Slow HD performance

[jesterb84]

Ever since I got my new rig, load times have been unexpectedly long for some apps/games. For example, my hard disk just clicks, clicks, and clicks and takes quite a while to load for something like Team Fortress 2. I am sure it's not the processor speed (2.9GHz core2 should be enough) so I thought surely it must be the hard drive speed (still using IDE hard disk).

I did some online benchmark searches and the difference between IDE and SATA real-world performance seemed only marginal - I was surprised. However, I really do get the feeling that my Hard Drive is pulling down performance significantly.

I am currently using an IDE WD 250GB 7200RPM I bought only 1.5 years ago so it's still fairly brand new (back then, I still had an old Athlon XP system with no SATA support). UltraDMA is being utilized in Windows as well.

Would buying a new SATA2 drive yield me much more performance benefit? I thought it would be the RAM also but I have 2GB of RAM and only a fraction is used on startup (not sure...256mb?).

 

[imported_Husky55]

Use HD Tune to check your drive performance. Then compare it to other HDs in a thread by TWEAKIN. I believe you will find that your HD is the bottleneck in your system.

Tweakin HD benchmarks


I recommend the WD 6400AAKS

 

[sutahz]

You built a new computer and expect it to be fast (mentally, you expected this new rig to be like lightning).
After building it things seem to take longer.
It could be all in your mind. With the hdd clicking excessivly, it could be a sign that it is dying.
You have a new motherboard so perhaps its IDE emmulation just doesn't play well w/ your hdd thus its slow performance.
Run HDTune and perhaps a few others to see that there are no obvious problems with your hdd and then take it from there.

 

[jesterb84]

Thanks for pointing out HD Tune, I did a check with 2.55 and here is what I got for my WDC WD2500JB-00REA0:

Transfer Rate
Minimum: 22.6MB/sec
Maximum: 61.6MB/sec
Average: 49.6MB/sec

Access Time: 13.5ms
Burst Rate: 67.5MB/sec
CPU Usage: 3.8%

Comparing the results from what I got in the linked thread, it seems mine is pretty slow indeed. Also, many drivers were averaging around 1.8% CPU utilization whereas mine seems to be double @ 3.8%?

I guess it really is my drive speed... Maybe it's a good excuse for me to get an extra SATA drive and use my IDE as storage. I will be sure to check the WD 6400AAKS.

 

[toadeater]

Yep. WD outdid themselves with the AAKS series. It completely blows away the JB/JS series. I know that because I have all three in one PC right now.

320AAKS
1200JS (SATA)
1600JB (IDE)

The JB has a higher read speed than the JS, as tested using HD Tune. That's pretty sad for a SATA drive! But more importantly, the AAKS literally is almost 2x as fast. ~50MB/s vs. 98MB/s read speeds. I can clearly tell the difference when something is loading off one drive or the other, so it's not just going by a benchmark.

I'm going to replace them both with another 320AAKS shortly. I don't know, maybe I'll get a Seagate for the hell of it? Just stay away from those JS drives if you want a fast, silent SATA drive.