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 …

CONCLUSION At the end of the day, we need to illustrate a very important point. While the LSI 9265-8i is the fastest RAID card on the planet, it simply cannot give these drives the true justice that they deserve.  The throughput of the Patriots, both in MB/s and IOPS, if they could scale perfectly in RAID would be phenomenal. 4.440 …

One of the major improvements with the CacheCade Pro version is that write data can also be cached. The write caching is a tremendous accelerator for any HDD array, be it large or small. One of the major weaknesses of any storage medium is writing, especially in mixed read/write scenarios. An unfortunate side-effect of writing is that it slows down …

To say that Sandisk is an Innovator in solid state drives would be an understatement as we can all thank them for getting the SSD ball rolling. Sandisk was the first company to release their Sandisk U5000 32GB SSD to the public in 2007  and, on August 18, 2007, I was one of the first to publish a SSD review …

Data is becoming a aspect of people’s lives more and more as of late with users needing more space than ever before and with flash drives dropping down in price as more manufacturers are developing them and speeds increasing, there is an abundance of choice out there. USB 3.0 is the latest technology that can harness the super fast read …

Moving on to the motherboard area, we see the different types of ATX form-factors the Shinobi utilizes: I would like to make a quick note about the motherboard installation region of the case. Between the ends of the PCI-E expansions to the start of the 3.5 bays, there is a distance of 11.5 inches in between. With a GPU installed, …

A look inside the exterior casing of the OWC Electra was a bit unexpected as many believe that asynchronous NAND flash memory is new to the SSD scene.  I knew I recognized this specific ‘strain’ of memory but couldn’t recall it being in any recent SSDs which eventually led to my giving in to a Google search.  Back in late …

First, to understand the use of the expander you have to understand the concepts of how the device is connected to the system. Usually one would use a RAID controller, or HBA (Host Bus Adapter) to connect to a large array of either SSD or HDD. This is usually accomplished by a few standard methods. In server environments controllers are …

The enclosure is connected via SAS-to-SAS cables to the RAID Controller/HBA. The user can use one or two cables to connect to the computer. Two cables will allow a higher throughput, thus allowing the user to enjoy the “performance” mode of the product. For a user with an 8 disk HDD array, or small arrays of slower devices, one cable …

Logitech are a brand that don’t really require an introduction, as they are very much like a household brand now, with more products on the market than every before, in many different areas of the peripheral market. One of the main accomplishments for them is in the keyboard market, offering very unique products for all types of users. Now before …