Ever wonder if the performance of your internal Hard Drive matches up to that of an external Hard Drive? It may sound like a high level technical point; one which is not important to the general user. So important is the modern hard drive's ability to store masses of data, and such is the ability of external hard drive technology to deliver stunning performance that it is worth considering which is best. As such, in the article How to Install a SATA Hard Drive in an External Enclosure I discussed the installation process of an external hard drive and comparison tested performance against the internal C:\. This brief article discusses the testing methodology used and performance criteria of the NexStar 3 external eSATA hard enclosure by Vantec Thermal Technologies.
Robust testing tool used and why? The testing application, DiskBench, was found at
http://www.nodesoft.com/DiskBench/Default.aspx
Their website page for the application says that the program is designed to check how fast the hard disk drives are in a real life situation – “Not in a synthetic benchmarking program that will display figures that I will never be able to meet.”
DiskBench requires that Microsoft’s .NET ("dot net") package be installed on the PC. If your PC doesn’t have it, it’s a very hefty download. (500 MB+ for the latest version.) The program itself is tiny and runs from the folder in which you unzip it. Included is a “DownloadDetails.NET” internet shortcut (link) if you need to obtain .NET. The figure below shows the DiskBench startup screen. In it, the program is loading and building the application “form.”
