Samsung is generally a little behind the curve when it comes to launching new, high-capacity drives, but its latest models are usually well worth the wait, due to their high performance and low noise levels. The latest Samsung drives fall into two distinct series: the T133 and T166. The number following the T denotes how many gigabytes per platter the drive has.

As each of the three platters inside the T166 HD501LJ provide 166GB of storage, the drive must have a very high areal density, although Samsung was unable to confirm the exact figure. Because of its high areal density and 16MB buffer, the T166 HD501LJ is incredibly fast, loading Far Cry in just 35 seconds, 17 per cent faster than the slowest 500GB drive, the Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS. In fact, the T166 HD501LJ loaded Far Cry in less time than the 'crazy but cool' 10,000rpm Western Digital Raptor X WD1500AHFD. It also proved to be very fast in Paint Shop Pro, scoring 1.53. Even better, the T166 HD501LJ is very cheap, as each gigabyte costs just 18p, which is why it wins our Premium Grade Approved award.

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