Macsimum review: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 a great laptop hard drive
Available in capacities up to 500 GB with 16MB of cache and a SATA 3Gb/s NCQ interface (I test drove the former on my MacBook), the Momentus 7200.4 laptop hard drive is great for mainstream and performance laptops -- as well as workstations, small form factor desktop systems, industrial applications and non-mission-critical blade servers. With its 2.5-inch design, it fits the MacBook Pro, the MacBook and the Mac mini.
Seagate says the Momentus 7200.4 only uses slightly more power than a slower 5400 rpm drive as it leverages the company's laptop power management technology. I could tell no discernible difference in battery life, but a noticeable difference in performance, especially in regards to iMovie, Final Cut Express and games. For some specific stats, check out Bare Fears test.
The Seagate Momentus 7200.4 is pretty darn quiet thanks to its QuietStep technology (which, per Seagate, "enables ultra-quiet load/unload acoustics") and a dynamic bearing motor.
The drive is supposedly very durable. I'll take Seagate's word for it, as I'm not about to bang on my Apple laptop to find out just how rugged it is. Momentus drives are purportedly built tough enough to withstand up to 1,000 Gs of non-operating shock and 350 Gs of operating shock to protect drive data, making the drives ideal for systems that are subject to rough handling or high levels of vibration.
Also, the Momentus 7200.4 is offered with G-Force Protection, a free-fall sensor technology that helps prevent drive damage and data loss upon impact if a laptop is dropped. The sensor works by detecting any changes in acceleration equal to the force of gravity and parks the heads off the disc to prevent contact with the platter in a free fall of as little as eight inches and within 3/10 of a second.
Overall, the Seagate Momentus 7200.4 drive offers the best combination of capacity, mobility and durability in a laptop hard drive that I've seen. You can get it for around US$160.
Macsimum rating: 10 out of 10