Test System

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (Supplied by Intel)

Motherboard: XFX 680i SLi (Supplied by XFX USA)

Memory: 2x 1GB DDR2-1200 (Supplied by Winchip)

Graphics Card: ASUS HD 3870 TOP (Supplied by ASUS)

Cooling: GIGABYTE 3D Galaxy II (Supplied by GIGABYTE)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate

Drivers: NVIDIA 15.17

Controller: Areca 1231ML (Supplied by DVNation.com)

The above setup is what will be used for all hard disk reviews hereon. Hard disks designed primarily for use in notebooks are also tested in the above system. However, some tests which are for determining the effect on battery life simply cannot be run on a desktop. All battery related tests are performed on a Lenovo T61 with WiFi enabled.