HD / SSD Benchmarking software?

[Feline]

I have an Asus Netbook which I find to be ideal to tote around with me. It shipped with a Seagate ST980811AS 80Gb hard drive which I monitor using S.M.A.R.T. - and this shows that the disk is running very hot.
The recommended S.M.A.R.T. max operating temperature is 42 deg C, and manufacture's max operating temperature is 60 deg C - and S.M.A.R.T. is showing an operating temperature of about 52 deg C - and is also showing some bad sectors.
This could be a faulty drive - or it could be poor heat dissipation design by Asus. Whatever - the system is also (needless to say) out of warranty.
I am proposing to sidestep this issue by replacing the disk with an SSD unit (probably a Kingston 64Gb unit if the supplier can ever get his ducks in a row and actually ship it).
Now - it would be interesting for me to benchmark the existing drive and then the new drive (when it eventually arrives) - but it seems that benchmarking disk drives is not for the faint of heart or ill-informed.
I have discovered one piece of software (CrystalDiskMark 3.0) which seems to do the job - but my question is: can anyone suggest any other disk benchmarking software that might help? Preferably S/W they have personally used and can endorse!

(In the certain expectation that someone out there will come up with one or more suggestions!)

[superG3]

hi Feline, I use "PCMark Vantage" by "FutureMark" which is a full system benchmark. You can bench your whole system or choose individual components to test. I think it cost me around $25 US. I use it to see results of CPU and GPU overclocking...great programme. Link below

Futuremark - Benchmarks - PCMark Vantage - Introduction (http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/pcmarkvantage/introduction/)

Also if you want to see online bench comparisons to see how different CPU's, GPU's and SSD's go here and entre your choice of product.

Bench - SSD - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News (http://www.anandtech.com/bench/SSD/65)

Hope this was some help.

You'll find that an SSD will give your PC (laptop or desktop) a new lease on life.

cheers

[Mike-Bracknell]

Well, how about a 'seat of the pants' check?

I ran a Kingston 64Gb SSD for a while, and it was about twice as good as a hard drive in the real world, and this was one released at the start of this year (hence you may find ones with better controllers are even faster).

[Feline]

Thanks superG3 - but it looks as though Netbooks are below PCMark Vantages radar - they specify Vista or Win 7 - and some hardware requirements which you won't find in too many Netbooks - but thanks anyway!

Mike-B - Yeah! When it comes down to it, it will be a 'sotp' check. But - in the past - HD replacements have usually been preceeded by expensive mechanical noises, or a sullen and unhelpful blank screen ... In this case I am somewhat impressed by the S.M.A.R.T technology telling me that the disk is running at 51 deg C and has already lost some sectors. So - for once - I am in a position to actually measure what improvement I get for my investment. Hence the question. Am also impressed that the Kinston SSD comes with an external enclosure and (Acronis) software for transferring everything from the HD to the SSD. So the existing Seagate HD can be transferred to light backup duties. Neat!
BTW - any particular reason you only ran the Kingston "for a while"? Did some unfeeling barsteward actually want it back? Just interested ...

[The Flying Pram]

I was asked to run "SiSoftware Sandra Lite" by HP when I was having some problems with one of their laptops. This is the free version which doesn't have all the facilities of the paid version. It works with XP & Vista, and can be set to just test certain parts of your PC, or the whole thing. I did the latter, and it really gave it a work out, and produced a huge log file.
You can get it from:
Download Sandra Lite 2010 SP3 (16.67) - FileHippo.com (http://www.filehippo.com/download_sandra_lite/) or
Download SiSoftware Sandra Lite 2010.10.16.67 SP3 Free - System analyser, diagnostic and benchmarking. - Softpedia (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Info/SiSoftware-Sandra.shtml)