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TechnologyX uses benchmark software called PCMark Vantage x64 HDD Suite to create testing scenarios that might be used in the typical user experience. There are eight tests in all and the tests performed record the speed of data movement in MB/s to which they are then given a numerical score after all of the tests are complete. The simulations are as follows:
- Windows Defender In Use
- Streaming Data from storage in games such as Alan Wake which allows for massive worlds and riveting non-stop action
- Importing digital photos into Windows Photo Gallery
- Starting the Vista Operating System
- Home Video editing with Movie Maker which can be very time consuming
- Media Center which can handle video recording, time shifting and streaming from Windows media center to an extender such as Xbox
- Cataloging a music library
- Starting applications
PCMARK VANTAGE RESULTS
Our PCMark Vantage storage suite testing indicates that the DY01ACA300 HDD is quickest while utilizing Windows Media Center at 100.36MB/s and Windows Photo Gallery at 87.26MB/s. It was slowest at application loading, with a result of 6.11MB/s. The total score of 5946 is about 11% higher than any other 3TB HDD that we have tested.
PCMark 8 allows us to do some extended storage testing with this drive. There are a total of ten testing scenarios that involve gaming applications, Adobe software including Photoshop and Illustrator, and Microsoft Office functions. The total test run takes over three hours to complete.
PCMark 8 extended testing showed the DT01ACA300 was quickest with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint, at elapsed times of 18.7s and 18.6s, respectively. As we see with most other HDDs, it was slowest with Adobe Photoshop (heavy), with an elapsed time of 425.6s. However, the total score of 2850 and storage bandwidth of 13.4MB/s are both a bit higher than other 3TB HDDs that we have tested.
REPORT ANALYSIS AND FINAL THOUGHTS
It has not been that many years ago that we thought a mechanical spinning-platter HDD that could best 100MB/s sequential reads was a top performer. We are now seeing a number of 7200 rpm HDDs that are bumping up against (and even besting) the 200MB/s threshold. But momentary performance is not the same as sustained performance, and what makes any storage device more worthy of investing our hard-earned dollars in over another is the comparison of sustained performance – in other words consistency.
Toshiba’s DT01ACA300 HDD is a consistent performer. In our ATTO testing, it attained over 190MB/s sequential reads and writes for all transfer sizes of 16KB and larger, being under 190MB/s for only the smallest 1/3 of the transfer sizes. This demonstrates a high level of consistent performance. Our Anvil testing gave us a total score that was 20% higher than other similar drives. Our PCMark Vantage HDD suite testing gave us a total score that was 10% higher than other similar drives. In our HD Tune Pro testing, we even saw burst speeds of nearly 418MB/s, this is flash storage territory.
Toshiba’ DT01ACA300 HDD is a top-performing mechanical drive. We saw a number of benchmark results that best any of the 3TB mechanical HDDs that we have previously tested. Note that in the PCMark Vantage testing, this HDD excelled with both Windows Media Center and Windows Photo Gallery – in other words, content creation. Although this drive is marketed as a client HDD, we are seeing performance that should also appeal to media professionals and other content creators, and 3TB of capacity in a single drive to boot. The DT01ACA300 (as of publication) is currently selling on Amazon for $88.95 – a top performing mechanical HDD for under $0.03/GB! Toshiba’s DT01ACA300 HDD has earned our top value award!
Check out Toshiba DT01ACA300 HDD pricing on Amazon!
Review Overview
Build quality
Performance
Availability
Warranty
Pricing
Excellent value!
Toshiba' DT01ACA300 HDD is less than $0.03/GB for 3TB of premium mechanical storage! This is an excellent storage add-on when capacity is needed at a very low cost!
I love this drive very easy to install, they only problem is after installing the HDD you have only 2.7TB available, but that’s for most HDD & Companies they shouldn’t advertise 3,4,5TB if they are giving you less after is formatted and ready.
It’s 3TB because they’re using the accurate definition of the tera- prefix, it’s a 3 trillion byte drive.
Yep. 3*10^12 / 1024 / 1024 / 1024 / 1024 bytes = 2.728 TB. And then the filesystem takes up some, but not much.
‘accurate’ meaning completely inaccurate bastardization forced into place by hdd manufacturers years ago. It was the community that created a new word that was actually accurate since HDD manufacturers were causing an uproar with their 1000 bytes per MB nonsense instead of REALITY which is 1024 bytes per MB.
Yes, but this is like ford making a car that can run at 100mph but when you receive it it run at 100 kph (100mph = 160,2 km). And the big the hdd is most percent of it you lose. With gb you lose about 7,38% and with tb you lose 9,96%.
A lot of the missing space, if not all of it, is taken up by your file system itself. That’s the way the computer indexes and keeps track of data on the hdd and takes up some of the drive’s usable capacity.
Your drive has 3 Trillion bytes windows uses different math to calculate and divide it with 1024 instead of 1000
why the user rating only 2.9 ?
I’ve had two of these units and they both failed at separate times. In both cases, the motor failed to spin up. Diagnostics by a qualified electronic tech showed that in both cases, the circuit board’s spindle motor control circuit failed beyond the fuse and diode protected power leads. I can handle one failure, but two in the exact same fashion? I avoid Toshiba hard drives now.