Imation 4GB Micro Hard Drive

Imation 4GB Micro Hard Drive

Published August 25, 2008 at 01:15:56 PM, by Tim Supples

Overview

Not too long ago we investigated the performance of Seagate's 100GB 2.5" and 5GB 1.0" USB drives, and were happy with the performance and versatility of these units. Not long after, Imation contacted us to take a look at their brand new 4GB Micro Hard Drive. Based on a 0.85" internal hard drive spinning at 3600RPM and we're assuming with 2MB cache; sadly, Imation has zero technical information on the unit. We did find that the Imation Micro Hard Drives use Toshiba 0.85" drives, from which we found the drive specifications. Unfortunately even those specs didn't state the cache size.

So Imation has a miniature hard-drive based storage device, a unique design, and the legendary Imation name behind it all; but is that enough to compete against the likes of Seagate?

Imation 4GB Micro Hard Drive

The most unique part of Imation's design is clear: the USB cable and how it is stored in the drive. Unlike the Seagate Pocket Drive which coils the USB cable in the plastic enclosure, Imation has incorporated the cable as a functional part of this unit. You can close the USB cable around a loop or strap on your carrying case as a convenient way to tote this tiny USB drive. While this is a cool novelty, the issue of having the drive lost or stolen becomes prominent in our minds. Wouldn't it be better to have a smaller unit that easily fits into a spare pocket inside the carrying case? That's how we feel at least, but the locking mechanism on the device is secure enough that it shouldn't just fall right off. We'll leave the decision to attach it to your case up to you.

The overall quality of the Imation 4GB Micro Hard Drive is top notch, without a doubt. From the metal casing to the stiff rubber cable to the locking mechanism, Imation did an excellent job with their Micro Hard Drive. It is rated at 1000 G's shock resistance, which we can believe given how well the unit is built. To pull out the USB connector, simply press a small switch at the top of the unit and it will release. The switch is large enough for comfortable use and disengages the USB cable easily. To lock it again just push the connector into the storage receptacle. A small blue LED lights up at the base of the USB cable when the drive is operating, enough to let you know its there but not too flashy.

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Imation Security Manager

Straightforward and easy to use, Imation's Security Manager software gets the job done without much hassle. To get started users need to install the software on one computer. When the drive is plugged in to that machine for the first time, it will prompt you to setup a new password. From there the software will transfer any files you've already selected for synchronization, or you can add files to be transferred.

Now while this is a straightforward way to synchronize your files and keep them encyrpted on the go, what if you want to retrieve your encrypted files on a computer that doesn't have the Imation Software installed already? Ever so thoughtfully, Imation has included a nifty little "Restore" utility which you run from the drive itself. It doesn't install anything on the PC in question, only loading itself into RAM.

The interface is simple as drag and drop and provides a simple way to access your encrypted files.

While Imation's Security Manager doesn't offer a wide range of features, it gets the basics done in an easy, simplified way.

Setup Method

Once again we've used our trusty IBM Thinkpad T42 for these tests:

The Thinkpad T42 was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.

Synthetic Tests

IOMeter 2004.07.30 is an I/O subsystem measurement and characterization tool, originally developed by Intel. We ran four different tests using IOMeter, consisting of two different tests performed at both 100% read and 100% write. CPU utilization is also measured during each test. To obtain an idea of CPU utilization, we averaged the read & write utilization during each of the Maximum I/O and Maximum Throughput tests.

• Maximum Throughput: This test simulates maximum drive throughput using 64KB packet sizes in 100% sequential order, performed at both 100% read and 100% write.
• Maximum I/O: This test simulates maximum drive I/O performance using 512 Byte packet sizes in 100% sequential order, performed at both 100% read and 100% write.
• WinBench99 is a subsystem-level benchmark that measures the performance of a PC's graphics, disk, and video subsystems in a Windows environment. We ran the Disk Transfer Rate test.

• SiSoft Sandra is a comprehensive testing suite, able to benchmark or test almost any computer subsystem. We ran the Removeable Storage Benchmark which tests read/write performance using multiple file sizes. Originally we wanted to use real world tests for these file sizes, but we found Sandra's results to be almost exactly in line with our real world tests. For this reason we opted to use the more easily reproduceable Sandra benchmark.

Real World Tests

Note: All of the timed tests were repeated three times, with the drive defragmented and rebooted between test runs. The final score is the average of the three scores.

400MB File Copy Time is measured as the time is takes to copy a 400MB file from the Windows desktop to the root folder of the external drive.

400x1MB File Copy Time is measured as the time is takes to copy 400 1MB files from the Windows desktop to the root folder of the external drive.

300MB Zip on Disk measures the time it takes to use the Windows file compression utility to create a ZIP file of our Office 2003 installation folder on the external drive itself.

2GB File Copy is the amount of time it takes to copy a 2GB file from the internal hard drive to the external drive.

SiSoft Sandra

We're going to start off our benchmarks with the SiSoft Sandra Removeable Storage Benchmark. This program tests drive performance measuring read/write throughput of many different file sizes.

As you can see, the read and write performance of the mini hard drives is pitiful with tiny file sizes. The scores are both so bad that its barely worth noting the Seagate does outperform the Imation.

Performance improves here as file sizes increase, with Imation leading in Write but falling behind in Read.

We see the same trend here, with Imation leading in Write but trailing in Read.

SiSoft Sandra Cont'd

Finally we see the small drives' performance reach some respectable numbers. The Seagate Pocket Drive leads in pure Read throughput, but again Imation is a bit ahead in Write performance.

Finally, with this large packet size, we see both drives show performance closer to their theoretical maximum throughput. The 5GB Seagate's superior hard drive rears up here, finally exceeding the Imation unit in both Read and Write tests.

WinBench99

WinBench99 shows a little different transfer rate than the previous programs, but all are in the same peak range. Imation's 4GB Micro Hard Drive doesn't show near the transfer rates of Seagate's Pocket Drive.

IOMeter

IOmeter worked its magic again, filling these empty drives with a test file and finding just how fast these little beauties will go.

As we've seen time and again, CPU utilization is proportional to the drive's performance. With lower performance comes lower CPU utilization, due to the smaller amount of data being processed by the CPU.

File Copy Tests

Now we move onto our real world tests, which show some very interesting results indeed.

The real world tests really show the disparity between the Imation and Seagate drives. The higher transfer rate of the Seagate Pocket Drive shines here.

Surprisingly, the Copy To Drive times are very close between the two micro hard drives. However the Within Drive copy time again brings the Imation unit to its knees.

Once more, the Imation 4GB Micro Hard Drive yields to the Seagate units.

The 2GB file copy test is for those out there that need to transport large files. Sadly, Imation's external drive won't be suitable for people transferring large files on a regular basis. The performance here is just...sad.

Conclusion

Imation's 4GB Micro Hard Drive is a unique entry into the portable drive market, with its USB cable locking mechanism and sturdy design. Unfortunately we can't base purchase recommendations on aesthetics alone, and the Micro Hard Drive doesn't have much else going for it. Its performance is lackluster compared to Seagate's 5GB Pocket Drive, although both external drives don't come near setting any data transfer performance records. On top of its lacking performance, the Imation Micro Hard Drive costs almost twice as much per gigabyte of storage.

The software included with this unit is basic, but gets the job done nicely. If you're one who can specifically use the "loop" USB cable for storage, doesn't care much about speed, and feels that the software will fit your needs, this may be an external drive for you. However most people value performance and price pretty highly, neither of which Imation's 4GB Micro Hard Drive really delivers on. While this model has its merits, we can't recommend this drive over similar models like Seagate's Pocket Drive. Hopefully future revsions will have better performance and a lower price tag, at which point we will have a good competitor in the external micro/pocket drive category.

The software included with this unit is basic, but gets the job done nicely. If you're one who can specifically use the "loop" USB cable for storage, doesn't care much about speed, and feels that the software will fit your needs, this may be an external drive for you. However most people value performance and price pretty highly, neither of which Imation's 4GB Micro Hard Drive really delivers on. While this model has its merits, we can't recommend this drive over similar models like Seagate's Pocket Drive. Hopefully future revsions will have better performance and a lower price tag, at which point we will have a good competitor in the external micro/pocket drive category.

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Technical Specifications

No specifications are available.