in-transaction insert performance in 7.5devel

I am batch inserting insert statements into a database with fsync = on.
My single disk system is on a 10k drive...even though I am inside a
transaction there is at least 1 file sync per row insert.

Is this normal?  On my hardware, which is pretty quick, I am limited to
about 50 inserts/sec.  If I operate outside of a transaction, the number
is closer to 30.  With fsync off, I can hit over 1000.

IIRC in previous versions insert performance was a lot faster when in
transaction, is that the case?

Merlin