Quantum Fireball Plus LM Review

Final Words

The Quantum Fireball Plus LM, 30GB hard drive, is a solid performing drive and turns in impressive results. As you can see from the Disk Transfer Test graphs on the previous page, even though the Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 40 has a slightly higher outer track score, the Quantum does not drop as far down on the inner tracks. If we look at the overall average disk transfer rates, the Quantum unit comes closer in line with the Maxtor's average score. Even though it comes close, upon careful examination of the graphs produced by the benchmark, we can see that the Maxtor drive was able to maintain a transfer rate at, or above, that of the Quantum unit, for almost the entire first half of the test. For that reason we have to give the nod to the Maxtor drive.

With average raw data transfer speeds comparable to the highly rated Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 40, along with a solid showing in the other tests, we felt the Quantum Fireball Plus LM is about on the same level as the Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 40. Even though it edged the Maxtor out on a few tests, we still think the Maxtor managed to hold on to it's lead, but just barely.

The Quantum Fireball Plus LM unit was very quiet in operation, with barely audible seeks, and should not be noticeable in most situations. While at the present moment, the noise level evaluation is a subjective opinion, we do plan to come up with a way to isolate the drive being tested and measure its noise level in a controlled manner.

Overall, we think the Quantum Fireball Plus LM is a fine, very well-designed unit and will offer good performance and value for most of your data storage needs.

Reviewed Drive: Quantum Fireball Plus LM (QMP30000LM-A) 30GB Hard Drive

Main Features: 7200-RPM, Ultra ATA/66 interface, 2 MB cache, 10.2 GB per platter data densities, 8.5 ms average seek times and capacities of 10.2, 15.0, 20.5, and 30.0 GB’s.

Warranty: 3-years

Estimated Price: $250.00 (30GB model)