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PCMARK VANTAGE x64 HDD SUITE The SSD Review uses benchmark software called PCMark Vantage x64 HDD Suite to create testing scenarios that might be used in the typical user experience. There are eight tests in all and the tests performed record the speed of data movement in MB/s to which they are then given a numerical score after all of …

An Intel ‘Sandforce Driven’ SSD you say? Its almost like a play from a playbook but, once again, someone seems to have gotten their hands on an Intel Roadmap which discusses upcoming SSD releases. All in all we may be seeing up to 5 releases by years end but there is one particularly interesting release in the bunch as shown …

Welcome to our follow up of the LSI 9265-8i MegaRAID Card, an eight-port PCI Express SATA+SAS RAID Controller that is configured for 6Gb/s devices. Our first LSI review concentrated on RAID 0 speed and performance and the response prompted our further testing of the LSI in a RAID 5 environment. Take a look as we explore the in-depth the performance …

This is the test bench that we will be using, and it is something that I am particularly proud of.  A quick click on the picture will give you a close up. We are using an array of 8 Micron C300 256 GB SSDs that Micron has provided to make this review possible. As you might have guessed, this is truly …

In testing the 9265, we ran some of the usual suspects for consumer benchmarking to include AS SSD,  ATTO, Crystal Disk Benchmark, and HDtune Pro. We also have ran quite a few tests with IOMeter, and  enjoy the use of AIDA 64 for latency testing as it gives a very good indication of average device latency. The Windows Experience Index …

Lets do a quick primer on the differences between RAID 0 and RAID 5. RAID 0 RAID 0 is commonly referred to as ‘striping’ or a ‘striped array’ because its approach is striping data across multiple disks without any redundant information. An example of this in simple terms would be similar to taking a sentence, and placing each word on …

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. Here we can see the controller pretty …

AS SSD BENCHMARK V.1.6 This is a straight no-cache run here, and the results are tremendous! The sequential writing speed is knocking at the door of the maximum write speed that is achievable with these drives.  The caching with the DDR3 definitely comes into play here. The scaling is absolutely superb considering the amount of computational overhead needed for the …

HDTune shows some interesting parameters that others do not, and gives some good latency numbers for various file access sizes. LINKED INDEX Introduction ~ Test Bench & Protocol ~ Card Settings RAID 5 Explained ~ Initial Tests ~ AS SSD HDTune ~ Win 7 & AIDA ~ IOMeter 08 Vantage and Final Thoughts FOLLOW THE DISCUSSION IN OUR FORUMS

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 …

Iometer 2008.08.18 For the enthusiast crowd and enterprise, I have included IOMeter which allows for configurable cache sizes.  We have set the test file to 8gb, so you can see the results without cache leverage. There are going to be a few screens displayed so your patience is appreciated as a few shots are just showing the massive amounts of …

PCMARK VANTAGE HDD SUITE In PCMark Vantage the data simply cannot be manipulated, and a result is provided based on the transfer speeds observed in eight simulated user activities. This is also a widely accepted opinion held by many reviewers and storage enthusiasts. Through Vantage, the user gains large benefits in the write-back feature of the  RAID card as the …

Getting my head around OS X wasn’t easy and then diving into the programs needed to do my everyday stuff was another task that had to be learnt. Quite a big deal was being made for Office for Mac 2011 and as a happy Office 2010 for Windows user, I was looking forward to checking out the Mac version. There …

We’ve seen little innovation in laptop design in the last few years. Most companies seem to think that using a brushed aluminum finish or adding Intel’s latest mobile CPU is all they need to do to freshen a product line. Still, Acer’s not the first company to introduce a laptop with dual screens; the short-lived Toshiba Libretto W100 comes to …

Many of our readers may be unfamiliar with the Xigmatek brand. Xigmatek is a relatively new company that began by offering excellent thermal management products to enthusiasts. Xigmatek was launched as a branch of parent company ‘Micro Technology’ in 2005 and they quickly expanded to offer more solutions for the DIY market such as computer cases and power supplies. Xigmatek’s …