Content and news by Robert Tanner

During our last solid-state drive review we observed that the 120GB OCZ Vertex drives were selling for $289 after rebate, which works out to be $2.41 per GB. For an all-around solid performance drive that is capable of both respectable sequential writes and random small file operations, we awarded the Vertex Turbo our rare Editor’s Choice award.

It’s known amongst tech enthusiasts that being the first to upgrade will always incorporate some additional level of risk. The problem with brand-new technology (especially that which expands the current envelope) is unforeseen complications that can develop. Or, new limitations that previously were never a concern before, or even…

(Updated) The advantages of SSDs over traditional hard drives are widely known. Enthusiasts searching for higher levels of performance have long favored combining several slow platter-based drives together in a RAID array to better mask the latency issues, even while increasing overall read and write throughput rates. Extreme…

If Intel’s recent launch of the Core i7-980X Extreme Edition six-core, twelve-threaded monster of a CPU wasn’t attractive enough to get you drooling into your keyboard, then the latest motherboard from EVGA aims to fix that. Formerly known by the W555 codename, the EVGA Classified SR-2 (Super Record 2) is designed as the ultimate motherboard.

Making the decision to upgrade to an SSD isn’t difficult, but finding the “perfect” SSD is a different story thanks to the sheer amount of choice out there; sometimes even from the same vendor! Fortunately, OCZ’s Vertex Turbo delivers a great blend of performance and GB per dollar, making it well worth consideration.

Around this time 2009, Western Digital acquired SiliconSystems in their objective to enter the SSD storage market, shortly thereafter releasing their first SSDs. After their initial foray and some further time to integrate and develop SiliconSystems’s IP, Western Digital is back to release newer, more refined challengers to the SSD marketplace…

With ever more powerful SSDs launching at ever higher prices it is important to not forget about the cost-conscious crowd. Toward that effort Corsair is launching two new series of SSDs to add to their current SSD lineup that mostly features Samsung controllers. The Reactor series targets the value segment and features the revised JMF612 JMicron…

Those following the developments in SSD technology will surely know about OCZ’s Vertex drives featuring Indilinx’s Barefoot controllers. These drives along with Intel’s “G2” SSD’s have been a longstanding favorite for their TRIM support and top-notch performance, but as with all technology, it doesn’t remain at the top for long. OCZ has just announced…

A couple of weeks ago, Kingston announced a revision to its V+ series of SSDNow drives. In addition to a brand-new controller from Toshiba being utilized, along with Toshiba NAND, the new V+ drives support TRIM right out of the box. This, along with good pricing and excellent performance, make the latest V+ drives well-worth looking out for.

Microsoft may be selling Windows 7 exclusively on DVD’s, but did you realize that it takes very little effort to create a bootable thumb drive and install from that? We’re taking a look at two popular methods of accomplishing this, and as you’ll see, it couldn’t be easier to install Microsoft’s latest OS onto a PC with no DVD-ROM. It’s faster, too!

Want to make the upgrade to a solid-state drive, but prefer to avoid the high cost of adoption? Kingston helps ease that pain with its SSDNow V Series 40GB, a modest drive that features Intel’s NAND and impressive G2 firmware, which helps it deliver stellar performance when compared to an HDD, for an easy-to-stomach price.