[SOLVED] hard drive speeds

[bobbee25]

3 identical 5tb hard drives, each having 2 partitions. ntfs formatted..
When running the crystaldiskmark speed tests, partitions on the same drive show significant differences in both read and write tests. Shouldn't partitions on the same drive produce similar results ?
Anyway to increase the speeds ?

 

[USAFRet]

Partitions on a spinning drive can indeed be slower or faster.
Generally, the partition on the outer portion of the drive will read faster.

At a constant 7200 or 5400 RPM, the outer portion will be going by the drive head faster (more feet per second) than the inner portions of the drive.
This is just the way it works.

 

[geofelt]

The outer drive tracks are larger so they have more data.
Each full revolution transfers more data, hence a higher transfer rate.

Is there a good reason for partitioning the drives?

 

[bobbee25]

Makes sense, thanks.
We have media servers an use partitions to simplify categories.

 

[geofelt]

Your simplification comes with a performance penalty.
When you divide a HDD into two partitions, the data on each will be separated, on average by half the range of the drive.
If you access one partition and then the other, the access arm needs to do a relatively long positioning seek before it can read/write the data.
If drive performance is important to your apps, see if you can do something about it.


With just one partition, data will be allocated starting with the faster, outer portion of the drive with added allocations moving in towards the inner parts.
There may be a way in windows to set up virtual drive letters for simplification of categories.
A more expert windows person than I could show you how.

One solution would be to add 3 more drives so each category can have it's own drive.
A SSD with no access latency would be the ideal solution, but then with 5gb needs you would be looking at expensive server type devices.

Another approach would be to schedule your apps so that only one partition per drive is being used at any one time.

 

[bobbee25]

I have an SSD for the os.
Then 3, 5tb drives, Rarely do I copy between partitions on the same drive.