Apr 10
Akitio has announced a new storage solution that aims at people working with large video files. The storage device is called the Thunder2Quad and has four bays that support different … Continue reading
Mar 25
It doesn’t matter how effective the security of a product is if the user doesn’t use it. For years, there have been software programs that would allow the user to … Continue reading
Jan 13
It seems like each time I get a new game console or computer it feels like I will never use all the storage space on the hard drive. Then before I know it, I am having to decide what I want to ditch to get enough space on the drive for new items. If you own a PS4 and you want to upgrade the HDD, the good news is that it is a user serviceable part.
It won’t void your warranty to replace the drive that comes from Sony inside the PS4 with a larger capacity HDD or faster SSD from OWC. The company has a pair of SSD upgrades for the PS4 with 240GB or 480GB of storage and faster access speeds. The 240GB SSD kit sells for $219 while the 480GB version is $399.
The HDD upgrade kit with a 1TB drive is $99.99 with the 1.5TB HDD upgrade kit selling for $149.99. All of the kits include everything you need including the new drive, flash drive for data transfer, instructions, screwdriver, and even a USB enclosure for the drive you take out of the PS4.
Jan 13
Sony has been doing very well with its PS4 game console. The company sold a huge number of units and by early December of 2013, Sony reported 2.1 million units … Continue reading
Dec 19
iStarUSA BPN-DE Drive Cage Review
Posted in: Today's Chili
Those building their own PC have to go through a sea of PC components that is often not easy to navigate, not because the specs are hard to read, but because it is virtually impossible to form an opinion on the build quality of PC accessories based on what’s available online. When I started shopping for a drive cage for a new PC I’m building I wanted to have a drive cage that was neat and solidly built. After some research I zeroed in on this particular iStarUSA BPN-DE340SS (DE stands for “dove eye”) so I’m putting this review together so that others may benefit from the experience gathered with this purchase. iStar USA also has bigger and smaller versions of the same design.
iStarUSA BPN-DE Drive Cage Review original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Nov 30
Xbox One’s 500GB HDD swapped for bigger, faster drives, and tested for performance
Posted in: Today's Chili
The Xbox One arrives with a 500GB HDD built-in, and in contrast to the PlayStation 4’s easily-accessed storage, it’s not meant to be accessed or replaced by the user, ever. While we’ll probably leave ours in place to keep from voiding the warranty or risk a ban from Xbox Live, a few folks have already cracked open the console to see what else will fit. iFixit noted during its teardown that there’s an off-the-shelf 2.5-inch Samsung HDD inside connected via SATA II inside, and swapping that out isn’t much of an issue. Brian Williams has already tried out the system with two alternate drives: a 500GB Samsung EVO SSD, and a Seagate 1TB hybrid SSHD. As you can see in his video (embedded after the break) boot time from off to the dashboard only improved slightly, with the SSD loading in 46.1 seconds compared to 50.5 stock. A test with Call of Duty: Ghosts revealed similar results, with the SSD loading up in 27 seconds and the hybrid drive close behind in 27.7, compared to 33.5 seconds stock. We’ll need tests with more games to be sure, but so far it’s not showing the improvements seen after swapping the PS4’s hard drive out for speedier options. The folks at Tested report doing so improved level load times in Killzone: Shadow Fall from 60 seconds to 39 seconds.
So, if it’s not a ton faster, why would you want to take the chance of prying Microsoft’s box open? To get more space. Brian’s drives were simply copies of the original transferred by Clonezilla, but an individual named Juvenal1 has already worked out how to get the system to actually recognize and make use of drives bigger than 500GB. By copying files from your original drive and using their Linux-compatible tool to repartition the new HDD, you can be up and running with more capacity after just a reboot or two. Of course, this carries significant risks and we don’t recommend it for most, as Microsoft’s Albert Penello has already revealed support for external drives is coming in a future update, along with the ability to do crazy things like see how much storage you actually have left. Still, if you just need to live on the edge (or store every game released so far and record hours of clean Upload Studio clips) the instructions can be found here.
Update: If you’re interested in performing the upgrade, Brian Williams has followed with a video walkthrough for the process of properly formatting a larger hard drive, even if you’re not familiar with using Linux.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Juvenal1 (Github), Brian Williams
Nov 25
Performance-minded PC users frequently want both a fast solid-state drive for crucial apps and a regular hard disk for everything else, but that’s not always feasible in the tight space of a laptop. Western Digital is making that two-drive option a practical reality through its new Black2. The design puts both a 120GB SSD and a 1TB spinning disk into a single 2.5-inch SATA enclosure, offering more speed and capacity than you’d find in a typical hybrid drive. It’s potentially an ideal blend for gamers and small form factor PC builders, although they’ll pay for the privilege — WD is shipping the Black2 today for $300, or roughly as much as the two drives by themselves.
[Thanks, Metayoshi]
Source: Western Digital
Nov 21
The chip-obsessed gadget archaeologists at iFixit already have an Xbox One, and they’re already ripping it apart. Those monsters! While they’re not done dissecting and analyzing every single piece just yet, they’ve already found some interesting tidbits: for one, the Xbox One’s 500GB HDD is a standard SATA II 2.5-in. (of the Samsung Spinpoint variety, with an 8MB cache). Sure, you’ll have to pry open the system and carefully remove the Wifi and system speaker assembly to swap it out the HDD for a larger size, but if you’re willing to void the warranty and get up in there, serious storage is at your fingertips.
While you’re inside the Xbox One, you may also notice the amount of easy to replace, standard hardware. It’s true: 64 mm Torx screws hold the Xbox One’s internals together and a SATA data connector pairs the Blu-ray/DVD drive to the motherboard. As iFixit‘s teardown is still in action, they’ve yet to determined its repairability. And should they find out any dark secrets about the console in the process, we’ll keep you updated.
Update: iFixit awarded the Xbox One an 8 out of 10 repairability rating, placing it in the same easily repairable world as the PlayStation 4.
[Image credit: iFixit]
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: iFixit
Nov 14
Western Digital has rolled out a new storage device aimed specifically at Mac users. The storage device is the My Passport Air and it is fitted inside of a slick aluminum enclosure that makes it match well with Mac computers. The aluminum enclosure is 11mm thick making it very portable. Connectivity options for the My […]
Nov 06
Just a few months ago we were impressed with Western Digital
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