Maxtor's Atlas 10K V SCSI hard drive

ALTHOUGH SCSI DRIVES have long boasted higher reliability, longer warranties, faster spindle speeds, and generally better performance than IDE and Serial ATA drives, SCSI storage density has been one step behind. Today's largest Serial ATA drives offer 400GB of storage capacity, and while these exotic monsters are rare, 200-250GB SATA drives are widely available for as low as $130. In the SCSI world, most drives top out at around 147GB. They generally spin at 10,000RPM—nearly 40% faster than high-capacity Serial ATA and IDE drives—but lower capacities make the drives less appealing to those looking to maximize storage density.

Fortunately, help is on the way for SCSI fans seeking higher capacities. Maxtor's new Atlas 10K V is packed with 73.5GB platters and available in capacities up to 300GB. With a 10K-RPM spindle speed, seek times between 4.0 and 4.9ms, and a maximum sustained transfer rate of 89MB/sec, the Atlas 10K V should be no slouch when it comes to performance, either. Read on for more on what the Atlas 10K V offers and how its performance compares to a handful of 10K and 15K-RPM SCSI drives, plus a couple of Serial ATA Raptors.