What is actual SATA tranfer rate real world???

Darryl Licht

New member
Just to make sure... this is a question regarding SATA 2.0 mechanical HDD Transfer rates. My intention is to build a list or database of actual, real world, transfer rates for mechanical SATA drives. No need to post your SSD transfer rates here.

What should a user expect transfer-wise when performing a local internal disc to disc copy on a large file, or say like when performing a backup via image?

Theoretically SATA 2.0 is good to 3Gbps... but we know that doesn't happen!

  • What differences should you see with different levels of disc cache?
  • What actual transfer rates do you get with SATA 2.0???
  • What are you doing or using while testing?
  • Please post your SATA 2.0 transfer rates, or comments on them.. here!
  • Also, please post whether you are running your SATA drives in IDE or AHCI mode?
 
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My Computer

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Homebrew PC - "Alpha_Dawg"
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Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit Steve Ballmer Signature Edition
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad - Q9550 - 2.83GHz stock - OC'd to 3.6GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
Memory
4GB DDR2 800MHz (PC6400) OCZ Reaper
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GE Force 8800 GTS
Sound Card
Asus Xonar DX
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 2333HD
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
WD Caviar Black 750GB - 7200RPM - 32MB cache
WD Caviar Green 1.5TB - 5400RPM - 64MB cache
WD Caviar Green 2.0TB - 5400RPM - 64MB cache
PSU
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
Case
Gigabyte 3D Aurora
Cooling
Case is Air - 5ea. 120mm fans (mix of Arctic and Xigmatec)
Keyboard
MS Natural Wireless KB
Mouse
MS Wireless Mouse
Internet Speed
50 mbps down/5 mbps up
Other Info
AVerMedia - AVerTVHD G2 Dual Tuner Card
Happy to help Darryl. Can you suggest the best way to measure the transfer rate?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518
Some use HD Tune HD Tune website
Measures transfer rate (min, max and avg), access time, and burst rate.

Some use HD Speed HD_Speed - www.SteelBytes.com
Measures sustained and burst rates.

Some HD Tach HdTach
Measures read speed and burst rate.

I get drastically different results using each one. These tools just simulate and measure access times mostly I believe, they are not real world speed if you use other techniques like below...

Some apps will show you an average when finished as does Macrium Reflect backup imaging app.

Some, like myself, just copy a large file and measure how long it takes then resort to math! LOL! Or you can cheat and use the Transfer Time Calculator... http://www.pmarks.net/homepage/?page=programs&platform=windows&program=ttcalc

If anyone has other suggestions on tools to measure HDD transfer speeds, etc. please post them here!
 
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My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Homebrew PC - "Alpha_Dawg"
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit Steve Ballmer Signature Edition
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad - Q9550 - 2.83GHz stock - OC'd to 3.6GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
Memory
4GB DDR2 800MHz (PC6400) OCZ Reaper
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GE Force 8800 GTS
Sound Card
Asus Xonar DX
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 2333HD
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
WD Caviar Black 750GB - 7200RPM - 32MB cache
WD Caviar Green 1.5TB - 5400RPM - 64MB cache
WD Caviar Green 2.0TB - 5400RPM - 64MB cache
PSU
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
Case
Gigabyte 3D Aurora
Cooling
Case is Air - 5ea. 120mm fans (mix of Arctic and Xigmatec)
Keyboard
MS Natural Wireless KB
Mouse
MS Wireless Mouse
Internet Speed
50 mbps down/5 mbps up
Other Info
AVerMedia - AVerTVHD G2 Dual Tuner Card
11-25-201010-38-34PM.png


I was running utorrent, a-squared anti malaware, outpost firewall suite, hide my ass vpn, ccenhancer, and the usual system programs that run in the background...

EDIT: And by the way I had to use compatibility mode to use this particular program with Windows 7 X64..500gb Seagate Barracuda 7500 rpm 16mb cache....
 
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My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom built be me
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Amd dual-core 4400 Socket 979
Motherboard
Asus A8N-SLI
Memory
Kingston 3gb ddr 3200
Graphics Card(s)
Radeon Sapphire HD5670 1gb GDDR5 Artic cooling
Sound Card
Standard Motherboards Realtec
Monitor(s) Displays
IC Power
Screen Resolution
1280 x 1024
Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 500gb Sata 16mb Cache 7200 rpm Primary Drive
300gb Maxtor IDE
Seagate 500gb usb freeagent backup drive
PSU
600 watt power star
Case
Lian-Li Aluminum
Cooling
MassCool Socket 979
Keyboard
Microsoft Comfort Curve
Mouse
Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse 2.0
Internet Speed
5mb
Other Info
The system as of now is about a year old and the OS was installed on 11/30/2010..
Seagate 750GB Vertical storage and an older 160GB Seagate drive benched with HDTune.
There are settings for various KB block sizes within this utility that change the results dramatically.
I have HDTune currently set to 64KB:
 

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My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
OEM - Me
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium x64
CPU
AMD Phenom II X6 1600T
Motherboard
GigaByte GZ-990FXA-UD3
Memory
16GB PC3-10700 (1342MHz)
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon 5770 HD (x2) CrossFire
Sound Card
On-board RealTek chipset
Monitor(s) Displays
3x Hanns-G 1920x1080 Monitors
Screen Resolution
3x Hanns-G 1920x1080 Monitors
Hard Drives
Intel 25-V SSD 40GB: 218 MB/s AT: 0.1ms
Intel X-25M SSD 80GB: 230MB/s AT: 0.1ms
Seagate 750GB: 133 MB/s AT: 13ms (perpendicular storage)
Buffalo HD-PCTU3 1TB External drive
PSU
OCZ Stealth X Stream 750W
Case
Cheap (unknown)
Cooling
Stock
Keyboard
HP USB
Mouse
LogiTech USB
Internet Speed
1.5 Mbps - Slow - At the tail-end of a rural network
Other Info
Printer: Epson Stylus C-84
Scanner: HP 3500C Flatbed
DVD-RW: Plextor
DVD-ROM: Unknown
WEI: 7.4
EDIT: And by the way I had to use compatibility mode to use this particular program with Windows 7 X64..

Hmmmmm.... I didnt have any issues with it on my Win7 64bit.
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Homebrew PC - "Alpha_Dawg"
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit Steve Ballmer Signature Edition
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad - Q9550 - 2.83GHz stock - OC'd to 3.6GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
Memory
4GB DDR2 800MHz (PC6400) OCZ Reaper
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GE Force 8800 GTS
Sound Card
Asus Xonar DX
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 2333HD
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
WD Caviar Black 750GB - 7200RPM - 32MB cache
WD Caviar Green 1.5TB - 5400RPM - 64MB cache
WD Caviar Green 2.0TB - 5400RPM - 64MB cache
PSU
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
Case
Gigabyte 3D Aurora
Cooling
Case is Air - 5ea. 120mm fans (mix of Arctic and Xigmatec)
Keyboard
MS Natural Wireless KB
Mouse
MS Wireless Mouse
Internet Speed
50 mbps down/5 mbps up
Other Info
AVerMedia - AVerTVHD G2 Dual Tuner Card

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom built be me
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
Amd dual-core 4400 Socket 979
Motherboard
Asus A8N-SLI
Memory
Kingston 3gb ddr 3200
Graphics Card(s)
Radeon Sapphire HD5670 1gb GDDR5 Artic cooling
Sound Card
Standard Motherboards Realtec
Monitor(s) Displays
IC Power
Screen Resolution
1280 x 1024
Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 500gb Sata 16mb Cache 7200 rpm Primary Drive
300gb Maxtor IDE
Seagate 500gb usb freeagent backup drive
PSU
600 watt power star
Case
Lian-Li Aluminum
Cooling
MassCool Socket 979
Keyboard
Microsoft Comfort Curve
Mouse
Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse 2.0
Internet Speed
5mb
Other Info
The system as of now is about a year old and the OS was installed on 11/30/2010..

Attachments

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My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
mickey megabyte 1234
OS
ultimate 64 sp1
CPU
i5 2500K [email protected]
Motherboard
MSI P67A-GD53
Memory
8 gigs GSkill Ripjaws 1600
Graphics Card(s)
amd hd6950
Sound Card
creative x-fi gamer
Monitor(s) Displays
samsung 24"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
ocz vertex 2e 60 gig, samsung f3 1tb, buffalo 2tb ext
PSU
antec 550
Case
antec three hundred
Cooling
i'm a cooling fan
Keyboard
saitek eclipse ii
Mouse
logitech g3
Internet Speed
about 4 Mbps
Other Info
i love win7
HDTune Blcok Size Setting

Hello All:

I've noticed a huge difference in the HDTune results depending on the Block size setting I use.

Should I be matching the block size setting to the default NTFS 4k Block?

What is the meaning of this?
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
OEM - Me
OS
Windows 7 Home Premium x64
CPU
AMD Phenom II X6 1600T
Motherboard
GigaByte GZ-990FXA-UD3
Memory
16GB PC3-10700 (1342MHz)
Graphics Card(s)
ATI Radeon 5770 HD (x2) CrossFire
Sound Card
On-board RealTek chipset
Monitor(s) Displays
3x Hanns-G 1920x1080 Monitors
Screen Resolution
3x Hanns-G 1920x1080 Monitors
Hard Drives
Intel 25-V SSD 40GB: 218 MB/s AT: 0.1ms
Intel X-25M SSD 80GB: 230MB/s AT: 0.1ms
Seagate 750GB: 133 MB/s AT: 13ms (perpendicular storage)
Buffalo HD-PCTU3 1TB External drive
PSU
OCZ Stealth X Stream 750W
Case
Cheap (unknown)
Cooling
Stock
Keyboard
HP USB
Mouse
LogiTech USB
Internet Speed
1.5 Mbps - Slow - At the tail-end of a rural network
Other Info
Printer: Epson Stylus C-84
Scanner: HP 3500C Flatbed
DVD-RW: Plextor
DVD-ROM: Unknown
WEI: 7.4
Isn't it best to test various drives with a common file size? For example, a smaller files will transfer faster because it makes better use of the burst rate, whereas a larger file depends largerly on the sustained rate?

I remember actually writing a DOS batch file at work that used FSUTIL and a TIMETHIS command to build and test transfer rates for different files sizes across 4x15,000rpm SAS drives in a RAID0 array. I got some phenomenal speed from that BTW. Perhaps I'll bring that in and share it here?
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Golden Mk. I.4
OS
Windows 10 Pro x64 ; Xubuntu x64
CPU
Intel i7 860 @ 2.80 GHz O/C'ed to 4.0GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte P55A-UD3R Rev.1. Award BIOS F13
Memory
16GB Corsair Vengance DDR3 @ 661 MHz Dual Channel (9-9-9-24)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA NVidia GTX 560 1024MB
Sound Card
Realtek Integrated
Monitor(s) Displays
Dual Samsung SyncMaster 2494HS
Screen Resolution
1920*1080 and 1920*1080
Hard Drives
1*Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD;
1*OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD;
2*Samsung F3 SpinPoint 1TB in RAID0;
1*Samsung F1 SpinPoint 1TB;
2*Western Digital 1TB External USB 3.0
1*Western Digital 500GB External USB 3.0
1*Seagate 500GB External USB 2.0
PSU
Thermaltake ToughPower QFan 750W
Case
Thermaltake Element S VK60001W2Z
Cooling
Corsair H60 Water Cooling, 2*230mm and 2*80mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech G110
Mouse
Logitech MX518
For a quick and simple test (if you have a Nvidia chip set) you can go to device manager. Right click on your Serial ATA Controller and go to properties. Then select a port. Once there, there should be a "Speed test" button. AHCI mode I believe
speed test.PNG
 
Last edited:

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Built
OS
Windows 10 Education 64 bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
Motherboard
Asus M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
Memory
8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
Graphics Card(s)
Zotac NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
Sound Card
VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
Screen Resolution
1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
Hard Drives
Crucial M100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
PSU
Thermaltake TR 620
Case
Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
Cooling
Stock heatsink and fan
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
Mouse
Logitech Wireless M570 Trackman Wheel
Internet Speed
80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Browser
Internet Explorer 11
Other Info
HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
that's interesting - i don't get anything like that on my system - no port tabs.

maybe it's a feature of your nforce chipset driver?
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
mickey megabyte 1234
OS
ultimate 64 sp1
CPU
i5 2500K [email protected]
Motherboard
MSI P67A-GD53
Memory
8 gigs GSkill Ripjaws 1600
Graphics Card(s)
amd hd6950
Sound Card
creative x-fi gamer
Monitor(s) Displays
samsung 24"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
ocz vertex 2e 60 gig, samsung f3 1tb, buffalo 2tb ext
PSU
antec 550
Case
antec three hundred
Cooling
i'm a cooling fan
Keyboard
saitek eclipse ii
Mouse
logitech g3
Internet Speed
about 4 Mbps
Other Info
i love win7
I'll have to check my daughters netbook and see if it has it. It's the only other windows 7 PC in the house. I just assumed it was a feature of windows 7.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Built
OS
Windows 10 Education 64 bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
Motherboard
Asus M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
Memory
8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
Graphics Card(s)
Zotac NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
Sound Card
VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
Screen Resolution
1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
Hard Drives
Crucial M100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
PSU
Thermaltake TR 620
Case
Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
Cooling
Stock heatsink and fan
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
Mouse
Logitech Wireless M570 Trackman Wheel
Internet Speed
80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Browser
Internet Explorer 11
Other Info
HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
looks like it is an nforce specific thing - my netbook has it (and a slow drive!)
 

Attachments

  • nforce.PNG
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My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
mickey megabyte 1234
OS
ultimate 64 sp1
CPU
i5 2500K [email protected]
Motherboard
MSI P67A-GD53
Memory
8 gigs GSkill Ripjaws 1600
Graphics Card(s)
amd hd6950
Sound Card
creative x-fi gamer
Monitor(s) Displays
samsung 24"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
ocz vertex 2e 60 gig, samsung f3 1tb, buffalo 2tb ext
PSU
antec 550
Case
antec three hundred
Cooling
i'm a cooling fan
Keyboard
saitek eclipse ii
Mouse
logitech g3
Internet Speed
about 4 Mbps
Other Info
i love win7
My daughters netbook doesn't have it. Hers has an Intel chip set so I would say that it is an Nforce specific option. Your netbook drive is likely a 5400 RPM drive and that will hurt performance compared to a 7200 RPM drive.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Built
OS
Windows 10 Education 64 bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
Motherboard
Asus M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
Memory
8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
Graphics Card(s)
Zotac NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
Sound Card
VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
Screen Resolution
1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
Hard Drives
Crucial M100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
PSU
Thermaltake TR 620
Case
Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
Cooling
Stock heatsink and fan
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
Mouse
Logitech Wireless M570 Trackman Wheel
Internet Speed
80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Browser
Internet Explorer 11
Other Info
HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
yeah, i suppose i'll get round to upgrading it someday...it's about 5th on the list atm. :)

my main desktop 'needs' an ssd and a new gfx card, and the second monitor goes all green from time to time, then the netbook could do with 2 more gigs of ram before a hdd/ssd...

it never stops does it? (which is good if you can afford it!)
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
mickey megabyte 1234
OS
ultimate 64 sp1
CPU
i5 2500K [email protected]
Motherboard
MSI P67A-GD53
Memory
8 gigs GSkill Ripjaws 1600
Graphics Card(s)
amd hd6950
Sound Card
creative x-fi gamer
Monitor(s) Displays
samsung 24"
Screen Resolution
1920x1080
Hard Drives
ocz vertex 2e 60 gig, samsung f3 1tb, buffalo 2tb ext
PSU
antec 550
Case
antec three hundred
Cooling
i'm a cooling fan
Keyboard
saitek eclipse ii
Mouse
logitech g3
Internet Speed
about 4 Mbps
Other Info
i love win7
For me their aways seems to be more month left over at the end of the money.
 

My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Home Built
OS
Windows 10 Education 64 bit
CPU
AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
Motherboard
Asus M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
Memory
8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
Graphics Card(s)
Zotac NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
Sound Card
VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
Screen Resolution
1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
Hard Drives
Crucial M100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
PSU
Thermaltake TR 620
Case
Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
Cooling
Stock heatsink and fan
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
Mouse
Logitech Wireless M570 Trackman Wheel
Internet Speed
80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
Antivirus
Windows Defender
Browser
Internet Explorer 11
Other Info
HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
For a quick and simple test you can go to device manager. Right click on your Serial ATA Controller and go to properties. Then select a port. Once there, there should be a "Speed test" button.
View attachment 118142

I believe it is unique to Nvidia chipsetted mobo's. I have 3 Win7 PCs and none gets this option, but none have that chipset make either!

Can those who have posted also add whether you are running your SATA drives in IDE or AHCI modes?
 

My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Homebrew PC - "Alpha_Dawg"
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit Steve Ballmer Signature Edition
CPU
Intel Core 2 Quad - Q9550 - 2.83GHz stock - OC'd to 3.6GHz
Motherboard
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P
Memory
4GB DDR2 800MHz (PC6400) OCZ Reaper
Graphics Card(s)
Nvidia GE Force 8800 GTS
Sound Card
Asus Xonar DX
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster 2333HD
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
WD Caviar Black 750GB - 7200RPM - 32MB cache
WD Caviar Green 1.5TB - 5400RPM - 64MB cache
WD Caviar Green 2.0TB - 5400RPM - 64MB cache
PSU
PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750
Case
Gigabyte 3D Aurora
Cooling
Case is Air - 5ea. 120mm fans (mix of Arctic and Xigmatec)
Keyboard
MS Natural Wireless KB
Mouse
MS Wireless Mouse
Internet Speed
50 mbps down/5 mbps up
Other Info
AVerMedia - AVerTVHD G2 Dual Tuner Card
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