Drive Controllers & Drive Cache

Hitachi used the LSI MUSE-82B2-NL drive controller and a nondescript custom motor drive controller in the CinemaStar 7K1000.C hard disk drive. They are readily visible on the drive's PCB.

As we mentioned earlier, this 500 GB CinemaStar 7K1000.C drive is based on the Hitachi DS7SAC500 drive type which also serves as the base model for the 500 GB Deskstar 7K1000.C drive. The only difference between the CinemaStar and Deskstar drives (other than the different firmware used) is the size of the drive cache. The 500 GB CinemaStar 7K1000.C drive comes with a small 8 MB cache, while the 500 GB Deskstar 7K1000.C drive has a larger 16 MB cache.

The DDR SDRAM chip used as the drive cache in the Hitachi CinemaStar 7K1000.C is the Samsung K4H641638N-LCCC, a low-powered x16 part with a storage capacity of 64 Mbits (8 MB). It has 4 memory banks and an operating speed of 400 MHz DDR at timings of 3-3-3.

This DDR SDRAM chip has a maximum transfer rate of 400 MB/s, which is fast enough for the 3.0 Gbps SATA interface. However, its small capacity is a questionable choice on Hitachi's part since this drive boasts a very high internal transfer rate. Its performance will certainly be stifled by the small cache. With most desktop hard disk drives shipping with a 32 MB or 16 MB cache, it doesn't make much sense to use such a small cache.

Connectors & Jumpers

This is a Serial ATA hard drive, with native support for SATA 3.0 Gb/s. However, it is backward-compatible so you will have no problem using it with older SATA 1.5 Gb/s controllers. However, the faster SATA 3.0 Gb/s interface is necessary for optimal performance since this Hitachi CinemaStar 7K1000.C hard drive boasts a maximum sustained internal (platter-to-buffer) transfer rate of 198 MB/s.

Like all Serial ATA drives, it comes the standard SATA data (left) and power (right) connectors and is hot-pluggable. That means you can connect and disconnect this hard disk drive to your PC while it's still running. To the left of the SATA connectors is the jumper block.

From our research, this jumper block enables the Power Up In Standby mode. However, the jumper setting is not officially listed in any documentation. So, it's best you do not insert any jumper without checking first with Hitachi.

Breather Hole

The Hitachi CinemaStar 7K1000.C has a breather hole right on the top plate. It's located at the lower right end of the drive, near the SATA connectors. There is a thin metal shim around it that helps prevent it from being obstructed. There could be other breather holes though. To be safe, do not cover any of these holes.

Breather holes allow condensation inside the hard drive to escape. They also equalize the hard drive's internal pressure with the ambient air pressure. The hard disk drive needs them to function properly, so please make sure you do not occlude the holes!

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