Seagate Barracuda 40 Gig ST340016A

Shaith · Sep 23, 2002, 02:48 AM

Thanks to two great guys on DriverHeaven helping me out when I had a massive drive crash which rendered my net gateway machine useless, I now have one of these drives. Let me tell you folks, this drive is FANTASTIC.

The specs:

Seagate Barracuda ATA IV, model
ST340016A

Heads: 2. Yes, just two heads.
Discs: 1. Amazing as it sounds, only *1* disc.
Average latency: 4.1ms
Buffer size: 2 MB
Average seek: In testing I've seen averages as low as the 4 to 5 ms range.
Size formatted: 40 GB
Internal xfer rate: up to 555 MB/s
External xfer rate: up to 100 MB/s
Interface: Ultra/ATA100

This drive is a solid performer, posting excellent read/write speeds even on old slow UDMA/33 buses. However, there's one area where this drive outshines every other drive I own, even other Seagate products.

You can't hear it. I don't mean it's quiet, as it certainly is that. I mean you can not HEAR it. Plug this drive into a power source and it spins up - and you'd never know it. I literally had to move the drive around to test the gyroscopic effect just to prove that it was indeed working. There is almost no discernable vibration in the drive chassis, no low-frequency hum, nothing. Even the head movment is phenomenal - the drive head movement has been so superbly dampened that even THAT makes almost zero noise. And in a case with so much as a single fan running, you will not hear this drive, period, a rather sharp contrast with the Cheetah 10K LVD which sounds like a large jet engine when it spins up. Another fantastic aspect of this drive is that because there's a single disc, there's very little heat. It's hard to call this an appreciable source of heat in fact, yet another contrast to its older siblings which threw off enough heat to cook eggs (and rather quickly). So, pay attention, overclockers - this drive will let you use those fans on more important things!

If speed is what you're primarily looking for, I have to recommend the IBM Deskstar or the Western Digital SE series with the 8 meg cache, as they have superior performance from a speed standpoint. If you want peace and quiet, however, the Seagate can't be beaten.

Nor can it be heard.

JavaFox · Oct 4, 2002, 01:07 AM

It's good to see a review that brings acoustics up. I have this drive and I love it. The drive is so utterly quiet that you may wonder if the drive is broken. I will disagree with one point that Shaith brought up, though. The single platter design is more for cost than it is for heat. In fact, this drive has been rated one of the warmer drives out there. You can actually monitor the temperature of this drive through the SMART interface -- mine is between 26C and 50C.

Shaith · Nov 4, 2002, 08:31 AM

I've tested this drive under a multitude of conditions, including during full relocation defrag runs, multi-gig drive-to-drive file moves, and I have yet to come up with a reading that was more than 10 degrees above ambient.

My cheetah on the other hand can cook small eggs, and no I'm not putting up screenshots of it.

If your 'cuda is running 50C, you've got a SERIOUS problem there.

Of course, I've spent considerable time maximizing the airflow pathways in my case, so perhaps I'm just unique

One of the Twelve · Nov 21, 2002, 08:03 AM

Does someone know about this model [which I'm going to buy (online shop) today]: BARRACUDA ATA V 80GB ULTRA ATA/100 [ST380023A] ...? Sounds silent & working one.

Shaith · Nov 21, 2002, 09:09 PM

The Seagate Barracuda, ATA V, model ST380023A,
is derived from the same silent drive system as its predecessor, the ATA IV line. It again uses Fluid Dynamic Bearing Drive (FDB) technology to produce a near-silent drive.

A few specs:

Capacity: 80 GB
Rotation: 7200 RPM
Interface: UltraATA 100
Seek Time: 9.4 ms avg
Cache: 2MB

If noise levels are the most critical item you are looking at, the ST380023A is a good drive to consider. If you are looking for a drive based more on performance that is only marginally louder, I recommend you instead go with the Western Digital JB series. An 8 MB cache, 4 times larger than the ST380023A, coupled with a lower average seek time (8.9 on the WD1200JB) makes this drive preferable.

Shaith · Nov 21, 2002, 09:14 PM

Another thought if you're looking for true performance - the first Serial ATA drives are coming out and at 150 MB/s, they're going to be hard to beat.

One of the Twelve · Nov 22, 2002, 07:40 PM

Quote:

If noise levels are the most critical item you are looking at, the ST380023A is a good drive to consider

Thank you, this was exactly what I was looking for. I'll buy this one. In fact it could have been 5400 RPM, I think it stays a bit cooler when running slower.

We, disciples, are never in a hurry - are we?

JavaFox · Nov 22, 2002, 08:39 PM

Baracuda IVs are not 5400RPM drives.

Shaith · Nov 26, 2002, 03:19 PM

correct, all 'cuda IV's are 7200 RPM drives.

Sep 23, 2002, 02:48 AM	#1
Shaith HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 916 Rep Power: 0	Seagate Barracuda 40 Gig ST340016A Thanks to two great guys on DriverHeaven helping me out when I had a massive drive crash which rendered my net gateway machine useless, I now have one of these drives. Let me tell you folks, this drive is FANTASTIC. The specs: Seagate Barracuda ATA IV, model ST340016A Heads: 2. Yes, just two heads. Discs: 1. Amazing as it sounds, only 1 disc. Average latency: 4.1ms Buffer size: 2 MB Average seek: In testing I've seen averages as low as the 4 to 5 ms range. Size formatted: 40 GB Internal xfer rate: up to 555 MB/s External xfer rate: up to 100 MB/s Interface: Ultra/ATA100 This drive is a solid performer, posting excellent read/write speeds even on old slow UDMA/33 buses. However, there's one area where this drive outshines every other drive I own, even other Seagate products. You can't hear it. I don't mean it's quiet, as it certainly is that. I mean you can not HEAR it. Plug this drive into a power source and it spins up - and you'd never know it. I literally had to move the drive around to test the gyroscopic effect just to prove that it was indeed working. There is almost no discernable vibration in the drive chassis, no low-frequency hum, nothing. Even the head movment is phenomenal - the drive head movement has been so superbly dampened that even THAT makes almost zero noise. And in a case with so much as a single fan running, you will not hear this drive, period, a rather sharp contrast with the Cheetah 10K LVD which sounds like a large jet engine when it spins up. Another fantastic aspect of this drive is that because there's a single disc, there's very little heat. It's hard to call this an appreciable source of heat in fact, yet another contrast to its older siblings which threw off enough heat to cook eggs (and rather quickly). So, pay attention, overclockers - this drive will let you use those fans on more important things! If speed is what you're primarily looking for, I have to recommend the IBM Deskstar or the Western Digital SE series with the 8 meg cache, as they have superior performance from a speed standpoint. If you want peace and quiet, however, the Seagate can't be beaten. Nor can it be heard.

Nov 21, 2002, 08:03 AM	#4
One of the Twelve DriverHeaven Lover Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Kold North Posts: 131 Rep Power: 0	Does someone know about this model [which I'm going to buy (online shop) today]: BARRACUDA ATA V 80GB ULTRA ATA/100 [ST380023A] ...? Sounds silent & working one. __________________

Oct 4, 2002, 01:07 AM	#2
JavaFox E Pluribus Unum Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,203 Rep Power: 0	It's good to see a review that brings acoustics up. I have this drive and I love it. The drive is so utterly quiet that you may wonder if the drive is broken. I will disagree with one point that Shaith brought up, though. The single platter design is more for cost than it is for heat. In fact, this drive has been rated one of the warmer drives out there. You can actually monitor the temperature of this drive through the SMART interface -- mine is between 26C and 50C.

Nov 4, 2002, 08:31 AM	Thread Starter #3
Shaith HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 916 Rep Power: 0	I've tested this drive under a multitude of conditions, including during full relocation defrag runs, multi-gig drive-to-drive file moves, and I have yet to come up with a reading that was more than 10 degrees above ambient. My cheetah on the other hand can cook small eggs, and no I'm not putting up screenshots of it. If your 'cuda is running 50C, you've got a SERIOUS problem there. Of course, I've spent considerable time maximizing the airflow pathways in my case, so perhaps I'm just unique

Nov 21, 2002, 09:09 PM	Thread Starter #5
Shaith HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 916 Rep Power: 0	The Seagate Barracuda, ATA V, model ST380023A, is derived from the same silent drive system as its predecessor, the ATA IV line. It again uses Fluid Dynamic Bearing Drive (FDB) technology to produce a near-silent drive. A few specs: Capacity: 80 GB Rotation: 7200 RPM Interface: UltraATA 100 Seek Time: 9.4 ms avg Cache: 2MB If noise levels are the most critical item you are looking at, the ST380023A is a good drive to consider. If you are looking for a drive based more on performance that is only marginally louder, I recommend you instead go with the Western Digital JB series. An 8 MB cache, 4 times larger than the ST380023A, coupled with a lower average seek time (8.9 on the WD1200JB) makes this drive preferable.

Nov 21, 2002, 09:14 PM	Thread Starter #6
Shaith HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 916 Rep Power: 0	Another thought if you're looking for true performance - the first Serial ATA drives are coming out and at 150 MB/s, they're going to be hard to beat.

Nov 22, 2002, 08:39 PM	#8
JavaFox E Pluribus Unum Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,203 Rep Power: 0	Baracuda IVs are not 5400RPM drives.

Nov 26, 2002, 03:19 PM	Thread Starter #9
Shaith HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 916 Rep Power: 0	correct, all 'cuda IV's are 7200 RPM drives.