Hi Good Peoples,

Hoping someone can explain, or point me in the right direction so that I can get a better understanding of some speeds that don't make a whole lot of sense to me. My Laptop HDD, although reasonably new seemed very slow so I decided to upgrade it. I went form a WD 500GB 5400rpm with 8MB cache to an Hitachi 500GB 7200rpm with 16Mb of cache (Travelstar 7K500.) (I am not worried about heat as it sits on a Belkin Fan unit most of the time.)

Before I installed the drive, I cloned it and then tried it as as external eSATA drive on my desktop computer (Phemon II Quad with 6GB RAM.) It was tested using DiskTT.exe

It Wrote at 85.5 Read at 95.3 and Random Access was 8.0
When I installed it in the Laptop (Intel Core Duo P8600 @ 2.4GHz and 4GB RAM) the results were
It Wrote at 52.9 Read at 60.9 and Random Access was 5.6

Why is the drive so much slower when it is in the Laptop? Surely the processor cant make that much of a difference? Can it?

Cheers
Ric

Could be that your laptop is not SATA II whereas the drive is..

_________________
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you probably don't fully understand the situation. ... Mr Kipling

https://www.mjm.co.uk/

agreed with selfpalming Simba. =)

Thanks. Now for a stupid question..... How do I tell if the laptop is SATA or SATA II?

Go the the MFG web site and get full specs for the computer

Thanks. I have been to the Dell site and looked at the original config of my laptop. It only mentions SATA, but then I had a look at some of their medium priced ($1500+ desktops and they also only mention SATA with no mention of SATA II. ?????

The following is the list of my complete config.... Is there anything here that actually tells if kit is SATA or SATA II?
1 00159 INFO,1ST BOOT,HARD DRIVE
1 01323 INFO,NO ITEM
1 0P216 Country Info Mod (AUSTRALIA)
1 23501 LBL,BRCD,SYSBOX,GNRC
4 2864D SCR,M3X3,KSH,MS,BLO
1 3K644 INFO,XP,APIC-CONTROLLER
12 4270E SCR,M2X3,KSH,MS,BLO
1 57154 SRV,SW,FIST
1 58548 INFO,SW,STUFF,10MB
1 6337P LBL,SVCTAG/EXPRESSCODE,LATC
30 63PDH SCR,M2.5x5,PHH,TF,BCS
1 8564U INFO,SW,DEFAULT,NTFS
1 9N534 INFO,COUNTRY,AUSTRALIA,APCC
1 C027H KIT,SW,CRTV,CMRA,CSMR,W#3
1 C100D LBL,REG,WRLES,5100,INSP,APCC
1 C132M Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz/ 1066 FSB/ 3MB Cache)
1 C233M 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570
1 C234M ASSY,BASE,NBK,DISCRT,1555,512F
1 C237M Direct Services Tech Sheet ANZ
1 C5245 SRV,OS,WXPSP1,W2KSP4,SUN-JRE
1 C569K KYBD,86,US,ENG,ILSB II
1 C797C SRV,HTML,WRLES,HMCRD,INSP,M09
1 C978H KIT,SW,SNVS,FCRG,2.3-00
1 CT097 SRV,OS,VISTA,FLASH,INSTALLER
1 CT359 INFO,SW,MCAFEE-SEC-PROVIDER
1 CT817 INFO,VSTA,PREM
1 CU458 INFO,DIRSHP,QTA,1501
1 CY256 CRD,NTWK,HMCRD,5100
1 D115M BASE,NBK,STUDIO,1555
1 D157D SRV,SW,RXO,10,DE
1 D179D INFO,RYLTY,SNVS,FCRG
1 D181D INFO,RYLTY,SGTSPD,CHAT
1 D282K Dell DataSafe Local Backup Basic
1 D510D INFO,DX@V101000
1 D809N INFO,FLASH@V,1001236
1 DR464 Genuine Windows Vista(R) Premium Label
1 F009M SHP MTL,NBK,LCD-KYBD,15.6
1 F214K SRV,SW,DTSV,BSC,2.0
1 F214N HD,500GB,S2,5.4K,2.5,WD-ML250
1 F217N SRV,SW,CRTV,CMRA,CSMR,W#3
1 F219N Camera Software
1 F220N Camera Software Media Kit
1 F464K SRV,OS,VISTA,SP1,Q953403
1 F811K PRC,P8600,2.4,3MB,CPEN,25W,R0
1 F818K SRV,DRVR,INTEL,CS,INSP,1555
1 F819K SRV,SW,LOM,DRVR,1555
1 F930K User Guide (English)
1 G030N SHP MTL,CSHN,STUDIO,15XX
1 G202D INFO,IE@V,76001
1 G484K Dell(TM) Backlit Keyboard with Touchpad (English)
1 G765G LBL,REG,WRLES,BLTH,370,APCC
1 GW783 SHP MTL,BAG,NBK,12.5X18,PLYFM
1 H013M Shipment Box without Carrying Case
1 H099H Cyberlink PowerDVD Software
1 H138H SRV,SW,PDVD,8.1,DVD,CSMR
1 H162K LCD,15.6,FHD,LED,TLF,LGP
1 H198K System Driver Mod
1 H199K SRV,DRVR,AUD,INSP,1555
1 H200K SRV,SW,RICOH,FLASH,INSP,1555
1 H871J SRV,OS,VISTA,ALL,Q948863
1 HG095 SRV,SW,EDIAGS,NBK
1 HW387 DVD+/-RW,8X,SATA,SLOT,TSST
1 HW426 90W AC Adapter
1 HY806 SRV,SW,DELL-WELCOME,TLOB
1 J017D INFO,RYLTY,DELL-DOCK,CSMR
1 J018D SRV,SW,DELL-DOCK,CSMR
1 J019D Dell(TM) Dock Software
1 J156M SRV,SW,MCAF,SAPPHIRE,30DAY,MUI
1 J186K SRV,APPL,QIK-SET,INSP,1555
1 J187K SRV,DRVR,TPAD,INSP,1555
1 J190K SRV,DRVR,ATI,VID,INSP,1555
1 J210N Regulatory Label
1 J211C INFO,WMP@V,11000
1 J277H eBay Web Access Software
1 J280H SRV,SW,EBAY,SRCH,CSMR
1 J282K KIT,DOC,BDR,ENG,1555,APCC,CCC
1 J398P INFO,SUN@V,16011
1 J435P SRV,SW,OFCHS-2K7,TRL,AP
1 J645J TSH,CONT,INSP,STDO,VOS,AUS
1 J652G SRV,OS,VISTA,J652G,Q945533V2
1 J665C Power Cord (ANZ)
1 J908C 4GB (2X2GB) DDR2 SDRAM Memory
1 J980H INFO,EBAY,SRCH, RYLTY
1 JM634 SRV,OS,PRL-PEV
1 JP927 Dell(TM) Welcome Note
1 JR749 Directship Info Mod
1 K123H KIT,SW,PDVD,8.1-00,DVD
1 K143J ASSY,CMRA,2M,D-MCPHN,HANKS
1 K586J SRV,OS,VISTA,ALL,Q945518
1 K801C SRV,SW,WKS,9,ENG
1 K814H Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium (64-bit)
1 KM905 BTRY,PRI,85WHR,9C,LITH,SIMPLO
1 KX184 INFO,WINRE-SIZE,2,GB-PTN
1 M104H INFO,RYLTY,PDVD,8.1,DVD
1 M153K SRV,OS,VISTA,SP1,Q955840
1 M434H Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 QFE
1 M487J Internal 8X DVD + /-RW Combination Drive with dual layer write capabilities
1 M8192 SRV,SW,MCAF-SCTY,UPDATES
1 M951C SRV,SW,GDE,CLNT,EN,WW
1 MN234 INFO,WINRE-SIZE,10,GB-PTN
1 MN483 LBL,MS,VSTA,PREM,SML
1 MT731 CORD,PWR,250V,2.5A,1M,C5,E,AUS
1 MY297 LBL,FASC,INTEL,CARTON
1 N087N SRV,DRVR,SATA,IMSM,INSP,1555
1 N172H Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium 64 bit SP1 (English) DVD Media IncludedÂ
1 N374F INFO,RBDG,STUDIO,NBK
1 N533M McAfee(R) Security Center(TM) (30 days Trial Version)
1 N534M INFO,MCAF,SAPPHIRE,30DAY,RYLTY
1 NJ608 INFO,VPEPR,64BIT
1 NU242 INFO,WINRE-SIZE,15,GB-PTN
1 P005H KIT,SW,RXO,10.2-0,DE
1 P108X #MOD,SW,DTSV,OL,1.1
1 P155D 500GB SATA Hard Drive
1 P166F Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium SP1 COA labelÂ
1 P375H INFO,DTSV,OL,2GB-FREE
1 P560G CRD,WRLES,BLTH,370,FXCN,5DB,NB
2 P575H INFO,SW,NO-KIT
1 P737M Sensible Vision FastAccess Facial Recognition Software Kit
1 P879M INFO,RYLTY,CRTV,CMRA,CSMR,W#3
1 P880M SRV,SW,SNVS,FCRG,2.3-00
1 P881M Sensible Vision FastAccess Facial Recognition Software
1 P911C SRV,DRVR,WRLES,HMCRD,INSP,M09
1 P926C BRKT,MET,LF,BK,OPT-DR,P/H
1 PJ289 INFO,VPEPR
1 R009M SHP MTL,BOX,NBK,SML
1 R0920 SRV,OS,WXP,W2K,DIRECT-X
1 R588G Intel(R) Centrino(R) 2 Label
1 R744C LBL,COA,OS,VHP3/6,V#2008
1 R921F Intel(R) WiFi Link 5100 (802.11a/g/n) Half Mini-card
1 RM857 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 T190H #MOD, SW, DTSV, OL, 2GB-free
1 T2673 SRV,OS,WXP,OCA-MARKER
1 T647H Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium 64 bit SP1 (English) DVD Media Included
1 T649H SRV,SW,DTSV,OL,1.1
1 T712G ASSY,BRKT,HD,HANKS
1 T954M Dell(TM) Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module
1 TM318 INFO,SLP2,ENABLE,WINDOWS
1 TX271 SRV,SW,VSTA,PC-RESTORE,ALL
2 TX760 DIMM,2GB,800,256X64,8K,200
1 U085M LBL,REG,NBK,HANKS,APCC,QTCF
1 U139N SRV,APPS,WRLES,BLTH,370,5DB,NB
1 U141N SRV,DRVR,WRLES,BLTH,370,5DB,NB
1 U142N SRV,HTML,WRLES,INT,BLTH,370,NB
1 U820C BRKT,MET,RT,BK,OPT-DR,P/H
1 U829F Silver Palmrest
1 U834F ASSY,PLMRST,PLSTC,SILVER,HANKS
1 U837F Shipment Mod
1 U904F SRV,SW,W/PAPER,STUDIO
1 U929N INFO,RYLTY,WKS,9,AP
1 U930N Microsoft Works (Microsoft Office Home & Student 60-Day Trial Pre-installed)
1 U933N KIT,SW,WKS,9,ENG
1 U934N Microsoft(R) Works CD Kit
1 U943P TSH,DRIVER DOWNLOAD,ENG
1 UP051 SRV,SW,WLCM-CTR-CSTMS,TLOB
1 W255G LBL,INTEL,NBK,CMT2
2 W326F SCR,M2X2,FPH,THDRLG,NPL,SNO
1 W396J Ruby Red Colour with Black U-Trim
1 W397J ASSY,CVR,BK,NBK,PNT,RED,BLK
1 W403M SHP MTL,BOX,NBK,RETAIL,ACC
1 W438J Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Web Cam
1 W440J BZL,LED,W/,CMRA,HANKS
1 W633J KIT,MEDIA,DVD,DRVR,RDVD,1555
1 W634J System Driver DVD Kit
1 W696M 15.6 " Full HD(1080p)WLED (1920 x 1080)Display with True
1 W805M ASSY,CBL,LED,LCD,W/,CMRA,DUAL
1 W871N Windows Live Software
1 W887C INFO,RYLTY,SW,RXO,10,DE
1 W913C SRV,SW,SGTSPD,CHAT
1 W914C Dell(TM) Chat Software
1 W943J ASSY,CVR,HNG,KYBD,PLSTC,HANKS
1 W981J ASSY,BRKT,SPRT,LCD,LED,HANKS
1 WK890 ADPT,AC,90W,DLTA,3P,WW,M09
1 X166D INFO,QFE,VISTA,SP1,CONSUMER
1 X278C SRV,OS,WXP,DOTNET,FRMWK,WBI
1 X860G SRV,OS,VHP64SP1,ENG
1 X903C INFO,RYLTY,KYBD,BLIT,XLOB
1 X9675 INFO,.NET@V,11000
2 XK353 INFO,.NET@V,20000
1 XK354 INFO,.NET@V,30000
1 XK547 SRV,OS,VSTA,WMDC
1 XM544 Dell(TM) PC-Restore
1 Y139H SRV,OS,VISTA,SP1,Q942567,VWFP
1 Y140J ASSY,HTSNK,INTEL,DISCRT,1555
1 Y529N SRV,UTIL,PWR,MGMT,INSP,1555
1 Y573C Roxio Creator 10
1 Y739K SRV,DRVR,INTG-CMRA,1555
1 Y923N SRV,SW,WINDOWS-LIVE,CSMR
2 YG980 INFO,VISTA
1 YJ528 SRV,SW,SYSM-TRAY-CLNR
1 YK191 INFO,SW,30DAY

Cheers
Ric

Email their tech support.. Give them the model number and serial number.

_________________
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you probably don't fully understand the situation. ... Mr Kipling

https://www.mjm.co.uk/

Thanks.... will do. Given the cost and the fact the machine is only 10 months old, I would be surprised if it is not II

Cheers
Ric

Which SATA controllers can you see in Device Manager?

Assuming I am looking at the right thing, under IDE ATA/ATPI controllers, there is a listing for Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Controller.

Use regedit.exe to search your registry for your SATA controller's PCI VENdor and DEVice IDs.

I don't use Vista, but in Win98SE they are located at the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\PCI

There are better tools, such as PCItree, but I don't know which are compatible with Vista.

Thanks again. I spent about 30 minutes on the phone to Dell and apparently it is a SATA II. Now as soon as they replace the (expletive deleted) mother (expletive deleted) board, I can get back to testing the speeds.

Cheers
Ric