Infortrend EonStor A16F-R2431 - hard drive array

Advantages: Fast spindle speed, large buffer, high capacity, fast data speed
Disadvantages: May need SATA interface card

...Upgrading... Everyone does it (eventually). After upgrading my computer, i decided to get a new hard disk. Mine was becoming full of stuff, so i had a look to see what i could get. I know hard drives are now available in stupendously large sizes now (500GB+), but i decided on two of these 160gb drives along with a Highpoint SATA Raid card (gives me a 320gb drive) With raid, data is written and read across the drives (Raid 0), which speeds up the process by about 50-75% Installation of the drives / card was done as follows: 1/ Plug the highpoint card into an available pci slot 2/ Plug the SATA cables onto the highpoint card. 3/ Plug one SATA cable into each hard drive 4/ Plug a power cable into the drives 5/ Go into Highpoint cards bios and setup the raid array. 6/ Format drive and install windows. Once up and running, the speed... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: All that storage
Disadvantages: Price for the home user

...I'm an impulse buyer...If I sit and think about it long enough, I will talk myself out of stuff....I'm glad I didn't talk myself out of this. Yes, over £600 is a bit steep for an impulse buy...but it's worth every penny. It must be the easiest bit of hardware to set up that I've ever bought. What does it offer? Built-in USB 2.0 Print Server Four 250Gb Drives Four Operational Modes to allow massive volume or fault tolerant RAID arrays. Robust User and Group level permissions Gigabit Ethernet connection with Jumbo Frame support Easily removable hard drive rack to swap drives as needed 4 USB Ports for countless connection scenarios Oversized fan allows ultra-silent operation Plug it into your router, switch it on, decide how you'd like the disk array to work (raiding etc) and away you go. If you're anything like me, you'll spend... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Quiet and Reliable
Disadvantages: Slightly more expensive some other companies

...warranty which i have not used, but a company with Samsung's reputation should have no problem replacing the drive through an RMA. The final plus point is how it compares to the market leaders Seagate Barracuda. I believe my Samsung Spinpoint performs better more quietly yet is usually a good 5-10% cheaper. I would seriously advise people get drives from better brands as data loss can be devastating. I would advise to everyone who can afford it, to run a RAID 1 array so that you dont lose data if a hard drive fails. Thank you... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful