DiamondMax Plus 45GB Hard Drive
Hmmm… The overall impression. Well lets start with the noise levels. The DiamondMax Plus 45 drive produces noise levels that’s in par with most other 7200 RPM drives in the market. Due to Maxtor’s silent storeTM utility the noise levels are reduced to a certain extent and is tolerable.
As for the heat levels;well,the tests show there really isn’t a significant difference between the other 7200-RPM drives. Even after several hours of testing the drive’s heat level varied from 42°- 46° Celsius, which is quite acceptable for a 7200 RPM drive. However for some this might pose as a threat,and therefore my recommendation is that you get a nifty hard drive cooler, which will solve the problem. Check out Coolerguys.com and 3D cool.com, they produce some effective HDD coolers.
How does the DiamondMax Plus 45 drive fare when it comes to performance??? Looking at the test results you can come to the conclusion that the DM plus 45 isn’t the fastest drive in town, yet it definitely is not the slowest either. Out of the tests I believe IBM’s Deskstar 75GXP still holds its position as the best IDE drive around. However there’s a significant cost advantage by opting for the DM plus 45. Besides the IBM drive doesn’t lead the tests in great margin to the DM plus 45, so for the price it’s offered at,I think the DiamondMax Plus 45 is certainly a good deal to go for. If you are looking for a drive with ultimate peak performance then the DM plus will not suite you. However if your requirements are less demanding, then the drive’s performance is quite adequate. When deciding on one of these drives you might also want to consider Maxtor’s warranty and other service features as well, since not many offer anything similar.
As a final comment I’ll just say that if you’re looking for a drive with performance almost similar to the IBM 75GXP but for a lesser cost, then the DiamondMax Plus 45 is no doubt one great option you should not overlook. However the final decider is you, so consider whether your requirements are extreme hardcore or mediocre and then decide on the best option.
