Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!beartrk!cjp
From: cjp@beartrk.beartrack.com (CJ Pilzer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Imprimis drives   was Re: 386 questions
Summary: Partition size affects measured seek rate
Message-ID: <421@beartrk.beartrack.com>
Date: 9 Jul 90 16:31:11 GMT
References: <3440@crash.cts.com> <13423@udenva.cair.du.edu>
Organization: Bear Track Computer Co., Takoma Park, MD.
Lines: 23

In article <13423@udenva.cair.du.edu>, news@udenva.cair.du.edu (netnews) writes:
> i have an Imprimis St-1100 (i think); it is an IDE 128MB
> 
> before i got it , i saw it perform 15.5 millisecond seeks. (average)
> on my machine, i doesn't do better than 16.4; 
> 
> what factors cause the variation? it was in an SX at the store, my machine
> is a 386-25.
> 

Since the disk is over 32mb, there is a good chance that it was partitioned
into more than one partitions.  The size of the partition will affect the
average seek rate as measured by most if not all tests.  After all if the
partition is smaller there are not as many cylinders for the head to move
from the first cylinder to the last cylinder of a logical partition.  The
average seek rate is about one-half the time, it takes for the head to
move from from the first to the last cylinder.  Therefore, if the partitions
were of a different size, the results of the tests would be different.

Of course, if the partitions as measured in both tests were the same size
I guess you need some other explanation.

-- cj