Identification of Maxtor HDD

K

KILOWATT

Thanks for your time.
I've heard one time that Maxtor's model numbers gives information like cache
size, capacity, interface type...etc. I can't find the info i need on the
website, nor on Google, yet. Is there's someone who have a good URL who help
to decrypt info on those model numbers?

Also, i would like some infos about this particular model: 6L200S0. I've
noted some discrepancy between a document on the Maxtor's website and what
every websites on the net states. For example, if you go to the following
URL,
http://www.maxtor.com/_files/maxtor/en_us/documentation/data_sheets/diamondm
ax_10_data_sheet.pdf
This document states that the cache memory for capacities under 250GB is
8MB. But on tens on websites i've visited and also on store's websites, it's
stated that the cache memory is 16MB for this 6L200S0 model. Is there's
something i didn't understood? TIA for your reply.


--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for grammatical errors or
omissions, i'm a "pure" french canadian! :)
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)
 
T

Timothy Daniels

KILOWATT said:
Thanks for your time.
I've heard one time that Maxtor's model numbers
gives information like cache size, capacity,
interface type...etc. I can't find the info i need on
the website, nor on Google, yet. Is there's someone
who have a good URL who help to decrypt info on
those model numbers?

Also, i would like some infos about this particular
model: 6L200S0. I've noted some discrepancy
between a document on the Maxtor's website and
what every websites on the net states. For example,
if you go to the following URL,
http://www.maxtor.com/_files/maxtor/en_us/documentation/data_sheets/diamondm
ax_10_data_sheet.pdf
This document states that the cache memory for
capacities under 250GB is 8MB. But on tens on
websites i've visited and also on store's websites,
it's stated that the cache memory is 16MB for this
6L200S0 model. Is there's something i didn't understood?
TIA for your reply.
Click to expand...


It appears that Maxtor no longer makes the 6L200S0 model,
so it's not listed in the .pdf specification document, and what
the document says about the other models conforms to those
8MB/16MB buffer classifications. I saw something similar
with the DiamondMax Plus 9 series and the 40MB capacity.

*TimDaniels*
 
P

Paul

"Sleepy" said:
google
http://www.emaxasp.com/leescomputer/details.asp?item=MX076L200S0
Click to expand...

But if you look in the naming convention here (the "Order Information"
table), the SATA 1.5Gbs 8MB cache have model number xxxxxM0 and
the 16MB cache have model number xxxxxS0. So, while this document
doesn't show your model, by naming convention the 6L200S0 number
says "200GB 16MB cache". The "S0" tells you it is 16MB.

http://www.maxtor.com/_files/maxtor/en_us/documentation/data_sheets/diamondmax_10_data_sheet.pdf

Paul
 
K

KILOWATT

Thanks a lot Timothy, Sleepy and Paul for your useful replies. The next hdd
i wish to buy will be installed in a PC that will be used mainly as a
multimedia one for TV and DVD viewing. The sound level of the hdd must
evidently be low. I'm pretty satisfied of my actual p-ata Diamond Max Plus 9
installed in the actual PC. It's a 80GB. I've read in one of the many forums
i've searched before posting here, that platter density of Maxtor's hdd is
now 100GB per platter. I wish to acquire a 200 or 250GB hdd from the Diamond
Max Plus 10 series. I'm not shure yet. It is ok to assume that the 6L200S0
i've mentioned in my op would be a better choice? I mean
acoustically-speaking, since if the platter density is 100GB/platter, the
6L200S0 should contains two platters instead of three. The result should be
less whining/seek noises...right? TIA.

--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for grammatical errors or
omissions, i'm a "pure" french canadian! :)
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)
 
K

kony

Thanks a lot Timothy, Sleepy and Paul for your useful replies. The next hdd
i wish to buy will be installed in a PC that will be used mainly as a
multimedia one for TV and DVD viewing. The sound level of the hdd must
evidently be low. I'm pretty satisfied of my actual p-ata Diamond Max Plus 9
installed in the actual PC. It's a 80GB. I've read in one of the many forums
i've searched before posting here, that platter density of Maxtor's hdd is
now 100GB per platter.
Click to expand...

It was, but I'm sure it's gone up by now, maybe 125GB per
platter which is typical, but IIRC Seagate is now up to
160GB per platter. It doesn't necessarily matter much
though since below you state a desire for a ~200GB drive so
it would still contain at least 2 platters from any
manufacturer. Note also that they size drives to roughly
correspond to the platter density, that if a modern drive is
250GB, they're typically not going to waste an entire half a
platter (if it were 100GB platter density), it'd be 200GB or
300GB with 2 or 3 instead.

I wish to acquire a 200 or 250GB hdd from the Diamond
Max Plus 10 series. I'm not shure yet. It is ok to assume that the 6L200S0
i've mentioned in my op would be a better choice? I mean
acoustically-speaking, since if the platter density is 100GB/platter, the
6L200S0 should contains two platters instead of three. The result should be
less whining/seek noises...right? TIA.
Click to expand...

Seek noise is mostly a function of which accoustic
management mode is set. I can't even guarantee that
particular model supports setting any given mode but would
expect it does. Fewer platters should be slightly quieter,
but the difference between 2 or 3 should not be
substantial... but again, I dont' think you'll find any
current gen. drive with 200-250GB and 3 platters.
 
P

Paul

"KILOWATT" said:
Thanks a lot Timothy, Sleepy and Paul for your useful replies. The next hdd
i wish to buy will be installed in a PC that will be used mainly as a
multimedia one for TV and DVD viewing. The sound level of the hdd must
evidently be low. I'm pretty satisfied of my actual p-ata Diamond Max Plus 9
installed in the actual PC. It's a 80GB. I've read in one of the many forums
i've searched before posting here, that platter density of Maxtor's hdd is
now 100GB per platter. I wish to acquire a 200 or 250GB hdd from the Diamond
Max Plus 10 series. I'm not shure yet. It is ok to assume that the 6L200S0
i've mentioned in my op would be a better choice? I mean
acoustically-speaking, since if the platter density is 100GB/platter, the
6L200S0 should contains two platters instead of three. The result should be
less whining/seek noises...right? TIA.

--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for grammatical errors or
omissions, i'm a "pure" french canadian! :)
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)
Click to expand...

For acoustic noise, you can either examine the various manufacturer's
datasheets for their products, or you can select "idle noise"
on the storagereview database and list the tested drives there.

http://www.storagereview.com/comparison.html

One reason idle noise is low now, is the industry uses a lot
of FDB (fluid) bearings for disks. That is one reason that
the idle numbers have come down.

But seek noise can still be an issue. You can use the
Hitachi Feature Tool V1.99 on this page:

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/download.htm

to set Quiet Seek Mode on either Hitachi drives or
even other makers drives. Quiet Seek Mode may add a
millisecond or two, to the full stroke seek time, in
an effort to reduce the noise. For playing movies,
you don't need full seek preformance, so you could
try using Quiet Seek Mode.

It is possible that if a disk drive does SMART testing
while the drive is running, you may hear more noise
coming from the drive, than you would have expected.
I don't know if SMART self test can be disabled or not.

Also, for any drive 200GB or above, I recommend more
attention to backups than for smaller drives. Either
review the SMART data, enable the SMART warning in
the BIOS if one is available, or just do more
backups, so there won't be any surprises. If the
data on the drive already exists somewhere else, then
you won't really care about the drive's state of
health.

While you may be tempted to turn the fans down in
your multimedia PC, remember that the disk drive is
the most temperature sensitive component. If the
drive is the first electronic device in the cooling
air stream, that will ensure it gets the best
cooling. That might mean using a perforated grill
right in front of the disk drive, so cool air
enters the computer and flows immediately over your
large drive. Leaving a large disk drive in a "stagnant
corner" of a warm computer is asking for trouble.

HTH,
Paul
 
K

KILOWATT

Also, for any drive 200GB or above, I recommend more
attention to backups than for smaller drives.
Click to expand...
Paul, do you mean that with the highest density platters, the risk for data
corruption is significantly higher than others?
 

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