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.
March 28th, 2013 by Josh Shaman
Tripp Lite SmartOnline UPS Review (SU3000RTXL2U)
Tripp Lite's SU3000RTXL2U is an online UPS system (uninterruptable power supply) that provides 3000VA/2500 watts of reliable battery backup for up to seven outlets. The unit sustains regulated voltage, frequency, and a pure sine wave to confine itself from power brownouts and failures. Tripp Lite specifically designed this model to protect medical equipment, wiring closets, switches, storage devices, routers, and servers from power issues that can cause critical systems to go offline. The Tripp Lite SmartOnline instantly kicks into action by continuously routing power through a double-conversion circuit, giving it a 0ms transfer time. Battery life itself is projected at 6 minutes for a full load at 2500 watts and 15 minutes for a half load at 1250 watts without additional battery packs connected.
March 28th, 2013 by Doug Crowthers
Intel SSD 525 mSATA Review
Intel's SSD 525 mSATA drives are the latest iteration in the line and utilize 25nm MLC NAND memory with LSI SandForce SF-2281 controllers. According to Intel, SSD 525 drives can reach up to 50,000 IOPS random read and 80,000 IOPS random write, while sequential read performance runs up to 550 MB/s with sequential writes of 520 MB/s. The SSD 525 series measures 50.8mm x 29.85mm x 3.7mm, weighs 10 grams, and includes a PCIe mini-connector intended to support applications from netbooks, thin-and-light systems, mini and sub-notebooks, all-in-one computers, and embedded platforms. The SSD 525 Series offers additional key features such as: Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 128-bit Encryption, End-to-End Data Protection, and Data Compression.
Read moreMarch 25th, 2013 by Kevin OBrien
LSI Nytro WarpDrive BLP4-400 Application Accelerator Review
The LSI Nytro WarpDrive BLP4-400 is a half-height half-length PCIe application accelerator that offers 400GB of eMLC NAND. Like the WLP4-200 200GB SLC model we have reviewed previously, the BLP4-400 combines four NAND pools leveraging SandForce controllers into a single storage volume. The drive is designed to be easy to deploy; the universal form factor slots easily into most servers, and thanks to LSI's background in HBAs and RAID cards, the WarpDrive usually doesn't require additional software or drivers to be installed. The WarpDrive family is as close as it gets to plug and play in an enterprise flash storage environment.
March 23rd, 2013 by Josh Shaman
Corsair Voyager Air 1TB Review
Corsair's Voyager Air is an portable storage device with capacities of 500GB and 1TB designed to dramatically increase smartphone and tablet media capabilities by producing and broadcasting its own wireless network. A novel feature that Corsair brings to the market is an Ethernet port that enables the Voyager Air to act as a NAS when plugged into a router. This feature, not found on similar devices, gives Corsair a significant differentiator in a market that has very fine degrees of separation. When on the go, the Voyager Air has a battery life of up to 7 hours for continuous video streaming and a range extending up to 90 feet. Additionally, Voyager Air can support streaming up to 5 HD movies to 5 devices at one time.
March 21st, 2013 by Josh Shaman
Seagate Wireless Plus Review (STCK1000100)
Seagate's Wireless Plus is a 1TB external storage device that provides users access to their media by broadcasting its own wireless network, thus removing the need for wires, Wi-Fi hotspots, and network access points. This feature, combined with the 150 foot range of the Wireless Plus, allows users to upload and download documents, pictures, music, and movies to and from their smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices at any time without being tethered down or restricted by their current location. Essentially, by removing data limitations natively found on smartphones and tablets, Seagate's Wireless Plus creates an alternative to shelling out gobs of cash for the expensive capacity steps offered by smartphone and tablet manufacturers.
March 18th, 2013 by Josh Linden
EMC Syncplicity Review
Syncplicity is EMC’s cloud-based file management and collaboration platform which was acquired in 2012 to integrate multi-client synchronization and security features with the EMC’s public and private cloud storage portfolio. With no end in sight in the movement towards mobile staffing and technology, it's vital for enterprise storage vendors to offer solutions that support file synchronization while maintaining IT administrative control over business data. Syncplicity can be used as a subscription-based model service with EMC’s infrastructure, or customers can deploy Syncplicity with EMC’s Isilon or Atmos storage platforms.
March 14th, 2013 by Kevin OBrien
Advatronix Cirrus 1200 Review
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The Advatronix Cirrus 1200 server features the Intel Xeon E3 family in either the E3-1220LV2 or the more powerful E3-1265LV2 iteration that our review model employs. Offered as an equally powerful alternative to more traditional rack servers, the Cirrus 1200 is presented in a relatively small, blue cube-shaped form factor. This gives the Advatronix a unique size that allows users the kind of access they typically expect from a desktop. Accordingly, instead of being tucked away somewhere remotely as rack servers often are, SOHO and creative houses can keep their Cirrus 1200 just about anywhere. This makes it easy both to service and maintain when necessary, which are must-have features when positioned in the SMB and private cloud computing space.
March 13th, 2013 by Josh Shaman
WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo 8TB Review (WDBUSK0080JSL)
The Western Digital My Book Thunderbolt Duo 8TB is an external storage unit that provides top-of-the-line capacity in a book-sized enclosure. Near the end of 2012, we reviewed the WD My Book Essential which provided the highest capacity on the market in a single hard drive at 4TB. Now, we're examining the WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo formatted specifically for Mac and available in 4TB, 6TB, or 8TB. Our test model comes with a whopping 8TB storage capacity. The Duo crams that exceptional storage capacity into a relatively small space using two 3.5" 4TB Hitachi Deskstar 5K4000's.
March 13th, 2013 by Josh Shaman
OCZ Vertex 3.20 SSD Review
The OCZ Vertex 3.20 SSD is the latest rendition in the Vertex 3 line and now offers a smaller MLC NAND configuration. Most SSDs, such as the Vertex 3 that we reviewed in 2011, have relied on 25 nanometer (nm) process geometry, but OCZ is taking strides to create production efficiencies and cut costs by moving to 20nm NAND die. However, other than decreased NAND die size, updates are minor. The Vertex 3.20 retains the same controller and processor as its predecessor and produces very similar performance.
March 8th, 2013 by Josh Shaman
Seagate SSHD Thin Review (Gen3 500GB, ST500LM000)
Seagate's third generation SSHDs (solid state hybrid drives), now for both laptops and desktops, are marketed as a replacement for HDDs and serve as a good option for those otherwise considering an SSD. SSHDs aim to offer users the price-point and robust capacity of HDDs while also utilizing NAND flash to provide the performance attained with SSDs by caching critical applications. Slimmed from 9.5mm to 7mm, our review model third generation Seagate 500GB SSHD Thin with 8GB of MLC NAND would fit well in any user configuration and is especially well-suited for ultra-thin, ultra-light laptops.
