The DiamondMax Plus 60 family comprises of five models ranging in size from 10.2GB to 61.5GB, the latter of which we received for testing. The DiamondMax 60 family is one of the first to ship with up to 60GB of data on only three platters. This rivals the Seagate Barracuda ATA III in areal densities resulting in capacities of 20GB per platter.
Less platters means less heads, less parts, less mechanical complexity, and more reliability.
The flagship unit evaluated here features 2 fully-utilized platters yielding a capacity of 41 gigs. The removed metal-metal contact is supposed to help lower idle noise as well as increase shock resistance and overall reliability. These two units are available in both FDB and ball-bearing versions. Finally, the 10 gigabyte MPG3102AT brings up the rear when it comes to performance. This particular unit is only available equipped with ball bearings.