Image processing

Adobe Photoshop

ACDSee PowerPack

WorldBench's ACDSee workload creates huge problems for the IDE Flash, but the SATA25 is unfazed, finishing the test almost four times faster. The SATA25 isn't quick enough to catch either 7,200-RPM mobile drive, however.

Multitasking and office applications

Microsoft Office

Mozilla

Mozilla and Windows Media Encoder

The tables turn briefly in WorldBench's Office XP test, where the older IDE Flash takes top honors and the SATA25 languishes at the back of the pack. The drive redeems itself somewhat in WorldBench's multitasking test, but it's not much faster than the competition there.

Other applications

WinZip

Nero

WinZip doesn't look good for either solid-state offering, with even the SATA25 taking nearly twice as long as the closest 7,200-RPM mobile drive to complete the test. Fortunately, the SATA25 springs back in Nero, where it's more than four times faster the IDE Flash. In that test, the SATA25 proves faster than the Momentus and Travelstar, as well.