Hard Disk

Guru makes PC buyer picks

Judi Hasson — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:24:41 -0400

The Wall Street Journal's technology columnist Walter Mossberg has offered his latest laptop and desktop computer advice, giving high marks to Mac's Leopard operating system that he finds faster, easier and more stable than Windows XP or Windows Vista. In addition, Mossberg notes that Mac's are not as susceptible as the Microsoft systems to most malicious software.

One drawback is price. Apple has consciously chosen not to offer machines in the bargain category, he says, while you can pay hundreds less for desktops and laptops from Windows PC makers. Mossberg is clearly not very happy with Windows Vista, and says if you are inclined, find some older XP software to run your personal machine.

As far as bargains for basic users, Mossberg recommends consumers buy the low-end desktop Dell Inspiron 530 that runs XP, has a low-end Intel processor, a 250-gigabyte hard disk and 2 gigabytes of memory. It can be found for just under $400 after instant rebate.

For more advice from Mossberg:
- check out this WSJ.com article

Seagate plans 2TB SSD for next year

Paul Mah — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:21:50 -0400

Seagate will be bringing in the company's first SSD (solid state drive) offering by next year. Not surprisingly, it will be targeted squarely at the enterprise where they can afford the premium of using flash memory as a hard disk. In this article in The Inquirer, CEO Bill Watkins reiterates Seagate's long-term commitment of targeting SSD toward top-tier enterprises eager for both its higher performance and low energy consumption. Yet all the talk about SSD in the enterprise avoids the fact that it remains a technology yet to prove itself in a transaction-intensive environment. Still, with Google also looking at SSD for use in its data centers, there definitely are niche applications out there perfectly suited for SSDs.

For more on Seagate's move toward SSD:
- check out this The Inquirer article

Samsung flaunts 256 GB SSD

Paul Mah — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:41:38 -0400

Samsung plans to launch a 256 GB solid state disk before the end of this year. A prototype sporting the same 2.5-inch form factor as the hard disk drives traditionally utilized in notebook computers was unveiled in Taipei at a Samsung event. This effectively allows the SSD to function as drop-in replacement for current generation of laptops. The prototype has a read speed of 200 MB/sec, with a sequential write speed of 160 MB/sec. Samples are expected to be available by September, with mass production to follow. A 1.8-inch version is also expected to be ready by the fourth quarter. No pricing information is available at the moment, though.

For more on Samsung's new 2.5-inch SSD:
- check out this IDG News article