The StorageReview.com review database offers in-depth analysis and comparison of the latest storage products. The latest HDD reviews (hard disk drive), SSD reviews (solid state drive), external storage reviews and related accessories are listed below.
FEATURED by Kevin OBrien
Intel SSD 520 Enterprise Review
The Intel SSD 520 is targeted at the client user, but with the backing of the Intel brand and the quality of engineering that went into this SSD, it's definitely going to creep into the enterprise as well. As seen in our client Intel SSD 520 review, the SandForce-based SSD drives great performance, while offering co-developed custom firmware and Intel's best NAND. Within the enterprise, the SSD 520 will find its way not just into workstations and other PC duty, but into servers and other environments where speedy storage in largely read-oriented scenarios can really shine.
FEATURED by Kevin OBrien
Intel SSD 520 Review
The Intel SSD 520, code name Cherryville, is the latest consumer SSD offering from Intel which breaks a tremendous amount of new ground for the company and the SSD industry at large. The big highlight is that Intel has transitioned to a SandForce processor in the SSD 520, away from the Marvell processor used in the SSD 510. Intel claims the SSD 520 to be their fastest SSD to date and there's little reason to doubt them. With the highest quality 25nm IMFT NAND available and the speedy SandForce processor combined, the SATA 6Gb/s SSD 520 cranks out quoted sequential read speeds of 550 MB/s and writes of 520 MB/s.
February 6th, 2012 by Andrew Baxter
Dell XPS 17 SSD Upgrade Review
The Dell XPS 17 L702X is a desktop replacement style notebook that is powered by an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and Nvidia dedicated graphics. The XPS 17 L702X can be purchased and configured on Dell.com where it has a starting price of $899 for the entry level configuration. You are able to configure the XPS 17 to your hearts delight, but as is often the case upgrades you make at purchase time are more expensive than if you do it yourself after market. In addition to that you have no control over what brand or model of upgrade components Dell uses. For this reason we advocate doing whatever upgrades you can after market to save money and have more control.
FEATURED by Kevin OBrien
Intel SSD 520 RAID Review
We've already looked at the Intel SSD 520 a few different ways in our client SSD 520 review and enterprise SSD 520 review. Additionally though, with the superb performance and Intel's reputation for SSD reliability, there's potential for the SSD 520 to be offered by notebook and desktop OEMs as a performance upgrade for buyers configuring those systems. Users may also evaluate the Intel SSD 520 for RAID deployments, with the goal of leveraging speed and/or redundancy. To that end, in this review we're working with the 240GB SSD 520 in several client-focused scenarios including single drive, RAID0 with two Intel 520s, RAID0 with three 520s and RAID5 with three 520s.
February 3rd, 2012 by Kevin OBrien
StorageReview Enterprise Testing Environment: Lenovo ThinkServer RD240 Review
Testing enterprise hardware and software requires an evaluation platform beyond consumer desktops. StorageReview understands that companies want hardware they send out for review tested in the same environment they are positioning it for and to that end we have deployed a pair of Lenovo ThinkServer RD240's for enterprise reviews. The RD240 is a 2U rack-mountable server that is designed for larger business tasks; however, its price is targeted for small and medium businesses (SMBs) making it a smart choice for businesses looking for low cost alternatives but want to maintain high levels of data protection at the same time. The RD240 gives several levels of advanced data protection, inducing RAID data cache and available battery backup and low-cost storage. This ThinkServer is no slouch though, as its powered by two Intel Xeon X5650 processors and packed with SAS/SATA 6.0Gb/s gear from LSI.
February 1st, 2012 by Kevin OBrien
Corsair Vengeance DDR3 RAM Disk Review
Just as all hard drives and SSDs are not created equal, neither is RAM, as we're finding in our expanding coverage of traditional DRAM used in a RAM disk scenario. Corsair's Vengeance DDR3 RAM kit is part of Corsair's quad channel high-performance line of RAM, featuring PC3-12800 (1600MHz) speed rating and 9-9-9-24 latency timings, aimed squarely at overclockers and performance enthusiasts.
February 1st, 2012 by Kevin OBrien
Crucial m4 SSD RAID Review
The Crucial m4 SSDs have been on the market nine months, and have built a good track record around mainstream value and reliability in that time. Crucial has been great about continuing to enhance their line of m4 SSDs with firmware updates, a key advantage thanks to using their own NAND and extensive engineering team. While one update has been for an unforeseen stability problem, another has tuned the m4 for even better performance across all capacities as seen in our updated 256GB m4 review. The overall quality of the drives and support from Crucial then make the m4 platform a good candidate for RAID use, for those looking to stretch out impressive performance with a reliable backbone.
January 31st, 2012 by Kevin OBrien
OCZ Octane SSD 128GB/512GB Review (Firmware v1.13)
OCZ updated the firmware on their Indilinx-powered Octane SSD to v1.13 last week, touting significant increases in random 4K write performance. On the lower capacity models the gains are quoted to jump over 100%, with advertised speeds increasing from 7,700 IOPS to 18,000 IOPs. Percentage gains taper off as capacity climbs, with the 512GB model getting bumped from 16,000 IOPS to 26,000 IOPS. The firmware release also likely addresses minor compatibility and stability issues.
January 30th, 2012 by Lyle Smith
StorageReview Enterprise Testing Environment: Eaton 5PX UPS Review
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is an electrical device that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source fails. The main reasons to invest in a UPS is to protect your assets which can include both hardware and in many cases data. At StorageReview, we rely heavily on hardware and data in our testing environment; including both the hardware we are testing, the servers and connected equipment we use for testing, and above all else our results gained through testing. To protect our Enterprise Testing Environment, we turned to Eaton for their 5PX-2200RT UPS.
January 27th, 2012 by Kevin OBrien
Samsung SSD SM825 Enterprise SSD Review
The Samsung SSD SM825 is an enterprise-grade SSD that's designed specifically for write-intensive data center workloads. Like all Samsung SSDs, the SM825 leverages all of Samsung's in-house expertise including their own eMLC NAND, 3-core controller and specialized firmware that helps to deliver 7,000 TBW, 100 times what's often seen in standard MLC NAND, while being more cost effective and delivering near-parity performance with SLC NAND. The net result is 4K random write steady state speeds we measured in excess of 9,800 IOPS and sequential 2MB write speeds topping 200MB/s.
