The ATTO disk benchmark tests the drives read and write speeds using gradually larger size files. For these tests, the ATTO program was set to run from its smallest to largest value (.5KB to 8192KB) and the total length was set to 256MB. The test program then spits out an extrapolated performance figure in megabytes per second.
Honestly, we had concerns about the 1TB being able to impress us as much as its smaller, and even more inexpensive, 500GB sibling but those concerns are quickly being put to rest. These performance curves are simply amazing for a SATA based model. Crucial really has figured out how to get the most of the SMI 2258 controller.