Hardware

MBR LIMITATIONS In order to ensure that our review went smoothly, their needed to be consideration as to what partitions would serve our tests best as this was definitely not a standard-issue configuration.  This was first discovered when we examined the inherent limitation of the MBR disk partitioning system which is the standard used for the vast majority of drives …

ATTO DISK BENCHMARK V.2.46 ATTO Disk Benchmark is the quickest and simplest method to determine transfer speeds and utilizes the same test methodology as manufacturers in arriving at performance results.  It simply measures raw sequential transfer speeds for both read and write access at various transfer sizes, producing a very easily understood result. This benchmark is by far the industry …

CRYSTAL DISKMARK 3.0.1 Crystal Diskmark is a very flexible benchmark that shows the speed of the drives at various file sizes. All of the smaller file sizes are measured in random access, a key weak point of many types of Hard Disk Drives. With this benchmark we can see the great scaling from the single drive compared to the raid …

WIN7 EXPERIENCE INDEX The Win7 Experience Index (WEI) represents Microsofts method of rating computer systems and, more specific to our usage, provides a storage evaluation through a graduated rating system up to 7.9 on PC components and the system as a whole. This benchmark is built into Windows and anyone can use it by simply typing: Go to Win Orb/All …

Our review today is going to examine a 4GB kit of Patriot Viper Extreme Division 2 memory. This kit is rated at DDR3-1600 (or 800MHz) at timings of 8-9-8-24 with 1.65v. Based on the quick specifications, it is clear that this low-latency kit is designed for extreme performance. BACKGROUND Patriot Memory is a long standing company that was founded in …

3.  SiSoftware Sandra Professional Business Edition (Latest Version) SiSoftware Sandra (the System ANalyser, Diagnostic and Reporting Assistant) is an information and diagnostic utility. It provides most of the information (including undocumented) needed by testing hardware, software and other devices. Giving the user the ability to draw comparisons at both a high and low-level, Sandra presents information about the CPU, chipset, video adapter, ports, printers, sound …

4.  Futuremark PCMark Vantage Professional 64-Bit Edition (Version 1.0.0.0) PCMark Vantage is a PC benchmark suite designed for Windows, offering one-click simplicity for casual users and detailed, professional grade testing for industry, press and enthusiasts. A PCMark score is a measure of via a computers performance across a variety of common tasks such as viewing and editing photos, video, music …

SYSTEM OVERVIEW AND TESTING PROCEDURES Test System I Test System II Motherboard GIGABYTE 870A-USB3 GIGABYTE P67A-UD7 CPU AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition @ 3.20GHz Intel Core i7 2600K @ 3.40GHz (3.80GHZ Turbo Boost) GPU AMD Radeon HD4670 EVGA NVIDIA GTX 560Ti Operating System Windows 7 64-Bit Windows 7 64-Bit In order to present an unbiased review, I decided …

ICY DOCK METAL 2.5″ TO 3.5″ SATA/SSD CONVERTER WITH RAID (MB982SPR-2S) Once again, this cage is a very well built metal cage and will hold two 2.5″ drives for RAID use and fits into a 3.5″ adapter slot.  It would be a great idea for hard drive use but, on the SSD front, there are two limitations of the unit.  …

With USB 3.0 now becoming standard in many new laptops and computers alike, we thought it might be an ideal time to review an external USB  3 solid state drive and were fortunate to be offered the opportunity by Kingston Technology. Our review today will take a close look at the Kingston HyperX Max 3.0 USB 3 SSD and the …