AX4SPE-MAX / poor SATA HD performance

Hi All,

I built a system based on the AX4SPE-Max MOBO about 14 months ago. The
basics are as follows:

3.0 GHz P4 HT
1 GB RAM
160 GB / 7200 RPM Seagate Barracuda HD (ST3160023AS)
WinXP Pro / SP2

I've always suspected the HD of having poor performance, but I've never
really checked it out until today (yeah, I know...). Though I don't know
for sure what data rates I should be getting, I'm quite certain that it's
operating at a (very) sub-standard level.

I analyzed it using a program called "HD Tune 2.10", and I've placed a
couple of screenshots of the results on my website, at:

http://www.jeffgodfrey.com/posted_pics/HD%231.jpg
http://www.jeffgodfrey.com/posted_pics/HD%232.jpg

Notice how erratic the transfer rates are, and how poor the average is. The
website for the "HD Tune" program has test results of various drives,
including mine. The results shown there for this drive are much better than
that shown by my system, and can be seen here:

http://www.hdtune.com/

Now, I'm just not sure where to start looking for the problem. As far as
drivers are concerned, here's what shows up in the Control Panel:

- Disk drives | ST3160023AS | Microsoft, 7/1/2001, 5.1.2535.0
- IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers | Intel(R) 82801EB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers
| Intel, 1/15/2003, 5.0.1007.0
- IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers | Primary IDE Channel | Advanced Settings |
Current Transfer Mode | Ultra DMA Mode 5

I'm happy to provide any additional information. Thoughts, advice, and tips
appreciated.

Thanks,

Jeff

Sorry,

The links to my images were broken in the previous post. They should have
been:

http://www.jeffgodfrey.com/posted_pics/HD_1.jpg
http://www.jeffgodfrey.com/posted_pics/HD_2.jpg

Thanks,

Jeff