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

GPT50 Test Results

GPT50 3TB 7,200 RPM - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 92 64
Density Level 2 80 50
Density Level 3 54 42
Density Level 4 42 26
GPT50 3TB 7,200 RPM - eSATA port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 96 92
Density Level 2 84 64
Density Level 3 58 48
Density Level 4 54 28
Test Details
Test Model GPT50 3TB 7,200 RPM
Drive Mechanism Seagate Barracuda XT SATA 6.0Gb/s - ST33000651AS
Drive Spindle Speed 7,200 RPM
Drive Cache 64MB
Test Computer Apple Mac Pro 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon, Mac OSX 10.6.8
eSATA PCIe card Sonnet E4P PCIe 4-lane card
Pro Tools Hardware 003
Pro Tools Version 9.0.5
Notes FireWire tests used motherboard FireWire 800 back port

GT 050Q Test Results

GT 050Q 2TB 5,900 RPM - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks 192k Tracks
Density Level 1 78 60 36(PT limit)
Density Level 2 58 36 24
Density Level 3 38 34 24
Density Level 4 34 16 20
Test Details
Test Model GT 050Q 2TB 5,900RPM
Drive Mechanism Seagate Barracuda LP SATA 3.0Gb/s - ST32000524AS
Drive Spindle Speed 5,900 RPM
Drive Cache 32MB
Test Computer Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with 10.5.5 Leopard
Pro Tools Hardware HD Accel|2
Pro Tools Version 8.0
Notes Track count limited to 36 tracks at 192k



GT 050Q 1.5TB - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks 192k Tracks
Density Level 1 82 58 36(PT limit)
Density Level 2 74 42 36(PT limit)
Density Level 3 54 36 30
Density Level 4 38 24 22
Test Details
Test Model GT 050Q 1.5TB
Drive Mechanism Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s - ST31500341AS
Drive Spindle Speed 7200 RPM
Drive Cache 32MB
Test Computer Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with Tiger 10.4.11
Pro Tools Hardware HD Accel|2
Pro Tools Version 7.4
Notes Track count limited to 36 tracks at 192k



GT 050Q 160GB - 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 160GB - 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 160GB - 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

GT 062E RAID 0

GT 062E 3TB - eSATA port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 76 62
Density Level 2 68 58
Density Level 3 64 44
Density Level 4 40 26
GT 062E 3TB - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 66 58
Density Level 2 64 48
Density Level 3 54 40
Density Level 4 38 22
Test Details
Test Model GT 062E 3TB
Drive Mechanism Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA NCQ 3 GB/s - ST31500341AS
Drive Spindle Speed 7200 RPM
Drive Cache 32MB
Test Computer Mac Pro Dual 2.8Ghz with Mac OS 10.5.6
PCI Cards Glyph EC2 - 2 Port eSATA
Pro Tools Hardware Digi 003
Pro Tools Version 8
Notes Digi 003 does not support 192k
GT 062E 4TB - eSATA port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 96 84
Density Level 2 84 64
Density Level 3 80 52
Density Level 4 64 36
GT 062E 4TB - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 80 66
Density Level 2 74 58
Density Level 3 70 46
Density Level 4 62 34
Test Details
Test Model GT 062E 4TB
Drive Mechanism Seagate Barracuda XT - ST32000641AS
Drive Spindle Speed 7200 RPM
Drive Cache 64MB
Test Computer Mac Pro Dual 2.8Ghz with Mac OS 10.5.8
PCI Cards Glyph HighPoint - 2 Port eSATA
Pro Tools Hardware Digi 003
Pro Tools Version 8
Notes Digi 003 does not support 192k

GT 062E RAID 1

GT 062E 3TB - eSATA port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 88 66
Density Level 2 78 44
Density Level 3 50 32
Density Level 4 38 22
GT 062E 3TB - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 78 54
Density Level 2 64 40
Density Level 3 44 30
Density Level 4 38 22
Test Details
Test Model GT 062E 3TB
Drive Mechanism Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA NCQ 3 GB/s - ST31500341AS
Drive Spindle Speed 7200 RPM
Drive Cache 32MB
Test Computer Mac Pro Dual 2.8Ghz with Mac OS 10.5.6
PCI Cards Glyph EC2 - 2 Port eSATA
Pro Tools Hardware Digi 003
Pro Tools Version 8
Notes Digi 003 does not support 192k

ForteRAID configured in RAID 5

ForteRAID 1TB, RAID 5 - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks 192k Tracks
Density Level 1 78 58 36
Density Level 2 56 48 32
Density Level 3 46 34 30
Density Level 4 32 24 20
Test Details
Test Model ForteRAID 1TB
Drive Mechanisms 4 x 250GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 SATA 3GB/s - ST3250310AS
Drive Spindle Speed 7200 RPM
Drive Cache 8MB
Test Computer Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with 10.5.5 Leopard
Pro Tools Hardware HD Accel|2
Pro Tools Version 8
Notes Connected via PCI FW800 card in G5

ForteRAID configured in RAID 0

ForteRAID 2TB, RAID 0 - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 56 38
Density Level 2 52 34
Density Level 3 44 32
Density Level 4 34 30
ForteRAID 2TB, RAID 0 - eSATA port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 62 60
Density Level 2 58 54
Density Level 3 48 40
Density Level 4 40 32
Test Details
Test Model ForteRAID 2TB
Drive Mechanisms 4 x 500GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3GB/s - ST3500320AS
Drive Spindle Speed 7200 RPM
Drive Cache 16MB
Test Computer Mac Pro Dual 2.8Ghz with Mac OS 10.5.8
Pro Tools Hardware Digi 003
Pro Tools Version 8
Notes Digi 003 does not support 192k

PortaGig 50 7,200 RPM Test Results

PortaGig 50 - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks
Density Level 1 74 56
Density Level 2 56 38
Density Level 3 46 28
Density Level 4 28 20
Test Details
Test Model PortaGig 50 7,200 RPM
Drive Mechanisms 500GB Seagate Momentus - ST905003N3A1AS
Drive Spindle Speed 7200 RPM
Drive Cache 16MB
Test Computer Mac Pro Dual 2.8Ghz with Mac OS 10.5.8
Pro Tools Hardware Digi 003
Pro Tools Version 8.0.1
Notes Digi 003 does not support 192k
Tests done under bus power, on FireWire 800 port

PortaGig SSD (Solid State Drive) Test Results

PortaGig SSD 64GB - FireWire 800 port
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks 192k Tracks
Density Level 1 128 96(PT limit) 36(PT limit)
Density Level 2 128 96 36
Density Level 3 128 96 36
Density Level 4 128 96 36
Test Details
Test Model PortaGig SSD 64GB
Drive Mechanism Transcend 2.5" SATA-2 SSD
Memory Type Multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory
Test Computer Apple G5 Dual 2.0 with 10.5.5 Leopard
Pro Tools Hardware HD Accel|2
Pro Tools Version 8.0
Notes Track count limited to 36 tracks at 192k
  Track count limited to 96 tracks at 96k
  Test Session limited to 128 tracks at 48k
  While SSD playback performance is off the charts, Glyph continues to recommend HDD versions to achieve high recording track counts. The PortaGig SSD can record up to 40 tracks of 48 KHz/24-bit audio simultaneously, while the PortaGig 800 (using a 7,200RPM HDD) can record up to 80 tracks simultaneously.

PortaGig FW800 7,200 RPM Test Results

PortaGig FW800 7,200 RPM - 500GB
  48k Tracks 96k Tracks 192k Tracks
Density Level 1 72 56 36
Density Level 2 58 40 30
Density Level 3 42 28 28
Density Level 4 26 22 22
Test Details
Test Model PortaGig FW800 500GB
Drive Mechanism Seagate Barracuda 7200.4 - ST9500420AS
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 7,200 RPM - 200GB
  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

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

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 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