Hitachi DeskStar T7K250: 250 GB Champion

We called the T7K250 a "turbo version" of the 7K250 in our first test of this drive. And indeed, this drive noticeably outperforms the 7K250. The reason for this difference is its higher data density: instead of nearly 90 GB per platter, the T-model - we hope Mercedes forgives us this appropriation of their trade name - packs nearly 130 GB per platter. There are only two versions in this family: 160 GB or 250 GB. In light of the small price difference between these two, we recommend the 250 GB version.

You can also obtain this drive in an UltraATA/133 version, but we haven't tested that model for some time. Still, even though the SATA version of the T7K250 supports SATA II, the UltraATA shouldn't lag too far behind those performance numbers.