Boot and load times
To test system boot and game level load times, we busted out our trusty stopwatch.

This new batch of boot time results were measured with our test system's optical drive detached, and they paint an interesting picture. Western Digital dominates here, but it's the Caviar SE16 640GB that takes top honors, and by a healthy margin. To be fair, the Caviar Black does boot up at least a couple of seconds quicker than its terabyte rivals.

The Raptors rule our game level load tests, but the Caviar Black isn't far behind. In Doom 3, the Black essentially ties terabyte drives from Hitachi and Samsung. However, it comes out ahead of both in Far Cry, and is quicker than the terabyte Barracuda, too.