Cheetah 15K.3 vs Atlas 15K

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If the Atlas 15K and Cheetah 15K.3 were available for the same price, it would be hard to recommend the Cheetah in light of the Atlas 15K's superior all-around performance. However, the 73GB Cheetah 15K.3 retails for $489 online—nearly 15% cheaper than the $575 Atlas 15K. The Cheetah's lower price makes its slightly lower performance in some tests forgivable, and it makes the Cheetah's tie for the lead in IOMeter look much more impressive.

Seagate's value claims for the Cheetah 15K.3 aren't totally out of line. It seems odd to consider a $489 hard drive a low-cost option, but if we consider its IO performance, particularly in IOMeter, the Cheetah's value is hard to ignore. Buying a single Cheetah 15K.3 might feel like splurging, but it's a cheaper option than other alternatives capable of handling similar I/O loads.

So while the Cheetah 15K.3 can't lay claim to the SCSI performance crown, the drive largely equals, and occasionally exceeds, the performance of Maxtor's pricier Atlas 15K. In my book, that's a pretty sweet deal