Wow! The USB HDD is delivering 98MB/40MB per second. CrystalMark speeds are impressive! Need some advice?
Wow! The USB HDD is delivering 98MB/40MB per second. CrystalMark speeds are impressive! Need some advice?
I checked the screenshot and noticed the RPM details. From what I understand, their 1TB 2.5" models use SMR technology, while the Exos models don’t.
It seems like the system is showing the correct drive as E: drive with a serial ATA interface, which is unusual. The USB connection might be causing this behavior.
Yep, that's a bog standard laptop hard drive from several years ago. The Seagate documentation for that model lists a maximum speed of 140MB/s, which is under completely ideal conditions. You're not using this drive under those conditions, and the real world performance will be lower. Based on that the speeds you're getting are fine. That's completely normal. It's a SATA hard drive, and it's connected with a SATA to USB adapter inside the enclosure. That's why it's listed as a SATA drive.
Back then, a few years ago, I noticed something odd about the 140MB/s claim—it seemed misleading. The description didn’t match what I expected when purchasing it. I’m relieved it turned out okay. Thanks to JL for pointing out the policy update made a real difference. Originally it took over three hours, now it’s just 45 minutes. I’m fine with these times. Speaking of connections, it’s SATA, but labeled as portable, which is less than ideal. Cheers!
The numbers shown for mechanical hard drives usually apply only under certain conditions. Actual performance varies significantly in everyday situations. Moving numerous small files at once? Disregard the speed rating on the packaging. When handling big files, the rated speed may not match real-world results. As a laptop drive, a 5400 RPM unit offers limited performance during operation. Right now, I rarely rely on portable 2.5" hard drives—they're too slow compared to alternatives. SSDs have become extremely affordable. You can purchase a brand-new 1TB SSD for around $36 today, and SATA enclosures are available for under $10. The SATA-to-USB conversion won't noticeably affect speed for such drives, so it shouldn't cause problems. Ultimately, they'll all function via SATA to USB connections.
It looks like the device is improving, but be sure to remove it manually if you're finished. This helps avoid leftover data in Windows. Lower performance mode ensures safer writes during unplugging, even though it slows things down. I didn’t find any mention of this drive being SMR in the spec you shared. Based on the information, the model was likely introduced around 2015. Wikipedia notes SMR began appearing in 2013, but widespread adoption came later—possibly around 2020 when budget NAS drives adopted it.