About the Glyph Density Test
The "Density Test" is a collection of Glyph's proprietary Pro Tools test sessions that determine how many audio tracks a Glyph drive can reliably handle. It can run at 48k, 96k, and 192k, and has four levels of edit intensity. Although the tests are Pro Tools-based, the results closely predict performance with other DAW applications. When reading the results, remember that all testing is done with a freshly formatted hard drive, unless otherwise noted. Hard drives are fastest when they are nearly empty, so expect decreased performance when it starts to fill with data.
| Density Description | |
|---|---|
| Density Level 1 | one edit every two seconds across every track in the test session |
| Density Level 2 | one edit every second across every track in the test session. |
| Density Level 3 | two edits every second across every track in the test session |
| Density Level 4 | three edits every second across every track in the test session |
- GT 050Q
- PortaGig FW800 7,200 RPM
- PortaGig FW800 5,400 RPM
- PortaGig FW400 7,200 RPM
- PortaGig FW400 5,400 RPM
- GT 050
- GT Key FW400
- GT 062 JBOD
- GT 062 RAID 0
- GT 062 RAID 1
- GT 060BR
GT 050Q Test Results
| GT 050Q - eSATA port | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 96 | 65 | 36(PT limit) |
| Density Level 2 | 59 | 53 | 36(PT limit) |
| Density Level 3 | 44 | 37 | 36(PT limit) |
| Density Level 4 | 29 | 25 | 32 |
| Level 1 on last 20% of drive | 74 | 49 | 36(PT limit) |
| Level 2 on last 20% of drive | 44 | 41 | 36(PT limit) |
| GT 050Q - FireWire 800 port | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 93 | 64 | 36(PT limit) |
| Density Level 2 | 59 | 52 | 36(PT limit) |
| Density Level 3 | 44 | 36 | 32 |
| Density Level 4 | 29 | 25 | 32 |
| Level 1 on last 20% of drive | 68 | 47 | 36(PT limit) |
| Level 2 on last 20% of drive | 44 | 40 | 36(PT limit) |
| GT 050Q - FireWire 400 port | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 80 | 50 | 30 |
| Density Level 2 | 56 | 40 | 30 |
| Density Level 3 | 42 | 33 | 26 |
| Density Level 4 | 28 | 24 | 20 |
| Level 1 on last 20% of drive | 62 | 44 | 36(PT limit) |
| Level 2 on last 20% of drive | 40 | 31 | 32 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | GT 050Q 160GB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 SATA NCQ 3 GB/s - ST3160812AS |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 8MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.9 |
| PCI Cards | Sonnet Tempo-X eSATA 8 port 3GB |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.1 |
| Notes | Track count limited to 36 tracks at 192k |
PortaGig FW800 7,200 RPM Test Results
| PortaGig FW800 7,200 RPM | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 72 | 44 | 36 |
| Density Level 2 | 48 | 33 | 24 |
| Density Level 3 | 40 | 23 | 16 |
| Density Level 4 | 26 | 23 | 12 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | PortaGig FW800 200GB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate Barracuda 7200.2 - ST9200420AS |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 16MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.11 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.4 |
| Notes | Tests done under bus power, on FireWire 800 port |
PortaGig FW800 5,400 RPM Test Results
| PortaGig FW800 5,400 RPM | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 58 | 44 | 32 |
| Density Level 2 | 42 | 30 | 28 |
| Density Level 3 | 38 | 23 | 20 |
| Density Level 4 | 22 | 23 | 15 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | PortaGig FW800 250GB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate Momentus 5400.4 - ST9250827AS |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 5400 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 8MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.11 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.4 |
| Notes | Tests done under bus power, on FireWire 800 port |
PortaGig FW400 7,200 RPM Test Results
| PortaGig FW400 7,200 RPM | ||
|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 58 | 46 |
| Density Level 2 | 44 | 36 |
| Density Level 3 | 36 | 30 |
| Density Level 4 | 26 | 22 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | PortaGig 100GB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate Barracuda 7200.1 - ST910021A |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 8MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.9 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.1 |
| Notes | Tests done under bus power, from front panel FireWire 400 port |
PortaGig FW400 5,400 RPM Test Results
| PortaGig FW400 5,400 RPM | ||
|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 56 | 40 |
| Density Level 2 | 38 | 24 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | PortaGig 160GB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate Momentus 5400.3 - ST9160821A |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 5400 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 8MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.9 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.1 |
| Notes | Tests done under bus power, from front panel FireWire 400 port |
GT 050 Test Results
| GT 050 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 68 | 40 | 32 |
| Density Level 2 | 48 | 32 | 28 |
| Density Level 3 | 20 | ||
| Density Level 4 | 20 | ||
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | GT 050 500GB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 - ST3500641A |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 16MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.9 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.1 |
| Notes | |
GT Key FW400 Test Results
| GT Key FW400 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 62 | 50 | 30 |
| Density Level 2 | 52 | 36 | 22 |
| Density Level 3 | 44 | 26 | 16 |
| Density Level 4 | 29 | 25 | 12 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | GT Key 320GB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 - ST3320620A |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 16MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.9 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.1 |
| Notes | Tested in FW400 GT 103 |
GT 062 JBOD Test Results
| GT 062 JBOD | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 70 | 48 | 36 |
| Density Level 2 | 67 | 37 | 36 |
| Density Level 3 | 45 | 28 | 24 |
| Density Level 4 | 30 | 18 | 13 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | GT 062 2TB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.11 - ST31000340AS |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 32MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.9 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.1 |
| Notes | Drive mode set to JBOD, Connected via FireWire 800 |
GT 062 RAID 0 (striping) Test Results
| GT 062 RAID 0 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 62 | 55 | 36 |
| Density Level 2 | 50 | 50 | 26 |
| Density Level 3 | 45 | 35 | 22 |
| Density Level 4 | 30 | 22 | 13 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | GT 062 2TB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.11 - ST31000340AS |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 32MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.9 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.1 |
| Notes | Drive mode set to RAID 0, Connected via FireWire 800 |
GT 062 RAID 1 (mirroring) Test Results
| GT 062 RAID 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 67 | 51 | 36 |
| Density Level 2 | 65 | 37 | 36 |
| Density Level 3 | 44 | 26 | 25 |
| Density Level 4 | 30 | 18 | 18 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | GT 062 2TB |
| Drive Mechanism | Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.11 - ST31000340AS |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 32MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.9 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 7.1 |
| Notes | Drive mode set to RAID 1, Connected via FireWire 800 |
GT 060BR Test Results
| GT 060 BR | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 48k Tracks | 96k Tracks | 192k Tracks | |
| Density Level 1 | 51 | 45 | 33 |
| Density Level 2 | 45 | 35 | 27 |
| Density Level 3 | 40 | 25 | 19 |
| Density Level 4 | 27 | 18 | 16 |
| Test Details | |
|---|---|
| Test Model | GT 060BR 320GB |
| Drive Mechanism | Hitachi |
| Drive Spindle Speed | 7200 RPM |
| Drive Cache | 8MB |
| Test Computer | Apple G5 Dual 1.8 with Tiger 10.4.1 |
| Pro Tools Hardware | HD Accel|2 |
| Pro Tools Version | 6.9.2 |
| Notes | GT 060BR drives used Hitachi mechanisms |