This utility is typically used to discern whether a given drive has enough throughput to play back specific video formats smoothly. We use the macOS-only BlackMagic Disk Speed Test (Opens in a new window) app from professional media software firm DaVinci to perform this test. Our next test measures a drive's throughput in bits per second. The score is only meaningful relative to other scores. We mention this score in each review and compare it with the scores that other, competing drives received. The PCMark 7 Secondary Storage test results in a proprietary score that is usually in the thousands. These simulated workloads include a Windows Defender virus scan, an image-import task, a video-editing session, and application launches. The Secondary Storage test is trace-based, which means it measures how quickly software commands are performed during everyday workloads to which you might subject your PC. The company's benchmarking apps are used not only by publications like PCMag, but also by drive and PC manufacturers themselves. Our most wide-ranging benchmark is the PCMark 7 Secondary Storage test. We also test on a 2016 MacBook Pro, using the Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, for certain of our tests. We test external drives using an Intel X299-based testbed equipped with all the trimmings, including a USB 3.1 Gen 2 USB Type-C port. So we've designed our drive-testing procedures at PC Labs to approximate the speeds you can expect while accomplishing a comprehensive array of common tasks: reflecting both best-case scenarios, and real-world use.

Buying a new internal hard drive can make apps load faster and shorten system bootup times, while springing for a new external drive could shave minutes off your next routine backup or the transfer of your large collection of photos and videos.Ī hard drive's speed can vary significantly based not only on its theoretical top transfer speeds, but also on your usage patterns. Reading and writing files to and from a hard drive is one of the most crucial choke points in a PC.

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