Raxco PerfectDisk 10 Review

PerfectDisk 10 is a nifty new program that I’ve been testing out extensively over the past few days. Essentially, it is a defragment program, and one might say “Well, Windows already comes with a way to defrag my hard drives, how much more can this do?” PerfectDisk 10, however, is the defrag equivalent to a Harvard student on a caffeine high before his finals. This program far exceeded any hopes I formerly had of any defrag software.

PerfectDisk 10 Professional is the version I’ve been working with, but each edition does virtually the same thing, with the only major exceptions being various versions are designed for larger servers, businesses, etc.  When I first installed PerfectDisk, it gave the options of running the defrag on a certain time schedule (whether I was using the computer or not), only when the computer is showing the screen saver, or when the computer is idle. I chose the idle option first, and subsequently allowed it to run one full time. The process was quick, much quicker than the basic Windows Defragmenter, and the data it reported to me was shown in easy-to-understand, concise maps, keys, and graphs. Everyone likes graphs: they make life easier.

Key Features
Keep your computer running like new. PerfectDisk 10 Professional’s industry-leading defragmenting features speed up everything you do, from browsing the web to downloading music and editing pictures. Plus, you’ll see faster machine boot times and fewer software crashes and hangs.

Patented SMARTPlacement – A Smarter Defragmenting Process
PerfectDisk 10 Professional’s patented SMARTPlacement feature is the most sophisticated defragging solution available. It identifies the files you use most and then organizes them according to your unique usage patterns. This comprehensive process yields faster subsequent defrag passes, quicker computer boots, slower rates of fragmentation, reduced resource consumption and improved performance of desktops and laptops.

Complete Free Space Consolidation
Get the largest piece of consolidated, contiguous free space possible. PerfectDisk 10 Professional’s exclusive Space Restoration Technology ensures that new files are created contiguously. This combined with industry-leading SMARTPlacement defrag features means optimal performance of desktops and laptops.

AutoPilot Scheduling
Defragment your systems according to your unique operations and needs. Daily, weekly, or when the screensaver is on. AutoPilot Scheduling let you defragment your PCs and laptops according to your unique needs.

Defrag During System Idle Times with Automatic StealthPatrol
Work uninterrupted. Helping your office work at optimum efficiency, PerfectDisk 10 Professional’s new StealthPatrol feature lets you schedule defrags only during computer idle times.

Single-pass Defrag
Unlike typical defraggers, PerfectDisk 10 Professional completely defrags your virtual drives (all files and metadata) and consolidates free space in just one pass – no matter how large or fragmented the system. With revolutionary minimal-free-space requirement, you can defrag an entire drive with as little as 1% free space.

Selected Files Defrag
PerfectDisk 10 Professional innovative Selected Files Defrag feature gives you complete control over the files you defrag – from a single file, to selected files, to the entire drive.

Full-Scale Central Management Options
Manage defragmentation seamlessly across your entire enterprise. Add the PerfectDisk 10 Enterprise Console (sold separately) for enhanced deployment, scheduling, reporting and virtualization capabilities – all accessed through a simple administrative interface.

The program shows the before and after performance of the drive, the type of files moved, and how frequently modified each file normally is. Also, the user interface of the program is exceptionally simple, even to someone that has never used a program like this before. I brought in a few people to ask them if the program was fairly easy to understand, and all of them said yes. As long as you know what defragmenting your computer does, you’ll easily understand PerfectDisk 10’s screens. It does, however, have many options for advanced users if you’re into the more hardcore techno mumbo-jumbo.

Next, I ran the program under a fair amount of stress, including through iTunes, World of Warcraft, AIM, Google Talk, and a few other applications. The system performance was in no way noticeably decreased except for the slightly longer lag in switching between the game and iTunes. This is an obvious advantage over the typical Windows Defrag, which, in my case, cuts performance horribly. This is partially due to PerfectDisk’s SinglePass Defrag, which literally means the program goes through the drive once. Also worth mentioning is the SMARTPlacement  feature, which takes files you use more often and consolidates them in a much more intelligent, user-oriented style.

Finally, I’ll post some of my statistics for the first pass because that was the test that truly counted. Most people will utilize PerfectDisk 10 on the StealthPatrol setting – the one that runs in the background when the system is idle. My computer is running:

• 2 GB Corsair Gaming RAM (check prices)
• Two 250 gig Western Digital Caviar HDDs (check prices)
• Dual GeForce 9800 SLI graphics cards (check prices)
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 2.61 GHz processor (check prices)
• MSI K9N-SLI v.2 motherboard (check prices)

I just recently reinstalled Windows XP on this system as a fresh copy, completely erasing my main drive. After less than a month of usage, PerfectDisk was able to completely free up about 6 gigs of space on my main drive, defrag the 1.2% of my drive that was fragmented, and increase performance up to 99.7%. Keep in mind that this is on a new drive, which can only stand as testament to what it will do for a year or two old drive, even after it had been defragmented with the Windows defrag.

Overall, I would recommend PerfectDisk 10 to anyone desiring any sort of performance and capacity increase on their computer, as it completely puts any other defrag program I’ve ever utilized to shame. It’s a great asset to even the slowest of computers, and slow computers are just what PerfectDisk will aid the most. These guys have truly perfected this kind of software; ease of use, simplicity, and good ol’ doing what you want it to do. Check out the screenshots for a glimpse of exactly what you’ll be receiving.

	REPORT CARD : Raxco PerfectDisk 10 category rating comments Quality 4 User interface very easy to understand and use Innovation 5 Much more control over standard defrag that comes with Windows. Performance 5 Minimal performance impact while working, can even be scheduled. Installation 5 Pretty standard install.  Up and running quickly. Value 3 Prices range greatly depending on which edition.  Server edition can be pricey, but only costs $40 for the average user. FINAL VERDICT: 5 out of 5 stars