Introduction

The Seagate Momentus 7200.2 is a new line of 7200 RPM notebook hard drives that replaces the Momentus 7200.1 family, which were the first Seagate notebook hard drives to run at 7200 RPM.

Just like its predecessor, the Momentus 7200.2 is also a ground-breaking hard drive. It is the first 7200 RPM notebook hard drive to make use of perpendicular recording technology, as well as the first Seagate hard drive to feature G-Force Protection Technology.

The use of perpendicular recording technology allows the Momentus 7200.2 family to offer much greater storage capacity and performance than its predecessor. In fact, it offers up to 160GB of capacity, which is 60% more than the Momentus 7200.1.

The G-Force Protection Technology consists of an integrated drop sensor and logic package that protects the hard drive from damage when it is accidentally dropped. When a notebook with a G-Force Protection-equipped hard drive is dropped, the drop sensor detects the change in acceleration and quickly parks the drive heads within 0.3 seconds. This prevents the drive heads from crashing into the platters and scoring the surface.

Similar drop sensor packages had been implemented in notebooks, but now Seagate is integrating one directly into the hard drive. This obviates the need for a separate sensor package. For end-users, this is great as it allows you to benefit from this technology even though your notebook itself does not support such a sensor. Just pop it into your notebook and you can count on much better shock protection.

However, this is an optional feature that is only available in select 80GB and 160GB models. These drives are readily identified by the letter G in their model number. Today, we will be taking a close look at the 160GB Seagate Momentus 7200.2 hard drive with G-Force Protection Technology.

The Momentus 7200.2

To be sure of the exact model you have, check the top plate of the drive. It has a pretty informative label that lists its capacity, model number, serial number, firmware revision (3.AAB) and country of manufacture (China). Heck, it even has a picture that shows you how to install the SATA cables!

Take a look at the second line just below the serial number. That's the model number. ST9 denotes the drive family and the following 2-3 numbers describes the capacity, in this case, 160GB. After that is the number 8, which denotes the size of the buffer memory - 8MB. If the drive supports G-Force Protection Technology, the model number will end with the letter G.

The label is also where you can check the capacity of the drive. Like previous Seagate hard drives, the capacity isn't printed in large letters. You need to squint at the label to be sure that it really has a capacity of 1600GB.

The underside is bare, except for a small PCB. We will examine the PCB and its components in the next page. The end of the hard drive sports the SATA connectors as well as the jumper block. Now, let's take an in-depth look at the drive and its various features and components.