http://www.tomshardware.co.uk en 10 Sun, 27 May 2012 08:54:20 +0200 http://m.bestofmedia.com/i/bestofmicro/design/groupe/logo_toms_uk.jpg http://www.tomshardware.co.uk http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/vertex-4-everest-2-benchmark,review-32413.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/vertex-4-everest-2-benchmark,review-32413.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:10:00 CEST OCZ breaks new ground with its Vertex 4 in that this isn't a SandForce-flavored SSD. The company's latest flagship features an Indilinx Everest 2 controller that definitely impresses us. Can Vertex 4 stand up against the SSD 520, m4, and Samsung 830? ]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/thecus-n8800pro-data-storage-software-iscsi,review-32396.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/thecus-n8800pro-data-storage-software-iscsi,review-32396.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 09 Mar 2012 06:10:00 CET We got our hands on one of Thecus' eight-bay N8800PRO storage appliances for the purpose of taking Open-E's Data Storage Software V6 out for a test drive. Read on as we set up, manage, and benchmark this marriage of storage-oriented hardware and software.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/picturestory/35-petarack-petabyte-sas.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/picturestory/35-petarack-petabyte-sas.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:40:00 CET We're big fans of big technology, and with more than 1 PB of capacity, Aberdeen's Petarack is sure something to marvel at. We take a look inside and figure out what it takes to deploy 1 000 terabytes of space in an enterprise environment, reliably.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/usb-3.0-controller-performance,review-32302.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/usb-3.0-controller-performance,review-32302.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:10:00 CEST Given a lack of chipset vendors integrating USB 3.0 support into their core logic (with the exception of AMD's Socket FM1-focused A75), motherboard manufacturers are forced to lean hard on third-party solutions. We take a few for a test drive.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/sas-ssd-server,review-32026.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/sas-ssd-server,review-32026.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:20:00 CEST Choosing the right storage products is imperative for successful businesses. We interviewed the German storage specialist Starline on the state of business hard drives in the light of reliability, capacity, performance and cost.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/nec-controller-usb-3-pd720200,review-31980.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/nec-controller-usb-3-pd720200,review-31980.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:10:00 CEST Despite the fact that today's USB 3.0 products center on the same NEC controller, we compared a handful of different USB 3.0 drives and found performance to range from 113 to 173 MB/s, depending on the implementation used. Should you be worried?]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/compactflash-sdhc-class-10,review-31878.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/compactflash-sdhc-class-10,review-31878.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 23 Apr 2010 08:10:00 CEST Five high-capacity SD cards from Samsung, SanDisk, Silicon Power, and Transcend recently found their way into our lab. One of them was so fast that it required an upgraded reader in order to help realize its potential. Read on for more!]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/compactflash-600x-memory-card,review-31864.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/compactflash-600x-memory-card,review-31864.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:10:00 CEST Professionals rely on high-speed CompactFlash cards. Today we're looking at a handful of different options from Lexar, Samsung, SanDisk, Silicon Power, and Transcend with capacities up to 64GB and speeds up to 600x (as high as 90 MB/s)]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/1.8-toshiba-hdd,review-31848.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/1.8-toshiba-hdd,review-31848.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:50:00 CEST With the adoption of flashed-based solid state drives, 1.8" hard drives have seemingly fallen out of favor. However, we're taking a look at Toshiba’s three latest generations of 1.8” hard drive technology to see where the form factor might be heading.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/hitachi-interview-hdd-ssd,review-31841.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/hitachi-interview-hdd-ssd,review-31841.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:10:00 CET Tom's Hardware recently had the chance to interview Steve Pereira, vice president of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies in the EMEA region, who talked about SSDs and the future of the hard drive in 2010 and beyond.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/maxiq-ssd-cache,review-31809.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/maxiq-ssd-cache,review-31809.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:10:00 CET Flash-based SSDs in enterprise RAID often require serious modifications to storage subsystems already in place. Adaptec now offers a way to upgrade existing RAID solutions to deliver much-improved I/O performance in a transparent and convenient manner.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/windows-backup-acronis,review-31763.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/windows-backup-acronis,review-31763.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Sat, 26 Dec 2009 08:10:00 CET Portable hard drives are great backup targets. But should you use the ubiquitous Windows utility, a higher-end tool, or a brainless, consumer-friendly solution? We looked at Windows 7 Backup, True Image 2010 Home by Acronis, and Rebit’s consumer backup.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/hdd-backup-recovery,review-31729.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/hdd-backup-recovery,review-31729.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:10:00 CET Seagate’s Replica is a portable hard drive with automatic backup, versioning, and disaster recovery features to make backup a no-brainer. The product works so well that it deserves our rare Best of Tom’s Award.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/network-attached-storage,review-31724.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/network-attached-storage,review-31724.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:10:00 CET When it comes to mechanical hard drive performance, 7,200 RPM drives are considered the fastest. But does that convention apply in a NAS environment as well? We compare network storage performance with a handful of Samsung's "green" drives to see.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/thecus-n8800-nas,review-31711.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/thecus-n8800-nas,review-31711.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:21:00 CEST After recently running out of room on my Thecus N5200, I again turned to the company for something larger. What I found won't work for most folks (unless you have a rack in your garage, that is). But it's reasonably-priced and plenty fast for most SMBs.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/promise-smartstore-ns4600,review-31670.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/promise-smartstore-ns4600,review-31670.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:10:00 CEST Promise has revamped its NS4300N network storage device. Among the changes, its new NS4600 comes with a new engine--namely, Intel’s new x86-based EP80579 (code named Tolapai). Read on for a feature comparison and a thorough benchmark evaluation. ]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/sas-6gb-hdd,review-31665.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/sas-6gb-hdd,review-31665.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:10:00 CEST With SAS 6 Gb/s hardware hitting the market in force, storage bandwidth per port doubles and we see the introduction of several new features. The compatibility problems of first-gen SAS should also become a thing of the past with 6 Gb/s technology.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/esata-thumb-drive,review-31651.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/esata-thumb-drive,review-31651.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:21:00 CEST The eSATA interface provides a lot more bandwidth than USB, making it attractive for high-speed thumb drives. Maxell, OCZ, and Silicon Image sent us their eSATA sticks, and we also looked at Kingston’s new 128 GB USB thumb drive, too.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/hdd-noise-silencer,review-31581.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/hdd-noise-silencer,review-31581.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Tue, 19 May 2009 08:10:00 CEST Hard drive silencers and cases with special suspension hardware promise to reduce hard drive noise. We looked at two different products, and were really surprised by the results. Are these things gimmicks, or is there some real value here?]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/tom-s-hdd-charts,review-31572.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/tom-s-hdd-charts,review-31572.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Wed, 06 May 2009 08:10:00 CEST Our old 3.6 GHz Xeon is making way for a brand new X58-based Core i7 solution with PCI-X and PCIe, which we will use to test hard drives, SSDs, controllers, and other storage products. We introduce you to our new reference platform and talk about testing!]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/16-port-sas-controller,review-31563.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/16-port-sas-controller,review-31563.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:10:00 CEST Loaded with features and set up for maximum enterprise storage flexibility, we're looking into the performance and management capabilities of three SAS controller products by Adaptec, Areca, and Promise.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/qnap-promise-co-world,review-31552.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/qnap-promise-co-world,review-31552.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:10:00 CEST Network storage is great for centralizing data on a home or small business network. The real question is: do you build your own NAS or buy one that's already primed for action? We round up three ready-made units to see if any of them suit our fancy.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2.5-hdd-backplane,review-31551.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/2.5-hdd-backplane,review-31551.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Thu, 09 Apr 2009 08:10:00 CEST Using 2.5” hard drives in RAID arrays provides increased storage and I/O performance with improved efficiency—as long as they are properly installed. We looked at three backplane solutions that operate and manage either two or four 2.5” SAS/SATA drives.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/ssd-external-hdd,review-31537.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/ssd-external-hdd,review-31537.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 20 Mar 2009 07:10:00 CET Do you want a flash SSD drive with additional USB connectivity, a portable dual-drive 2.5” RAID solution, or external flash storage? We looked at these sorts of solutions to help you make a more informed buying decision on some interesting tech.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/fusioinio-iodrive-flash,review-31523.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/fusioinio-iodrive-flash,review-31523.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:10:00 CET The ioDrive represents flash memory storage connected to its host system via PCI Express. The product offers revolutionary performance, but does it also have the potential to revolutionize the storage market? We benchmark this device against two SSDs.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/truecrypt-security-hdd,review-31491.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/truecrypt-security-hdd,review-31491.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:10:00 CET Security is becoming more and more important for many users, and one of the most solid solutions is an OpenSource solution called TrueCrypt, which allows you to encrypt your entire system on the fly. We looked at this option's performance impact.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/LaCie-eSATA-4big,review-31488.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/LaCie-eSATA-4big,review-31488.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:20:00 CET It’s huge, it’s flexible, it’s fast, it’s efficient, and it even looks nice. Lacie’s four-drive storage solution features eSATA and popular alternative interfaces, and seems to be close to perfect.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/sas-adaptec-highpoint,review-31471.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/sas-adaptec-highpoint,review-31471.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:10:00 CET Professional hardware can be expensive, but are cost effective business products really an alternative? We compared Highpoint’s new RocketRAID 2640X4 SAS RAID controller with Adaptec’s 5405 entry level card.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/green-terabyte-1tb,review-31449.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/green-terabyte-1tb,review-31449.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:40:00 CET Usually, green hardware means you're giving up performance in order to cut back on power consumption. But Western Digital's second-generation Green Power drive changes all of that.]]> http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/Synology-Disk-Station-DS408,review-31428.html#xtor=RSS-142522 http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/Synology-Disk-Station-DS408,review-31428.html#xtor=RSS-142522 Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:10:00 CET Does a NAS device with high data transfer rate and a Web interface that is easy to configure actually exist? Synology shows how it should be done. But the enclosure is not without its faults, either.]]>