Noise levels
Noise levels were measured with an Extech 407727 Digital Sound Level meter 1" from the side of the drives at idle and under an HD Tach seek load. Drives were run with the PCB facing up.

Thus far, we haven't been able to spot a weakness in the 750GB Caviar's performance, but one finally emerges when we turn our attention to noise levels. At idle, the drive's hum is a little louder than expected. Two decibels separate the 750GB SE16 from the quietest drives at idle, although the difference is hard to discern from even a few feet away.

Fortunately, the 750GB Caviar bounces back when we start the seek process. A seek load adds less than a decibel to the drive's noise levels, and that's enough to propel it into third place.

Power consumption
For our power consumption tests, we measured the voltage drop across a 0.1-ohm resistor placed in line with the 5V and 12V lines connected to each drive. Through the magic of Ohm's Law, we were able to calculate the power draw from each voltage rail and add them together for the total power draw of the drive.

While the 750GB Caviar can't match the power draw of drives with significantly less capacity—higher capacities require additional platters, adding weight that the drive motor must work harder to rotate—it easily pulls less juice than Seagate's 750GB offerings. The Caviar's advantage over the 'cuda is particularly prominent under load, where IntelliSeek appears to pay dividends.