5900rpm Seagate Hard Drives: Barracuda LP, Pipeline HD .2

With the LP and the second generation Pipeline HD drives, Seagate offers a solid third choice to consumers looking for quiet, energy efficient hard disks. The three models tested here shine in two areas in particular. Compared to the WD Caviar Green and Samsung EcoGreen series, the Seagates drives run a bit snappier with noticeably higher read speeds and lower random access times (except for the 500GB Pipeline HD .2). They also excel when idle — more or less matching the noise level of the competition, while consuming less energy. These drives are less desirable when they’re seeking however — in that state, our 2TB Caviar Green sample proved to be quieter than both the 2TB Barracuda LP and 1TB Pipeline HD .2.