The Product

The Seagate Cheetah 73LP ST373405LW is high-speed storage solution. Featuring 10,000 RPM and the new U160 SCSI, the Cheetah 73LP offers some serious speed. The Cheetah offers several distinct features. Seagate Advanced Multidrive system, Just In Time seek technology, G-force protection and SeaShell, and RV sensor. I want to briefly go over each feature

Advanced MultiDrive System:

This technology is a combination of both hardware and firmware optimizations designed to provide maximum I/O performance when used in RAID solutions. It also features technology which reduces the amount of power needed to power the drive as well as reducing the noise produced from the drive.

Just In Time Seek Technology:

JIT provides a quieter drive and reduces power consumption by intelligentally moving the read/write head. It times the head just right so that it arrives on the target track before the data is rotated under the head.

G-Force Protection And SeaShell:

G-Force protection monitors the drive and helps prevent data corruption caused by movement and shock. The SeaShell packaging greatly reduces shock taken by the drive when handled and moved and helps prevent damage to the drive.

RV Sensor:

This sensor monitors the drive position and detects any movement of the drive. If the drive is moved the RV sensor will compensate for the movement and thus help prevent corrupt data and increase data integrity.

While playing with the Cheetah, cooling was definitely something that came to mind. Using my Raytek MT4 I recorded temperature reads of around 123 - 126'F during high drive activity. Since 10,000RPM drives tend to put of a lot of heat, I would highly recommend purchasing some sort of HD cooler with this drive to help keep the drive cool.

This drive was actually pretty quiet for spinning at 10,000RPM's, a lot quieter than I anticipated. While nowhere near the quietness of a 7200RPM IDE drive, I would say it was comparable to that of a case fan if I had to describe it.

Up Close

Top

Bottom

Side

Rear