Hitachi Punts 2TB Desktop Hard Drive
Hitachi became the latest vendor to offer a 2TB hard drive for desktops on Thursday, but the equivalent for laptops may still be some way off.
The 2TB Deskstar 7K2000 from Hitachi Global Storage Technologies operates at up to 7,200 RPM, providing fast access to data. It’s aimed at gamers and other users who want a big, fast hard drive. It will go on sale worldwide Friday and is priced at $329 in the U.S.
It will be one of a handful of 2TB drives available. Others include Western Digital’s Caviar Green Drive, which was announced earlier this year and can be bought for $229.95 on Amazon.com.
Desktop hard drives still offer up to twice the capacity of laptop drives, which reached 1TB last week with the release of Western Digital’s Scorpio Blue.
Laptop drives are smaller and therefore typically hold less data. Hitachi is working to make the platters denser, said Roger Cowles, product manager at Hitachi GST, but the company isn’t ready to say yet when a 2TB laptop drive might hit the market.
Hard drives are being challenged by solid-state drives based on flash memory chips, which operate faster but are more expensive. There was some early momentum behind solid-state laptop drives but users have been drifting back toward standard hard drives, Cowles said.
Hitachi is also focused on SSDs for environments that require a lot of I/O, and the company has partnered with Intel to push SSDs into the enterprise.
Microsoft Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 announced
Microsoft says the new Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 is the “perfect companion” for Windows 7 offering a new time-saving feature called “Taskbar Favorites” (that we’ve brought you news of before) for a quick way to access open programs. The new desktop set will also support “Device Stage” device management and “Windows Flip” that offers a thumbnail preview of all open windows.
The keyboard gets a “Comfort Curve” layout that claims to encourage natural wrist posture with a slight 6-degree curve while there’s also a soft-touch palm rest and low-profile quiet keys.
As far as the bundled mouse goes, you’re looking at a 2.4GHz mini-transceiver that works up to 30 feet away, rubber side grips, an ambidextrous shape and Microsoft’s BlueTrack technology for work-anywhere abilities.
The Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000 will be available this month in the US for $79.95. No word on UK pricing or availability, but these products do usually get an international release eventually.
Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000 with BlueTrack Review
Predictably, after bringing to market optical and laser incarnations of its Wireless Desktop 3000 keyboard and mouse sets, Microsoft has updated the line to include its new BlueTrack sensor technology. Join us as we find out if this cordless combo really is one of the better-value sets around.
Unpacking the Desktop 3000 reveals a compact keyboard, mouse and dongle. Setup is a pinch, as you merely insert the four provided AA batteries into both the keyboard and mouse, plug in the pre-paired transceiver and you’re off.
To get the most out of the set you’ll also want to set up Microsoft’s software for Windows or Mac, which when installed divides into Microsoft Mouse (IntelliPoint) and Microsoft Keyboard (IntelliType). It offers a range of functionality for the mouse, including a nice animated diagram to show each button as you select it, and though the keyboard side of things is more restrained, at least the driver lets you assign functions to various keys here too.
Back on the hardware front, the mouse of this set is Microsoft’s Wireless BlueTrack Mouse 5000 which we reviewed a short while ago. The only difference is that the glossy black plastic strip at the peripheral’s base is now white, as are the two side buttons for thumb and pinky-finger (which were silver on the standalone mouse). We preferred the look of the separate 5000, but the white trim here goes with that around the outside edge of the keyboard.
If you want a detailed examination of the 5000′s ergonomics and performance we’d recommend a quick read through that review, but for those who don’t want to bother here’s what the mouse is like in a nutshell.
Its symmetrical shape and button layout make it ambidextrous, but also prevent it from being as comfortable as mice sculpted to fit a specific hand. Rubberised sides do help, but a glossy top shows up fingerprints
The mouse has five buttons, all of which offer crisp feedback. The four-way scroll wheel isn’t notched so scrolling is consistently smooth, which of course isn’t ideal for the odd game. There’s also a slight concern with the wheel’s build quality. Aside from this the 5000 is generally well-constructed and its BlueTrack sensor gives excellent tracking performance across almost any surface.
Since the 2,4GHz RF transceiver that comes with the Desktop 3000 is the same size as the one provided with the standalone 5000, it still fits into the recess in the mouse’s base for easy travelling.
Getting onto the Wireless Keyboard 3000 V2.0, it’s a fairly attractive affair: a relatively sleek and compact rectangle with rounded edges. Aside from the white trim it sports an appealing mix of matte and glossy black. Matte keys are set into a glossy surround for the main typing area, while the shiny shortcut keys are shown off against a matte background.
A permanently-attached wrist rest is coated in a pleasant soft-touch material, though personally I found the angle too low to be particularly comfortable. There’s no way to raise the keyboard’s front either, since the ingenious removable feet found on Microsoft’s excellent Wireless Laser Desktop 7000 have been done away with – a pity since it was a unique feature that (literally) lifted Microsoft’s keyboard above the competition.
Nevertheless the 3000s’ keyboard is generally quite comfortable, as you would hope from a company with the experience Microsoft has in this area. Its low-profile keys are shaped well and offer what is among the best feedback of any keyboard at this kind of price point. Just the right amount of travel combines with a positive click for every key to make typing a pleasure – if we had to choose we’d say Microsoft just about beats Logitech in this regard. With the exclusion of the spacebar, typing is also less noisy than on many rivals.
Along the top edge of the keyboard are 17 shortcut and multimedia keys arranged in four groups. The first one consists of home, chat, Skype and email buttons, the second offers six favourites buttons, the next group controls playback while the last section has volume controls. Of course each of these can be re-assigned, as can the zoom and document controls along the keyboard’s left side.
In addition to the dedicated shortcuts at the keyboard’s top, the F1-F12 keys also double as shortcuts – in fact the F-functions are set up as secondary, and need to be enabled by an F-lock button found above backspace. Rather than being grouped in threes or fours as on other keyboards, here the F-keys are all equally-spaced, which combines with the small function labels (the main ones on the keys being shortcut-icons) to make it far too easy to accidentally press the wrong one.
Come on Microsoft, there’s a good reason these keys are grouped on most keyboards!
Other extras worth mentioning are the ever-essential calculator shortcut and a low-battery status indicator LED above the number pad. The 3000 Keyboard is also spill-resistant, with built-in drainage channels should that cup of coffee empty itself into your precious peripheral.
As far as value goes, the Wireless BlueTrack Desktop 3000 makes quite a case for itself since it’s available for an eminently reasonable £33. Excellent value on its own merits, but with its price tag putting it right up against Logitech’s Cordless Desktop S520, currently demanding £35, let’s see how it fares.
Both sets offer a cordless experience with a compact, spillproof keyboard and ambidextrous mouse. As far as the dongle goes, Microsoft gets the first point with a far sleeker transceiver which can be stored in the mouse’s base.
When it comes to mice Logitech’s LX5 effort might be slightly more comfortable and thankfully lacking that glossy finish, but the 5000 has two more buttons and a superior battery insertion system. The LX5 offers notched feedback on its scroll-wheel, but Microsoft’s rodent uses superior BlueTrack technology, which allows it to be used on almost any surface, so depending on your needs we’d say the maker of Windows wins this one too.
Finally in the keyboard department, Logitech’s effort is slimmer and has a more supportive wrist-rest, which combines with the keys’ zero-degree tilt to offer superior comfort. Actual key feedback is far better on the 3000 V2.0 though, as the keys on the S520 feel comparatively light and lose. We’d call it a draw here, though if you can raise the front of Microsoft’s keyboard (using a gel wrist-rest, for example) it definitely receives the win. Overall then, we declare the Desktop 3000 the well-deserved champion.
| Author | Ardjuna Seghers |
| Published | 30th Jul 2009 |
| Manufacturer | Microsoft |
| Supplier | Play |
| Price | £28.69 (Exc VAT) |
| as reviewed | £32.99 (Inc VAT) |
Microsoft Wireless Desktop 3000 with BlueTrack Review
Predictably, after bringing to market optical and laser incarnations of its Wireless Desktop 3000 keyboard and mouse sets, Microsoft has updated the line to include its new BlueTrack sensor technology. Join us as we find out if this cordless combo really is one of the better-value sets around.
Unpacking the Desktop 3000 reveals a compact keyboard, mouse and dongle. Setup is a pinch, as you merely insert the four provided AA batteries into both the keyboard and mouse, plug in the pre-paired transceiver and you’re off.To get the most out of the set you’ll also want to set up Microsoft’s software for Windows or Mac, which when installed divides into Microsoft Mouse (IntelliPoint) and Microsoft Keyboard (IntelliType). It offers a range of functionality for the mouse, including a nice animated diagram to show each button as you select it, and though the keyboard side of things is more restrained, at least the driver lets you assign functions to various keys here too.
Back on the hardware front, the mouse of this set is Microsoft’s Wireless BlueTrack Mouse 5000 which we reviewed a short while ago. The only difference is that the glossy black plastic strip at the peripheral’s base is now white, as are the two side buttons for thumb and pinky-finger (which were silver on the standalone mouse). We preferred the look of the separate 5000, but the white trim here goes with that around the outside edge of the keyboard.
If you want a detailed examination of the 5000′s ergonomics and performance we’d recommend a quick read through that review, but for those who don’t want to bother here’s what the mouse is like in a nutshell.
Its symmetrical shape and button layout make it ambidextrous, but also prevent it from being as comfortable as mice sculpted to fit a specific hand. Rubberised sides do help, but a glossy top shows up fingerprintsThe mouse has five buttons, all of which offer crisp feedback. The four-way scroll wheel isn’t notched so scrolling is consistently smooth, which of course isn’t ideal for the odd game. There’s also a slight concern with the wheel’s build quality. Aside from this the 5000 is generally well-constructed and its BlueTrack sensor gives excellent tracking performance across almost any surface.
Since the 2,4GHz RF transceiver that comes with the Desktop 3000 is the same size as the one provided with the standalone 5000, it still fits into the recess in the mouse’s base for easy travelling.
Getting onto the Wireless Keyboard 3000 V2.0, it’s a fairly attractive affair: a relatively sleek and compact rectangle with rounded edges. Aside from the white trim it sports an appealing mix of matte and glossy black. Matte keys are set into a glossy surround for the main typing area, while the shiny shortcut keys are shown off against a matte background.
A permanently-attached wrist rest is coated in a pleasant soft-touch material, though personally I found the angle too low to be particularly comfortable. There’s no way to raise the keyboard’s front either, since the ingenious removable feet found on Microsoft’s excellent Wireless Laser Desktop 7000 have been done away with – a pity since it was a unique feature that (literally) lifted Microsoft’s keyboard above the competition.
Nevertheless the 3000s’ keyboard is generally quite comfortable, as you would hope from a company with the experience Microsoft has in this area. Its low-profile keys are shaped well and offer what is among the best feedback of any keyboard at this kind of price point. Just the right amount of travel combines with a positive click for every key to make typing a pleasure – if we had to choose we’d say Microsoft just about beats Logitech in this regard. With the exclusion of the spacebar, typing is also less noisy than on many rivals.
Along the top edge of the keyboard are 17 shortcut and multimedia keys arranged in four groups. The first one consists of home, chat, Skype and email buttons, the second offers six favourites buttons, the next group controls playback while the last section has volume controls. Of course each of these can be re-assigned, as can the zoom and document controls along the keyboard’s left side.
In addition to the dedicated shortcuts at the keyboard’s top, the F1-F12 keys also double as shortcuts – in fact the F-functions are set up as secondary, and need to be enabled by an F-lock button found above backspace. Rather than being grouped in threes or fours as on other keyboards, here the F-keys are all equally-spaced, which combines with the small function labels (the main ones on the keys being shortcut-icons) to make it far too easy to accidentally press the wrong one.
Come on Microsoft, there’s a good reason these keys are grouped on most keyboards!
Other extras worth mentioning are the ever-essential calculator shortcut and a low-battery status indicator LED above the number pad. The 3000 Keyboard is also spill-resistant, with built-in drainage channels should that cup of coffee empty itself into your precious peripheral.
As far as value goes, the Wireless BlueTrack Desktop 3000 makes quite a case for itself since it’s available for an eminently reasonable £33. Excellent value on its own merits, but with its price tag putting it right up against Logitech’s Cordless Desktop S520, currently demanding £35, let’s see how it fares.
Both sets offer a cordless experience with a compact, spillproof keyboard and ambidextrous mouse. As far as the dongle goes, Microsoft gets the first point with a far sleeker transceiver which can be stored in the mouse’s base.
When it comes to mice Logitech’s LX5 effort might be slightly more comfortable and thankfully lacking that glossy finish, but the 5000 has two more buttons and a superior battery insertion system. The LX5 offers notched feedback on its scroll-wheel, but Microsoft’s rodent uses superior BlueTrack technology, which allows it to be used on almost any surface, so depending on your needs we’d say the maker of Windows wins this one too.Finally in the keyboard department, Logitech’s effort is slimmer and has a more supportive wrist-rest, which combines with the keys’ zero-degree tilt to offer superior comfort. Actual key feedback is far better on the 3000 V2.0 though, as the keys on the S520 feel comparatively light and lose. We’d call it a draw here, though if you can raise the front of Microsoft’s keyboard (using a gel wrist-rest, for example) it definitely receives the win. Overall then, we declare the Desktop 3000 the well-deserved champion.
| Author | Ardjuna Seghers |
| Published | 30th Jul 2009 |
| Manufacturer | Microsoft |
| Supplier | Play |
| Price | £28.69 (Exc VAT) |
| as reviewed | £32.99 (Inc VAT) |
Technisat Digicorder HD S2x review
In many respects this twin-tuner hi-def PVR is a fine piece of work but, sadly, some silliness creeps in
An HD revamp of the twin-DVB-S2-tunered Digicorder S2, the HD-S2x has already been available (as the HD-S2) for some time in Germany.
Unfortunately, the HDD is the same 160GB as the S2′s. Given the greediness of HD recordings, we would have expected bigger. That said, a 500GB version is available for extra outlay.
Build and connectivity
One cannot fault the contemporary and surprisingly compact styling of the S2x, which wouldn’t look amiss next to – say – a Loewe TV. Function follows form with a control disc that facilitates basic timeshifting, soundtrack/subtitle and last-channel selection, as well as the usual channel-change, volume and standby.
They’re augmented by a multi-function fluorescent display that, among other things, lists the name of the currently selected channel. The lower half of the front panel swings downwards to reveal the USB port, card readers for built-in Conax CAM and CI slots. You can swap the supplied hard disc for your own 3.5in SATA drives too.
The new model adds Ethernet capabilities, which enable the timer to be remotely scheduled via the internet, and recordings to be transferred to a PC. Multimedia files can fly the other way, thereby allowing you to make the most of the onboard media player (or you can transfer via the USB port).
Twin LNB
Along with twin LNBs, the rear panel has everything you would expect
Also on the rear panel (above) are the two LNB inputs that are configured in the setup menus, and support the SatCR and DisiCon type of single cable router LNB to feed both tuners.
Unfortunately, there’s no UHF modulator or aerial connectivity. The component and HDMI will go from 576i to 1080i, and if you have a DVD recorder the RGB Scart output can be active at the same time as the HD outputs.
Setup
The S2x is ready for motorised dishes, courtesy of DiSEqC 1.2/USALS. Initial setup – the parameters of which include language, location, display format or whether you’re using one or both LNB inputs – is conducted by a wizard. The options here are comprehensive – the LNBs that can be connected include single LO, C-band, and single cable routing (SatCR and DisiCon).
Unfortunately, you can’t have two dishes aimed at different satellites, unless they’re fitted with twin (or quattro) LNBs – and under those circumstances you’ll need DiSEqC switchboxes to make sure the inputs are always from the same satellite.
The most flexible solution is to use a DiSEqC motorised dish with a twin LNB – our review configuration. The procedure to get this receiver to work with a DiSEqC rotor is quite unusual: you have to choose ‘motorised’ from the list of available satellites, then work your way through the satellites and enable the ones you can receive.
Searching
You can search individually or with an auto-search to allow for transit times
Instead of using a manual ‘step’ mode to set the precise sat positions, the excellent ‘auto-focus’ system peaks the dish for maximum signal strength. It’s then a matter of searching the satellites, either individually or with a global search that automatically visits each in turn; sensibly, this allows for transit times between satellite positions.
In ‘auto’ search mode, you can choose all services, or just the free-to-air ones. Also provided are transponder and manual searches, with PIDs for individual channels if desired. You can also specify modulation type, though some reason you can choose FEC for DVB-S2, but not DVB-S. Most obviously missing is a blind search option for adding new transponders without downloading a new database.
Basic use
Pressing ‘enter’ accesses the channel navigator, and by default, the ‘master list’ of channels is displayed. Press the ‘options’ button, and you can access the ‘all channels’ list – a disappointing maximum of 6,000 – or sort channels according to provider. For more advanced sorting you have to select the main menu’s ‘TV (radio) lists organising’ option.
From here, you can copy or remove channels from the all-channels list to the master list. The ‘all channels’ sorting functions include alphabetical order, free, new, HDTV, satellite and even language – but there’s no ability to find a channel by progressively entering more of its name.
Another annoying characteristic of this receiver comes to the fore if you’re using a motorised dish. When working through the all-channels list, the dish insists on moving to the currently highlighted one – a great way of wearing out your motor prematurely!
You have the six favourites lists (three TV, three radio), but we could find no reference to these anywhere in the menus. We had to wade through the manual to discover that favourites lists have to be turned on manually (this is a setup option). From then on, favourites can be defined by switching from the relevant master lists (i.e. radio or TV) to one of the three favourites.
This is daft – we would have thought that anyone wanting to remain sane would be using favourites by default. Disappointingly, you can’t define favourite channels directly from the navigator. Rather than one button press, once they’re switched on, favourites are available as a channel navigator ‘option’. A more sensible system would be welcomed.
The EPG, which can program the timer directly, supports now-and-next and 7-day schedules. A neat feature is the ‘SFI’ button, which accesses an EPG now-and-next ‘digest’, complete with time-remaining bargraphs and the ability to proceed further through the schedules if available. This is tied in with Technisat’s EPGPlus, an unusual system that involves downloading data from an unspecified transponder at 0.8°W.
Regrettably, the number of channels covered here is small and primarily Scandinavian, although a ‘journal’ function allows you to update user-defined channels from conventional DVB EPG. None of the UK’s terrestrial channels is covered by the download, which is disappointing, given that on FTA (as opposed to Freesat) these broadcasters only offer now-and-next DVB EPG data.
Downloaded channels benefit from a ‘genre’ display mode for upcoming programmes, but this is denied to non-EPGplus channels that offer seven-day EPGs, such as the German ones. Odd, given the receiver’s origins.
Other features include a picture zoom, teletext, subtitles and a useful channel technical information display, including bitrate and resolution. You’ll also find a PiP function for insetting the picture of one channel into another. Only one of these can be an HD channel, which brings us to a severe limitation of the HD S2x.
Only one of the tuners is DVB-S2-compliant, which means that you can’t view one HD channel while recording another (a twin-tuner model, the HD S2 Plus is forthcoming).
PVR and multimedia
Lack of dual-HD recording aside, the PVR functions rank very highly. An oddity to watch out for is that if the unit is in PVR mode, attempting to enter the menus will ask you if you want to stop recording. If you want to manually set or change the timer you’ll have an interrupted recording.
However, you can still access the channel list and EPG – and play existing recordings, which are listed with a press of the green handset button. You can pause the current channel, kicking off the process of using the HDD as a buffer. You can then review, cue, jog/shuttle and play to your heart’s content.
A welcome touch is that you can preserve the contents of the buffer as a recording should you decide it’s worth keeping. Up to 999 recordings, initiated manually or using the 30-event/1-year timer, can be stored on the HDD. There’s also an editing function for trimming off excess material, or copying a segment to a new file.
You can also use the Mediaport software (from Technisat’s website) to transfer recordings (which are in standard transport-stream format) to a PC across the network, or from a PC to the S2x. MP3, JPEG and DVD-type VOB (MPEG-2) files are the only formats with which the HD-S2x is compatible; DivX and WMV aren’t supported.
Networking also lets you access the receiver from any suitable internet-enabled device in the world, although for now this only extends to timer scheduling.
Performance
The HD-S2x may be fast at selecting channels – within a couple of seconds if it’s on the current satellite – but searches are ponderous: an all-channels DVB-S/S2 search of Hot Bird clocked in at over 11 minutes. ITV HD is not receivable with the S2x, but reception of channels from a variety of different satellites proved reliable – even in damp weather.
The tuners are obviously up to scratch in sensitivity terms. In AV quality terms the HD-S2x also puts up a good showing. Pictures from Arte HD and BBC HD are sublime, intricate detail and impressive colour fidelity being only too apparent on the Full-HD Cineversum Paris projector we were fortunate to have in for testing at the same as well as our 32in Sony Bravia LCD.
Poor-quality SD channels (not Technisat’s fault) remain just that. From MP3 files and digital TV alike, sound quality from both the analogue and digital outputs cannot be faulted. A final point to note is the relatively low power consumption.
Zotac Ion Mini-ITX with Atom N330 review
Nvidia’s new Ion platform gives Intel’s Atom processor some sizzle
Amidst the gloom of global economic meltdown and tumbling PC sales, Intel’s plucky little Atom processor has provided a glimmer of hope.
For starters, Atom has been the driving force behind the explosively popular new netbook segment. And later this year, it will attempt also to assimilate the smartphone market with the arrival of Moorestown, a massively more power efficient revision of the Atom architecture.
So far, however, Atom has frankly flopped when tasked with more performance-critical workloads.
Whether it’s HD video decoding, gaming or heavy duty web browsing, Atom simply hasn’t had the necessary chops.
Partly that’s a function of the modest processing power of the Atom chip itself. But it also reflects the absolutely feeble Intel integrated graphics with which it’s been paired.
You could say, therefore, that what Atom really needs is a new chipset with decent graphics. That’s exactly what graphics specialist NVIDIA is betting on with Ion, its new Atom-compatible motherboard chipset.
Geforce 9400M by another name
Actually, Ion is nothing new. It’s little more than a repackaging of the firm’s familiar GeForce 9400M integrated chipset. That’s possible because the Atom CPU uses essentially the same bus interface as the Intel Core 2 processors for which the 9400M was originally conceived.
But that’s no bad thing. To take one high profile example, Apple reckons the 9400M is good enough to power a whole range of systems including several MacBook and iMac models.
More to the point, Ion / 9400M is definitely a massive upgrade in terms of 3D horsepower and in particular hardware 2D video decode features compared to Intel’s awful integrated graphics.
Anywho, our first taste of Ion comes in the form of this natty little mini-ITX board-and-chip combo from Zotac. On paper, it’s a fantastic package and comes complete with the flagship Atom 330 processor. It’s a dual-core 1.6GHz chip with 1MB of cache and support for two threads per core.
It also sports a healthy array of video output options including VGA, DVI and HDMI, plenty of USB ports, a trio of SATA ports and even wireless networking, all as standard. It’s also a completely passively cooled board making it effectively silent in operation and comes with its own laptop-style external power brick.
In other words, all you need to do it drop in a stick or two of memory, connect a hard disk and optical drive and you have a full featured PC. Hence, for our money, there are two basic usage models for this little mobo.
Firstly, it could be the basis of an occasional or casual secondary PC, perhaps on a kitchen worktop, in family room, that sort of thing. A cheap system that wouldn’t be expected to do heavy duty number crunching. The other option is a cut-price alternative for a home theatre PC.
Desktop duties
As a general desktop tool, sadly, even Ion’s multimedia prowess can’t make the difference. We did our testing with Windows 7 RC-1. When Windows 7 arrives later this year, we think will be the mainstream choice for this sort of chipset.
It’s definitely a bit kinder on hardware than the bloat-tastic Windows Vista. But in terms of day to day desktop use, it’s still a little too much for even the dual-core Atom 330 to cope with. Responses are sluggish and web pages fail to scroll smoothly, for instance.
Passive
There are no fans on the board, so it runs very quietly
As for outright processing power, well, our benchmarks suggest the Atom chip has about 1/10th the grunt of a high end quad-core chip. It’s also worth noting that this board-and-chip combo is a very poor solution for gaming.
Even at a meagre resolution of 800 x 600, it only manages about 15 frames per second in a relatively undemanding game such as Call of Duty 4.
Cinema on a budget
If desktop duties get the better of the Atom-Ion combo, can it achieve redemption courtesy of its hardware video decode capabilities?
To a degree, yes. Generally, we’re very impressed with Ion’s PureVideo 2D video engine. In our Blu-ray disc test, it puts in a pretty much faultless performance.
Our test Blu-ray movie is Fanstastic Four coded in the demanding H.264 codec. Playback is completely smooth and CPU utilisation during decode is typically around 15 per cent. Incredible given the weakness of the Atom processor.
OCZ Vertex 128GB SSD review
Once again, the best things in life are far from free
Not so long ago, it seemed that memory manufacturers were assuring us that the move away from spinning hard disks would herald a new momentous, Golden Age of Peace and Prosperity on Earth – and then possibly the Whole Universe. Then came the MacBook Air and Asus’ EeePC, whose poor performing solid state drives were the weakest part of otherwise superlative products. Mere months passed before the global depression set in. Coincidence? We’ll never know.
As far as we can tell, solid state hard drives haven’t quite shaken off the reputation for being overly expensive and not as good as you’d expect. That may explain why OCZ has launched its third series of SSDs in barely a year. This Vertex drive is the highest performing model in its range and is kitted out with a healthy 64MB of cache and a new ARM-based controller. This specification should help it overcome some of the bottlenecking problems of earlier drives (from all manufacturers).
As we’ve found with many SSDs, a lot of the theoretical benchmarks that we’ve traditionally used to measure drive performance are good, but don’t seem overly impressive. That’s okay though, because the real world tests irrefutably establish the superiority of solid storage right where you’d expect it. Compared to one of Seagate’s high performing 1TB traditional drives, the Vertex shaved a good third off of Windows Vista’s boot times, and a similar amount from level loading delays.
We only had a single sample in for review, but we’d love to repeat our tests with two or three of these in a RAID array – we’re sure we’d see some outlandish scores.
If you’re thinking of using one of these 2.5inch demons in a laptop, you’ll also benefit from low power consumption (2W at peak) and full shock resistance.
Vertex, then is the SSD which we want in our own rigs. Except that when you look at the price tag it’s clear even if the technology has been mastered, we’re still in the financial dark ages of flash storage. Just as we were starting to see some similarly sized competitors slip below the £150 barrier, OCZ comes along and re-establishes what it means to be premium. Per gigabyte, it’s over 30 times more expensive than a standard hard drive – which is a hell of a lot for what amounts to 30 per cent in improved performance.
You can’t get away with buying a cheaper 30GB model just for booting off of either: the smaller drives aren’t quite as swift as their larger counterparts.
This, then, is the drive you should aspire to own, but it’ll probably be a few years until you afford it.
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Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition review
An all-important upgrade or an exercise in incrementalism?
When AMD rolled out its chips for the new AM3 CPU socket, we were baffled. AM3 dragged AMD into the DDR3 era. But with that in mind, why were the first AM3-compatible CPUs groveling models with cut-down caches, lower frequencies or fewer cores?
Surely the new socket deserved a brand new processor to showcase its beefed up bandwidth and multi-core majesty? Finally that chip has arrived in the form of the new Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition.
For those of you without a double first in cryptography, allow us to decode the ludicrous product name. For starters, it’s a Phenom II chip and that means cool-running, high-clocking 45nm silicon and hence not AMD’s utterly rubbish 65nm transistors. X4, of course, indicates four cores, which is as good as it currently gets.
Then there’s the 955 which has several meanings, most significantly a 3.2GHz operating frequency, the aforementioned AM3 socket compatibility (as well as backwards compatibility with AM2 and AM2+ mobos) and support for DDR3 memory up to 1,333MHz. Finally, this is a Black Edition chip, which sports an unlocked CPU multiplier.
All of which leaves the minor matter of performance. The key yardstick is AMD’s previous uber CPU, the 3GHz Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition. Needless to say, at stock operating frequencies the additional 200MHz doesn’t translate into an epic increase. Likewise, the additional bandwidth of DDR3 memory compared to the DDR2 in the old 940 won’t have you running victory laps around your desk.
What you do get is an incremental improvement over a chip that already delivered extremely satisfactory performance. In that context, the 955′s overclocking prowess is more interesting. The news here is mixed. Running at stock voltages, our sample tops out at 3.6GHz.
That’s around 200MHz more than the old chip and therefore in line with the official frequency boost. However, our initial efforts at increased voltages hit the wall at 3.7GHz, which isn’t higher than what we achieved with an overvolted 940.
No doubt with more time spent tuning the chip’s voltages as well as the northbridge, we could squeeze out a few hundred additional MHz. But then you could say the same thing about the 940. Nevertheless, we prefer to run CPUs at stock voltages and there the new 955 compares more favourably. It’ll run all day long at 3.5GHz. Whether that’s worth an extra £50 over the 940, however, is another matter.
Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
Mighty mouse for gamers?
Logitech has a bit of a track record for producing serious gaming hardware. Its keyboards, gameboards and mice haven’t always been top of gamers’ wishlists in the performance stakes but when it comes to features, there’s not much competition.
The G9 Laser Mouse is no exception. Its biggest feature is the customisation possibilities. A selection of 4 and 7 gram weights are included, giving a total of 25 different combinations that you could load it with, from 0g to 28g.
Then there’s adjustable sensitivity, which has four presets, from slower than treacle to ridiculously whizzy. Perfect for those sneaky headshots. That takes the different combinations up to 100.
Then there’s two different covers that you can put on the thing – an XL grip and a precision grip. The precision grip is slightly bumpy and apparently moisture resistant (which Logitech calls “DryGrip”), meaning that it’s very easily handleable with sweaty paws. It has some air vents along the side too, presumably for extra ventilation of your mitts.
The XL grip is much bigger and considerably more comfortable, though it adds quite a lot of extra bulk to the mouse. A smoother finish means that it feels nicer to us, though if you’re the kind of gamer who gets a bit moist in tense situations, then you might find yourself slipping a bit.
Unfortunately we’re not sweaty people here at Pocket-lint, so to test the moisture resistance, we licked the precision grip instead, then tried out a bit of Left 4 Dead. Zombies seemed to be dying at just as fast a pace as normal, and we didn’t slip, but did feel a bit ill half an hour later. Recommendation: don’t lick your mouse.
In the software, you can set up four game profiles, which will adjust your settings automatically whenever you load that game. For example, if you want high sensitivity while playing Counter-Strike, but find the mouse whizzing about everywhere annoying while playing World of Warcraft, you can set that up. You can even set-up different colours for the LEDs on the mouse itself.
The buttons feel solid, and nicely clicky, and the scrollwheel in particular justifies plenty of praise. Compared to its predecessor, the G5, the scroll wheel on the G9 is infinitely better, moving fast when you want it to, but retaining plenty of control when you don’t.
So, let’s total up: 25 weight combinations, 4 sensitivity settings, 2 grips, and 4 game profiles. Multiplying those all together gives 800 different ways you can set this mouse up. Add that to 16581375 options for the colour of the LEDs, and this mouse can be configured in more than 13.2 billion ways. Not bad!
