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Data Storage

Submission + - Hardware RAM disk puts new spin on the SSD

Submitted by
theraindog
theraindog writes: "Although the solid-state storage market is currently dominated by flash-based devices, you can also build an SSD out of standard system memory modules. Hardware-based RAM disks tend to be prohibitively expensive, but ACard has built an affordable one that supports up to 64GB of standard DDR2 memory and features dual Serial ATA ports to improve performance with RAID configurations. And it's driver-free and OS-independent, too. The Tech Report's in-depth review of the ANS-9010 RAM disk pits it against the fastest SSDs around and nicely illustrates the drive's staggering performance potential with multitasking and multi-user loads. However, it also highlights the device's shortcomings, including the fact that SSDs are more practical for most applications."
Data Storage

Submission + - Seagate Hard Drive Fiasco Grows (techreport.com)

Submitted by AnInkle
AnInkle writes: Two months after acknowledging that their flagship 1.5TB Barracuda 7200.11s could hang while streaming video or during low-speed file transfers, Seagate again faces a swell of complaints about more drives failing just months after purchase. Again The Tech Report pursued the matter until they received a response acknowledging the bricking issue. Seagate says they've isolated a "potential firmware issue." They say there's "no data loss associated with this issue, and the data still resides on the drive;" however, "the data on the hard drives may become inaccessible to the user when the host system is powered on." If users don't like the idea of an expensive data-laden paperweight, Seagate is offering a firmware upgrade to address the matter, as well as data recovery services if needed. By offering free data recovery, Seagate seems to be trying to head off what could become a PR nightmare that may affect several models under both the Seagate and Maxtor brands.
Input Devices

Submission + - Das Keyboard vs. Model M: fight! (techreport.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Can a newfangled clicky keyboard with a $130 price tag outdo the venerable Model M in terms of comfort and tactile feedback? The Tech Report got to the bottom of the issue in a thorough review of the Das Keyboard Professional, comparing the purported 'best keyboard on the planet' with IBM's old-fashioned classic. Which one comes out on top? The author says it's like picking between 'two slightly different flavors of delicious ice cream.'
Portables

Submission + - Gigabyte netbook transforms into tablet

Submitted by
theraindog
theraindog writes: "Netbooks have taken the mobile market by storm, and now Gigabyte has squeezed Intel's low-cost Atom hardware into a convertible tablet PC. With a high-resolution touchscreen, ExpressCard expansion slot, 160GB of upgradeable storage, and ultraportable form factor, the M912 looks like a tantalizing alternative to the glut of me-too netbooks on the market. However, as The Tech Report's in-depth review reveals, poor battery life and a decidedly un-netbook-like price ultimately sink what is an otherwise attractive concept."
AMD

Submission + - 45nm Opteron performance, power efficiency tested (techreport.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Now that Intel has unleashed its next-generation Core i7 processors, all eyes are turned to AMD and its incoming wave of 45nm CPUs. To get a feel for AMD's future competitiveness, The Tech Report has taken a pair of 2.7GHz 45nm Opterons (with 75W power envelopes) and put them through the paces against Intel Xeons and older, 65nm Opterons in an extensive suite of performance and power efficiency tests--from Cinema 4D and SPECjbb to computational fluid dynamics and a custom XML handling benchmark. The verdict? AMD's new 45nm quad-core design is a notable improvement over the 65nm iteration, and it proves to be a remarkably power-efficient competitor to Intel's Xeons. However, 45nm AMD chips likely don't have what it takes to best Intel's Core i7 and future Nehalem-based Xeons.
AMD

Submission + - AMD postpones Fusion CPU-GPU hybrids until 2011 (techreport.com)

Submitted by J. Dzhugashvili
J. Dzhugashvili writes: While it previously intended to launch x86 processors with built-in graphics cores in 2009, AMD announced during its Financial Analyst Day presentation that its first "Fusion" chips won't debut until 2011. The company now intends to launch CPU-GPU hybrids together with its new Bulldozer architecture on a 32nm process technology, leaving its current architecture to compete against Intel's Nehalem processors (which will start featuring built-in graphics cores next year) in the meantime. On the upside, AMD has also announced four new processors aimed at mainstream notebooks, ultra-light laptops, and netbooks.
Data Storage

Submission + - Seagate Acknowledges Problems with 1.5TB HDD (techreport.com)

Submitted by AnInkle
AnInkle writes: Seagate's 1.5TB Barracuda has been available for a couple months from multiple retailers. But shortly after release, numerous reports of random freezes appeared on several sites. The hang apparently occurs in Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows Vista when streaming video or transferring files at low speeds. After a couple weeks of silence, Seagate has finally officially acknowledged the problem in a response to The Tech Report, saying they're investigating the "issue" affecting "a small number of Barracuda 7200.11 hard drives." Acknowledging the "inconvenience" is a start, but most users expect at least average performance and prompt service from the capacity king of data storage.
Portables (Apple)

Submission + - Apple's aluminum MacBook: a PC enthusiast's take (techreport.com) 1

Submitted by J. Dzhugashvili
J. Dzhugashvili writes: You often hear Mac fans talking about the latest and greatest Apple hardware, but what's it like for a PC enthusiast to make the switch? Cyril Kowaliski at The Tech Report has traded his ThinkPad for one of Apple's $1,299 aluminum MacBooks in order to answer that question. How does the MacBook compare to a rugged PC laptop, and does Mac OS X really have what it takes to compete with Windows? Also, can the new MacBook handle Windows Vista and Team Fortress 2 as well as it runs iTunes and iPhoto?
Data Storage

Submission + - "Green" 1TB Caviar popular enough for refr (techreport.com)

Submitted by AnInkle
AnInkle writes: "Green" versions of popular tech products, including PC hardware, are long past the novel stage. Many are popular enough that companies are releasing 2nd and 3rd generations of the supposedly eco-friendly products. When Western Digital released its GreenPower Caviar GP earlier this year, it had decent performance and consumed significantly less power than other terabyte hard drives. Apparently it's been successful enough that Western Digital has come out with a 2.0 version, of sorts, for this terabyte drive, with three 333 GB platters and a variable (still undeterminable) spindle speed. The Tech Report compares the new version to twelve other hard drives, including the original Caviar GP, and finds improvements in some areas, not so much in others. But for the marquee features of this model (power, heat, and noise), tree lovers should be pleased with the improvements.
Data Storage

Submission + - An in-depth look at Seagate's 1.5TB Barracuda

Submitted by
theraindog
theraindog writes: "More than a year and a half after the first terabyte hard drives became widely available, Seagate has reached the next storage capacity milestone. With 1.5 terabytes, the latest Barracuda 7200.11 serves up 50% more capacity than its peers, and at a surprisingly affordable $0.12 per gigabyte. But Seagate's decision to drop new platters into an old Barracuda shell may not have been a wise one. The Tech Report's in-depth review of the world's first 1.5TB hard drive shows that while the latest 'cuda is screaming fast in synthetic throughput drag races, poor real world write speeds ultimately tarnish its appeal."
Graphics

Submission + - Nvidia talks GPU failures in desktops, MacBooks (techreport.com) 3

Submitted by J. Dzhugashvili
J. Dzhugashvili writes: After almost two weeks of wrangling with its legal department, Nvidia gave its longest statement ever today on the GPU and chipset failures that have plagued certain notebooks. The company addressed some allegations AMD has been making to the press and partners, and it talked about the potential impact of the failures on desktop systems, Apple's new aluminum MacBooks, and more. On the subject of the new MacBooks (which all have GeForce graphics), Nvidia seemed confident that we won't see a repeat of past incidents. Apple 'would not be launching the most important product in their history with a product they felt was at risk,' Nvidia said.
Graphics

Submission + - How much should you spend on a graphics card? 4

Submitted by
theraindog
theraindog writes: "High-end graphics cards get all the glory, but most folks have a difficult time justifying $300 or more for a single PC component. But what if you could get reasonable performance in all the latest games from a budget card costing as little as $70? With game developers targeting the relatively modest hardware available in current consoles and trickle-down bringing cutting-edge features down to budget price points, today's low-end graphics cards are more capable than ever. To find out which one offers the best value proposition, The Tech Report has rounded up eight graphics cards between $70 and $170, comparing their game performance, Blu-ray playback acceleration, noise levels, and power consumption, with interesting results."
Data Storage

Submission + - Intel's first SSD blows doors off competition

Submitted by
theraindog
theraindog writes: "Intel is entering the storage market with an ambitious X25-M solid-state drive capable of 250MB/s sustained reads and 70MB/s writes. The drive is so fast that it employs Native Command Queuing designed to hide mechanical hard drive latency to compensate for latency the SSD encounters in host systems. But how fast is the drive in the real world? The Tech Report has an in-depth review comparing the X25-M's performance and power consumption with that of the fastest desktop, mobile, and solid-state drives on the market. At the very least, this drive looks like it could easily handle a Slashdotting."
OS X

Submission + - ACSI: Mac users are much happier than PC users (techreport.com)

Submitted by J. Dzhugashvili
J. Dzhugashvili writes: The University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index paints a very interesting picture of the PC market. Consumer satisfaction for major PC makers ranged from 70 to 75 (out of 100) last quarter, while Apple had a satisfaction score of 85. The University says the gap between Apple and Dell is "one of the largest . . . between first and second in any industry measured by ACSI," and it adds that Apple's score is a "new all-time high for the [PC] industry."
Data Storage

Submission + - Notebook storage showdown: Time for solid-state?

Submitted by
The Raindog
The Raindog writes: "Some would argue that solid-state storage sits poised to supplant traditional mechanical hard drives, and with budget SSDs now available at much lower prices than previous flash drives, they might have a point. SSDs have the best shot of replacing mechanical drives in notebooks, where flash's low power consumption and high shock tolerance are significant advantages. To find out how the latest solid-state drives stack up against their mechanical counterparts, The Tech Report has compared seven 2.5" mobile hard drives across a wide range of application, file copy, power consumption, and noise level tests, with surprising results."

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