IBM´s nomenclature is bound to catch a few people off guard. How can the numerically lower 60GXP be the successor to the 75GXP? The answer lies in flagship platter count. IBM, ever the bastion of incredible capacities derived from their unique 5 disk assembly, has finally bowed to the realities of the problems that arise when mating high densities with high platter counts. The result is a flagship unit that features a much more conventional three platters. This switch yields a new series that features less maximum capacity than the preceding line… three 20 GB disks results in a 60 gig max.

Seek time remains specified at a relatively peppy 8.5 milliseconds. The ATA standard 2 MB buffer (first introduced by IBM in its 22GXP) rounds out the drive. IBM positions the 60GXP not only as a solution for desktops but also for entry-level server configurations. Expect this to become more common as 7200 RPM SCSI drives are phased out. A three-year warranty backs the drive.

The 60GXP ships exclusively with an ATA-100 interface. Remember, since ATA drives have yet to break sequential transfer rates greater than even 45 MB/sec that ATA-66 (and in many cases, even ATA-33) interfaces will run a drive with optimal performance. Our testbed remains equipped with a Promise Ultra66 controller.