Scorpio Blue would cost $80 expensive than the 320gb Momentus XT for not much better everyday performance as I can tell since the access times will be the same. Does WD or Hitachi have a hybrid drive planned?

 

I have absolutely no issue with a drive this new needing a FW update. If you plan to be first on the block with a new tech FW updates are a given. the present HDD's are at a tech age they need little to no FW updates. The technology is well in place.

Hybrid drives are essentially brand new and untested. You essentially are a new addopter of the tech. If you are dead set against being a new addopter go with the 7K500 or WD 500 Black. Personally I have no issue with being a new addopter but paying $600-700 to be a beta tester isn't my idea of a good time.

Even the $300+ I did pay kind of upsets me as issues have prevailed with the Mushkin Callisto DX 120GB I have. None that make the drive inopperable for myself but just that knawing going on in the back of my mind........

 

You really don't like Seagate do you

I've never upgraded the firmware on a HDD either. This is a hybrid though, might be different.

On SSDs firmware upgrades are quite common. I did have to do it on Intel SSDs. It's a real pain to do it, it has to be done from a bootable USB key.

The firmware update on the Seagate is surprisingly easy. Just runs from Windows.

Also check the power measurements on Techreport.

My own power measurements are closer to Techreport's findings than to Tom's.

 

Why would you think 50c is too hot ?
As previously pointed out, it's rated to 60c - Momentus XT | 7200 RPM | Seagate

See above - it's well within operating tolerance.

Nothing to see here, 50c is fine...

 

well its not only about the temp tolerances of the hdd but also the fact that an hdd running hot adds to the thermal environment inside a laptop. and in certain instances, with certain configurations and models (of notebooks) this could pose a problem.

 

On my Daughters LT3103u I see 40C and that is about it under normal use. At high usage 44-45C. I see about the same on the U81a and on my P7805 when it was there 29-35C. Both of these drives have very low vibration though so I may have good platter sets.

Even for the short time they were Raid0 in my P7805 the temps were low and the virbation together was fine. I would again guess YMMV with these drives though...............

Remember too though that vibration will use more power and create more heat. So if you have a mover and shaker expect issues. I can say the battery on the U81a from a 7K500 and 8GB SD Card for readyboost went from 6:00 hours to now 6:45 so I am very happy with the drive.

 

Just curious, has anyone here compared the Momentus XT 7500 vs the normal Momentus 7500 with the G-force option ?

In theory the Momentus XT should be a tad faster but is less prone to vibration than the Momentus 7500 + G-Force ? I am considering upgrading to these two but I am traveling sometimes with the laptop and I was wondering if I should sacrifice some speed for the G-force option. But some said it doesn't matter if I just carry the laptop to lan parties or starbucks the Momentus XT should hold itselft just fine.

It would have been awesome if the XT has the G-force option. But then everyone will just buy the XT

 

"A tad faster"? The XT blows the normal 7200.4 out of the water.

Please keep in mind that a G-force protection ONLY works when your laptop is powered on. When your laptop is powered off, the heads are already locked, which is the same that G-force protection does.

 

Phil , I saw you were selling your Momentus XT the other day, but it`s gone , did you change your mind or did you sell it, why did you want to sell it anyway.

Insight UK has the 250,320 and 500gb in stock and i am going to order one tomorrow unless there is a major problem that you know off.

Thanks.

 

I only bought it to review. I sold it because I'm using an SSD.

But if I wasn't using SSD, the XT would be my choice.

Keep in mind though that my friend who has a Macbook Pro didn't get the same stellar performance that I did. Two possible reasons: he was using it too shortly and it didn't perform as well on the Nvidia controller.

 

Yeah, I read that i have an IHC9 controller so i should be fine, So they seem to run a little hot , I read a report on hdd failure and hdd temp was way down on the list of reason for it to happen.

 

Thanks for the fast reply Phil. Meh!! if its that much of a difference then XT is the way to go for me. Its not like I am shaking the laptop when its powered on or mount it on the car or smth like that so I guess speed is the higher priority. Also most of the time when I transport the laptop its powered off.

 

I have mine on a ICH9M and it works wonderfully. Again I seem to have a rare exceptionally low vibration unit. Heat is not a problem nor is power usage with mine.

If seaggate gets their act together and gets the vibration issue settled, they will hae a killer drive. The again for that maybe we need to see 8GB SSD and the new 750GB platters, now that would be an awesome all around drive for single bay laptops.

 

i dont know what my controller is but i have a sager 8690, how would the xt theoretically perform

 

On an Intel controller you should be fine.

 

I have the CPU in my sig, would this drive be a prime upgrade for me? I think so, but I don't want any hardware incompatibility issues... and I'm not quite tech savvy enough to know ALL of the ins-and-outs of hardware upgrades like you fellas here, I like to get an expert opinion

 

Yes definitely. Coming from a 5400rpm, and even from 7200rpm, the Seagate XT is a mayor upgrade.

The next step up in performance is a fast SSD.

 

the only difference i noticed with the XT is the games load faster i have that as my games drive and the ssd as my boot drive,

other than that is not worth the extra cash if you really want performance get an ssd if not stick with 7200rpm drives

just my tough

 

really? even if the users would uses multiple programs a day (like 5-10 different programs).

 

The XT boots and launches programs a lot faster than 7200rpm hard drives. Its performance is in the middle between SSDs and 7200rpm drives.

 

Thanks for the tips... I'm really trying to convince my fiance to let me spend the cash on a new one to upgrade my 5400. I really cannot afford a ssd, so that's not an option for me. Plus I really need the 500gb of space. You guys have convinced me, now to convince the little woman!

 

I went for the 500gb version as it was the best value per GB , the 500gb is 20p per GB , the 320gb is 27p per GB and the 250gb is 32p per GB , this is for the prices in the UK market.

I only have a 160gb seagate hdd in my 11.6" notebook and the max transfer speed is only 63mb/s , so the 100mb/s + of the XT will be great.

I have only one thing extra to say , ship already

EDIT : it turns out the 15 they had in stock did not exist, and Insight UK cannot give me a delivery date, very poor service

 

If you fiance does not understand that a man needs his tech toys and if you need to built a case every time to justify yourself then maybe you should upgrade you fiance.

 

Problems then ensue when your Fiance finds you are spending way more money and time on your TECH than her though. Easy cure, for every $500 you spend on the computer a $1,000 shopping spree at the mall and you go with her for it. Easier to sit and endure the waiting at the front door of the store or at the changing room booths door than the wrath suffered later.............

 

Both interesting points...but yeah I've spent a ton of money on tech lately, mac mini, vaio purchase, new modem & router, starcraft 2, and we recently bought and remodeled a house, so money is a bit tight, haha. The shopping spree is a great idea, I'll have to try something like that!

 

In the long run, it ultimately becomes a 10x expense. I bought a new video card once, she then booked a five day vacation to Vegas...

 

I see lots of questions on the temperature. 41C has been my max recorded with the XT running in my single bay thin and light Asus.

My P6831FX has both my WD250-5400 drives hitting 51C during heavy use.
In a hot environment I would definitely use a cooler.

TANWare temps look good for a running pair if I read the post right.

Speedy Gonzalez. I beg to differ. When the prices drop for a 250G SSD, fine.
I find all my boot times, games and apps load faster, as most 7.2 drives. When the the cache hits..wow

Where are the $140, 500G, SSD's?

Payback is always a _____?

 

from what ive heard, this drive takes a pretty big toll on battery life, is this true in ur experiences?

 

With regards to battery life, the WD Scorpio Blue, the Hitachi 7K500 the Seagate Momentus XT (all mech hd's 500GB size) and the Intel X25-M 160GB G2 and the Patriot Inferno 100GB (Sandforce) all were within 10 minutes of each other in normal use on my VAIO.

Any current HD will not be more power hungry than an older one - not even a 5400 RPM (older) drive.

So, I don't know where you've heard this from, but my experience is that all the new drives I've used have given pretty much the same battery run time in normal (not benchmarking) use.

 

Yes, I don't really notice any greater loss of battery over my WD-5400 drive but it may be more for the 7.2 drive, nothing drastic. All the on line test suggest the XT draws more.

With a breakout whip and current meter, logging current draw, would be the only way i would have some faith in posted results.

Maybe Phil's upcoming reviews have provisions for current draw?

 

When idling it seems to be quite power efficient. During heavy usage it's not so.

Have a look at Techreport's measurements. They confirm it:

 

The XT still scored below the Black. So for those already using a 7200 RPM drive this then normally would be at least the same if not better. This matches my experience with it too...........

 

For anyone who uses this drive inside a laptop with Intel chipset, make sure you got the latest Intel Rapid Storage driver installed. It makes a difference for performance.

 

I am considering this drive to be put in a Macbook Pro 13" I just bought.
Performance wise/battery consumption wise is this drive worth the extra than Western Digital Scorpio Black WD5000BEKT that I had in mind previously?

 

My friend tested it on Nvidia chipset of a 15" MBP. Without the cache helping the WD was faster than the Seagate. When the cache is helping the Seagate is a whole lot faster. Battery wise there was no difference. The WD was quieter than the Seagate.

Tested on my HP notebook with Intel chipset, the Seagate won hands down.

 

I guess I will ditchout the extra for it.
Mines a 2.26ghz MBP, It will be used to store Mainly music and run DJ software. I need something thats reliable and quick to find/play music.

 

Engadget Review

 

Why no RAID support? =(

edit: Wait what? Overclockers club did a benchmark test on a pair of XT's in RAID 0 array...and yet on newegg, I'm reading a statement from Seagate themselves saying that these drives are not meant for RAID....??? I'm confused.

Mr. Mysterious

 

There is no official raid support, that does not mean you can not Raid them..............

 

Isn't that the same thing? Unless you mean by taking a circuitous route around the countermeasures put into the device....something I'm NEVER going to do.

Mr. Mysterious

 

There are no counter measures I know of. I had they raided already but I wasn't that impressed so I went SSD. This was before the firmware release that keeps the drive from spinning down though.

 

review from PL
Google T?umacz

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I see in your signature that you =do= have two 500GB Momentus XT's. Did you finally give in?

Mr. Mysterious

 

I had them at first Raid0 on the P7805 ICH9M. I tried them with a 4K stripe and even then got 150 MB/s but you could see overhead was limiting them. A 64K stripe would have probably been optimal. I just was not all that impressed. Yes it was fast but not the jaw dropping experience I was looking for.

So the U81a got one and the LT3103u the other. My daughter is way happier with the LT's performance now. Again severly CPU limited but you don't feel HDD limited anymore. The U81 runs like a champ with it too.

My P7805 got a Callisto 120GB for primary and the 7K500 for secondary. Now with the new FW it may just need an XT for secondary as without the spin down it was an awesome secondary drive when I tried it out. Directory and other often accessed info goes to the SSD cache and makes the drive ROCK.

Now the SSD primary at first did not even wow me, nice but not a WOW! Now with a X9100 @ 3.6 GHz I can say Holy Moly now this truly is a WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Well not all of us can afford an SSD dude Furthermore, I think you would be impressed if your viewed the XT as a HDD and compared them against other HDDs rather than against SSDs.

Most people were disappointed because they expected performance closer to an SSD than a HDD. Honestly? I love the XT (not saying that you do or don't, btw) because I expect it to be much better than a traditional HDD more so than an SSD.

Mr. Mysterious