The phenomenon you describe, where benchmarking any hard drive results in a pattern of a gradually declining slope with regularly spaced dips, is an interesting observation. These dips that occur at set intervals across the entire slope might seem puzzling at first, but they are typically a result of how modern hard drives operate and how benchmarking tools interpret the data. Here are some reasons why these dips might occur: 1. File Allocation Table (FAT)/Partition Table: The dips could be related to the structure of the drive's file system. The File Allocation Table (FAT) or partition table could be causing these dips as the drive organizes and allocates data in blocks or clusters. 2. Zone Bit Recording (ZBR): Some hard drives use a technique called Zone Bit Recording (ZBR), where tracks on the drive are divided into zones of varying sizes. The dips could correspond to transitions between these zones, where the drive's performance may change slightly. 3. Caching and Buffers: Modern hard drives use onboard cache memory to optimize read and write operations. These dips might be related to the caching mechanisms used by the drive, where data is temporarily stored before being written to the disk. 4. Testing Environment and Tools: The benchmarking tools you are using may have specific algorithms or methods that result in this pattern when analyzing the drive's performance. It could be a characteristic of how the tools interact with the drive rather than an inherent drive performance issue. 5. Drive Firmware and Algorithms: The drive's firmware and internal algorithms also play a significant role in how data is read from and written to the disk. These dips could be a result of how the drive's firmware manages data access and storage. 6. Seek Times and Rotational Latency: The dips could be related to the drive's seek times and rotational latency. As the drive's read/write head moves across the platters, there may be slight delays at specific points that manifest as dips in performance. Overall, these dips are likely a combination of various factors including the drive's internal mechanisms, firmware, file system structure, and how benchmarking tools interpret and report the drive's performance. It's a common observation across different systems and drives, indicating a pattern rather than a specific issue with any individual drive or benchmarking tool.
