Which is faster? Serial ATA or ATA/133 Parallel ATA?
By Jamie Dresser
When we received our first batch of the new FirmTek SeriTek/1S2 Serial ATA (SATA) controller cards, we all wondered how the performace would compare to "old fashioned" ATA. Well, since receiving the Maxtor MaxLine Plus II SATA and PATA drives that are nearly identical, that makes this head to head matchup a no brainer. With drives that are based on identical mechanisms, with only the controller interface being the difference, this should prove very interesting!
The players:
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Maxtor MaxLine Plus II 250GB SATA and PATA Drives
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Maxtor® MaXLine Plus II drives are ultra-reliable enterprise-class disk drives designed for low I/O applications such as near-line, NAS and other secondary storage solutions. MaXLine Plus II offers better speed and density compared to tape or optical archiving solutions for superior near-line storage. MaXLine Plus II drives are ideal for low-transactional enterprise applications where cost per GB and storage density are critical parameters. They offer 7200 RPM spin speeds, capacities to 250GB, <9.0 ms average seek time, a choice of Maxtor-developed Ultra ATA/133 or Serial ATA interfaces, an 8MB buffer and an outstanding warranty.
Click here for more information about either of these drives.
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SIIG UltraATA 133/100 Pro
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The SIIG UltraATA 133/100 Pro IDE Controller card is an ideal addition to either your older Macintosh that you wish to boost the drive speed on, or to add multiple IDE channels for faster drive access. This card even allows you to use drives larger than 137GB with your older Macintosh!
Click here for more information about this controller card.
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FirmTek SeriTek/1S2
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The SeriTek/1S2 Host Adapter provides an easy and affordable way for Macintosh users to take advantage of the latest in Serial ATA storage interface technology. Macintosh users can achieve SCSI-like high-performance and data protection without the SCSI-like price. The SeriTek/1S2 boosts overall system performance with data transfer rates of up to 150MBytes/sec or 1.5Gbits/sec.
In addition, the SeriTek/1S2 supports thinner and longer insulated Serial ATA cables with smaller 7-pin connectors which allows for easier installation and improved airflow, compared to wider and shorter Parallel ATA cables. Improved airflow results in a cooler Macintosh operating environment.
Click here for more information about this controller card.
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Performance Testing
All benchmarks performed in a stock Power Macintosh G4 2x1.25GHz
FireWire 800 System running Mac OS X 10.2.8
Using the above listed SATA and PATA Controller cards
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Click on any of the images for a larger view
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Serial ATA
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Parallel ATA
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Conclusion:
Whichever way you decide to go, the performance on either of these combinations is just fantastic! Choose the tried and true IDE/ATA drive setup, or the up and coming SATA drives - performace is so neck and neck it's hard to call a clear cut winner on this test. In raw performance, the nod goes to ATA drives; but considering SATA is in it's infancy still I would bet within 6 to 12 months the tide has turned and SATA will be the new standard we all look to.
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