SSDs vs. hard drives vs. hybrids: Which storage tech is right for you?

In times past, choosing the best PC storage option required merely selecting the highest-capacity hard drive one could afford. If only life were still so simple! The fairly recent rise of solid-state drives and hybrid drives (which mix standard hard drives with solid-state memory) have significantly altered the storage landscape, creating a cornucopia of confusing options for the everyday consumer.

 Yes, selecting the best drive type for a particular need can be befuddling, but fear not: We’re here to help. Below, we explain the basic advantages and drawbacks for each of the most popular PC storage options available today. Tuck away this knowledge to make a fully informed decision the next time you're shopping for additional drive space.

Hard-disk drive                                                                                                                                      
Hard-disk drives have been the default storage component in desktop and laptop PCs for decades. As a result, the term "hard drive" is now the common descriptor for all storage hardware—the digital equivalent of "Q-Tip" or "Band-Aid." Although modern hard-disk drives are far more advanced and higher-performing than their counterparts from yesteryear, on many levels their basic underlying technology remains unchanged. All hard-disk drives consist of quickly rotating magnetic platters paired with read/write heads that travel over the platters’ surfaces to retrieve or record data. 

HDD interiors almost resemble a high-tech record player.

The technology is mature, reliable, and relatively inexpensive compared with other storage options; most hard-disk drives can be had for only a few cents per gigabyte. Hard-disk drives are available in relatively high capacities too, with today’s largest drives storing up to 4TB of data. Usually hard drives connect to a system via the ubiquitous SATA (Serial ATA) interface, and they don’t require any special software to work properly with current operating systems.

In other words, traditional hard drives are spacious, simple, and comparatively dirt-cheap.

Hard-disk drives don’t perform nearly as well as solid-state drives or even hybrid products do in most situations, however. Today’s fastest hard drives can read and write data at more than 200MB per second with sub-8ms access times, but those numbers are significantly worse than the speeds of even some of the most affordable solid-state drives (which I'll cover in a bit). The faster the platter rotation speed, the faster the hard drive. For example, a 7200-rpm drive outperforms a 5400-rpm drive.

Hard-disk drives are best suited to users who need vast amounts of storage and aren’t as concerned about achieving peak system performance. If you're an everyday PC user who sticks mostly to email, Web browsing, and basic document editing, a standard hard drive should suit you fine. Just don't tinker around with someone else's SSD-powered PC, because once you've gotten a taste of a solid-state drive's blazing read/write speeds, it's hard to go back to even the speediest of traditional hard drives.
Solid-state drives

Several manufacturers offer SSDs. The HDD market is much more condensed.

On many levels, solid-state drives are similar to hard drives. They usually connect to a system by way of the SATA interface (though PCI Express-based drives are also available for ultrahigh-performance applications), and they store files just as any other drive does. SSDs, however, eschew the magnetic platters and read/write heads of hard-disk drives in favor of nonvolatile NAND flash memory, so no mechanical parts or magnetic bits are involved.

By ditching the relative slothfulness of moving parts, solid-state drives deliver much better performance. They're the fastest storage option available. And not only can SSDs read and write data much faster than hard drives with most workloads, but they can also access the data much more quickly as well.

Whereas the fastest hard drives can read and write data at about 200MB per second and access data in a few milliseconds, the fastest solid-state drives can achieve 550-MBps (or higher) transfers that essentially saturate the SATA interface, and their typical access times are a fraction of a single millisecond. In a nutshell, SSDs make for a much snappier, much more responsive system, with lightning-fast boot times, application launch times, and file-transfer speeds.

Another huge SSD advantage is durability. Because they have no moving parts, solid-state drives aren’t susceptible to damage or degraded performance from vibrations or movement. Drop a system or laptop containing a traditional hard-disk drive, and you have a very real chance of corrupting your data. But a solid-state drive won’t—can't—skip a beat.

Solid-state drives aren't without disadvantages, though. For one, SSDs are much more expensive than hard drives in terms of cost per gigabyte. Good, consumer-class solid-state drives run about $0.70 to $1.00 per gigabyte, whereas hard drives cost only a few cents per gigabyte. Solid-state drives don’t offer anything near the capacity of hard drives, either: The most popular SSDs have capacities of about 120GB to 256GB, with 512GB to 1TB models reserved only for those with gargantuan budgets.
OCZ's Vector SSD is one of the fastest around.

SSD performance also varies depending on how full the drive is, or if it has been pugarbage collection or a feature called TRIM can help restore the performance of a “dirty” SSD, but that Another concern: When SSDs fail, they tend to do so without warning. Hard drives, however, will usually start to show signs of failure by throwing a S.M.A.R.T. error or suffering from a few bad blocks. In our experience, SSDs simply die without waving many if any red flags.

Solid-state drives are best suited to savvy PC users who seek high performance. If you don’t mind managing multiple volumes and you have the budget, pairing a fast SSD with a high-capacity hard drive will result in the best of both worlds. The SSD can hold the OS and your most frequently used applications, while the hard drive can handle the bulk-storage duties. Managing multiple storage volumes can be a bit of a pain for casual PC users; if you know your way around a PC, however, combining a fast SSD and large hard-drive storage is a great, high-performance approach with minimal compromise.

If you're considering making the jump to a solid-state drive, check out PCWorld's ultimate guide to SSDs, which reviews seven of the top SSDs on the market today

Hybrid hard drives

Seagate
Hybrid drives such as the Momentus XT offer the best of both worlds, but fulfill that promise only to a certain extent.

Hybrid hard drives blend HDD capacity with SSD speeds by placing traditional rotating platters and a small amount of high-speed flash memory on a single drive.

Hybrid storage products monitor the data being read from the hard drive, and cache the most frequently accessed bits to the high-speed NAND flash memory. The data stored on the NAND will change over time, but once the most frequently accessed bits of data are stored on the flash memory, they will be served from the flash, resulting in SSD-like performance for your most-used files.

 Some of the advantages of hybrid storage products include cost, capacity, and manageability. Because only a relatively small solid-state volume is required to achieve significant performance gains, a large investment in a high-capacity SSD isn’t necessary. Hybrid drives tend to cost slightly more than traditional hard drives, but far less than solid-state drives. And because the cache volume is essentially hidden from the OS, users aren’t required to cherry-pick the data to store on the SSD to prevent it from filling up. The hybrid storage volume can be as big as the hard drive being used, and can serve as a standard hard drive. Boot times also see some improvement. 

Where hybrid products falter is with new data. When writing new data or accessing infrequently used bits, hybrid products perform just like a standard hard drive, and new hybrid drives have a "break-in period" while the software learns which data to cache. Due to the fact that hybrid products rely on caching software, they can also be somewhat more difficult to configure.

For users who don’t want the responsibility of managing multiple volumes or who don’t constantly work with new data, a hybrid drive can be a great option to improve system performance—all without having to give up any capacity or having to deal with the headaches of using separate solid-state and hard-disk drives.

DIY Hybrid Storage Configurations

That being said, some people create DIY hybrid storage configurations by linking a standard hard drive and an SSD with specialized caching software. (This is not the same as simply plopping both an SSD and an HDD into your PC.) Solid-state cache drives often ship with proprietary caching software included, though you can also take advantage of Intel's Smart Response Technology if you want to use an SSD that isn't specifically marketed as a cache drive.

Functionally, the setup performs the same as a typical hybrid drive, though stand-alone SSD caches often come in larger capacities than the paltry flash storage you'll find on most self-contained hybrid drives—meaning more of your data will receive an SSD-powered speed boost. On the other hand, you'll have to buy both a hard-disk drive and a solid-state drive, which can get pricey. You'll also need to configure the setup manually, whereas self-contained hybrid drives are much more of a plug-and-play option.

source:http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025402/ssds-vs-hard-drives-vs-hybrids-which-storage-tech-is-right-for-you-.html

The 10 Biggest Tech News Stories of 2012

1. Facebook Goes Public

Date: May 18
It makes sense that the year's biggest tech news story so far is also the most controversial. After years of speculation, Mark Zuckerberg finally decided to take the company he founded in his Harvard dorm room public.
Facebook filed for an initial public offering on February 1, opening its usually clandestine inner workings to the public. We learned that Facebook had just under 900 million users. We also learned that although it saw huge growth over the past few years, that its momentum was slowing and would more than likely continue to slow. Zuckerberg told prospective investors that the company is alright with its velocity and that they should understand that Facebook is run on the "hacker ethos." The filing captivated the world. People who had no idea what a S1 document was, poured over the PDF.
Facebook's share price of $38 would value the young company at a hefty $104 billion, making it the most valuable company to ever file an IPO. Things got off to a foretelling start on opening day when a technical glitch with the NASDAQ exchange prevented orders from being placed. The stock soared early on but bobbed back down as the day continued. The following weeks of trading wouldn't be as generous as the share price fell as much as $10 by June 1, causing investors to lose up to $40 billion.
In the wake of the IPO, analysts chastised both Facebook and its underwriters for their alleged poor handling of the process. The Wall Street Journal said that the effects of this could harm future technology IPOs. Lawsuits were filed by those who blamed the Morgan Stanley and glitches from preventing them from selling their shares. The company is also being investigated by the Security and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for all the trouble surrounding the IPO.

2. Megaupload Gets Shut Down

Date: January 20

Once the biggest name in online storage and file sharing, Megaupload's reign came to an abrupt and unexpected end when it was shut down by U.S. Department of Justice. Amid complaints from the RIAA and the Motion Picture Association of America that the site, which was based in Hong Kong, was pirating their products, the company's Virginia office was raided. The company's CEO, Kim Dotcom, and three top-level executives were arrested in New Zealand shortly thereafter.
The arrests raised questions over whether the U.S. government had the right to arrest a citizens of other countries for crimes not committed in the United States. But what really raised eyebrows was the man who was listed as CEO: Swizz Beatz. Before the website was shut down, Megaupload received endorsements from a bunch of celebrities including Kanye West and Beatz's wife, Alicia Keys.
As it stands, Megaupload is still shut down. Visit the website and you'll see a banner from the U.S. government explaining that the site has been seized. Kim Dotcom is currently fighting against the FBI's extradition request. Recently a New Zealand judge ruled that the police acted on an unlawful search warrant when they raided Dotcom's home. Who knows what's going to happen next.

3. Microsoft Unveils Tablets, Becomes Hardware Maker

Date: June 18
The 18th of June was one of the most important days in Microsoft's history. At a low-key (for Microsoft) press event, it introduced one of the best products to ever bear its name: a 9mm thick, 1.5-pound tablet computer that runs Windows 8, and comes with a case that doubles as a full QWERTY keyboard. But that's not what made the day so important. It's the fact that the tablet was made in house by Microsoft. Not Asus or HP or Dell. The true value of that day can be seen in the implications the Surface tablet represents. For the first time in its history, Microsoft has pitted itself in direct competition with the hardware companies it relied on to push its software. It also signified, at least symbolically, that Apple had the right idea all along: If possible, a company should build the software and hardware

4. Google Enters Your Living and Tablet Market

Date: June 27

Google is looking far past search. That much was apparent at the company's 2012 I/O conference where it introduced not only the next version of its Android mobile operating system, but its own tablet and a media streaming device meant to replace whatever it is you currently have serving content to your living room TV.
The Nexus 7 tablet is a continuation of Google's attempt to set the standard of what an Android device should be. When the Samsung-made Nexus smartphone dropped it was a clear sign of what a clean, focused Android handset could be. Nexus phones are powerful, a pleasure to use, and unencumbered by the usual bloatware that comes with most Android handsets. The Nexus 7 aims to do that for that for the Android tablet. It's no secret that the only thing selling worse than Android tablets are Riff Raff albums. Google believes if it sets the bar with its 7-inch, ASUS-built, Android 4.1-running tablet others will follow suit.
Less expected than the tablet was the Nexus Q, a sphere-shaped streaming device that is aimed squarely at the Apple TV. It works seamlessly with Android devices—anyone with an Android phone can control it and stream content to it. Google calls it the "first ever social streaming device—like a cloud-connected jukebox where everyone brings their own music to the party." For those keeping count, Google now has laptops, smartphones, tablets, and streaming media boxes. Game on.

5. Apple Releases the Ultimate Laptop. Again

Date: June 11
Ever since Apple equipped the iPhone 4 with its high-resolution Retina Display, the Apple faithful has been waiting for the HD screen to make its way down the entire Mac product line. This year the new iPad received the upgrade, leaving many to believe that the MacBook had to be next. People were also waiting for the MacBook Pro line to get a major refresh. When the last-gen MacBook Air was launched, Apple said the entire MacBook line would take cues from the MBA. No one expected Apple to combine both tenets into one product, but at the 2012 WWDC, it did just that with the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
Thinner, lighter, packed to the brim with next-gen technology, and sporting the best display ever put onto a laptop, the 15-inch MacBook is the best laptop—maybe, just maybe the best computer—to ever come out of Cupertino, CA. Apple once again set the bar against which all other laptops will be measured.

6. RIM Implodes

Date: January-July
Where do we begin? This year has been one of refocusing for BlackBerry's parent company, Research in Motion. We've heard that word a lot from Canadian handset maker over the past few months. We heard it when RIM announced its Q4 earnings in March and we learned that revenue for the company was down 11% and that total BlackBerry shipments dropped 21%. We heard it when RIM co-founders Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis resigned amidst investor pressure for a change in the beleaguered company's leadership. We heard it again when a parade of board members and executives including the company's global sales head and chief legal officer. And we heard it once more when plans came out of RIM making 5,000 layoffs worldwide in an attempt to cut costs.
It's clear 2012 won't be a banner year for RIM. The company has been courted by the likes of Microsoft looking to secure more smartphone marketshare. Despite that, the company, now under the steer of CEO Thorsten Heins, is working on turning the company around and, you guessed it, refocusing the company's goals. There's been talk of leveraging its strength in the enterprise space once the highly anticipated BlackBerry 10 phone ships, as a way to bolster the financials. Heins wants to guide the company back on track. He proposed focusing on a "smaller number of devices in the market at any given time," and cutting unnecessary costs. Luckily, the company has pillowy $2.2 billion in cash reserves to ride out what will undoubtedly be a cold winter.

7. Kickstarter Breaks Records, Becomes Serious Fundraising Platform

Date: May 2
Ever since Kickstarter started its quest of streamlining the process of crowd funding for entrepreneurs looking to get out their dreams in 2008, there has been talk of its model negating the need for venture capitalists for micro start-ups. However, when Eric Migicovsky posted his prototype for a digital watch with an e-paper display that connects to iPhone and Android devices, he proved that Kickstarter may be able to give VCs a true run for their money.
Migicovsky's goal for the Pebble watch was a sizable sum of $100,000. He blew past that mark within hours. Three weeks later, the project broke through all of Kickstarter's previous fundraising record of $3.3 million, by drawing in $7.8 million. The success not only cemented the fact that the Pebble watch will be a success when launched, but that anyone with a good enough idea can make it

8. SOPA Blackout

Date: January 18
Remember the Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA)? No? You should. The legislation proposed by House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX), sought to all the U.S. Department of Justice and copyright holders to take legal action against websites outside of the U.S. that traffic copyrighted material and goods. SOPA would have allowed the DOJ to bar ad networks from advertising on certain websites and prohibit search engines from linking to sites deemed to be illegal.
Naturally, the bill found many, many opponents. And not rinky dink web operations, either. Major, billion-dollar companies objected to SOPA: Google, Yahoo!, eBay, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, AOL, and the Mozilla Corporation all voiced their opposition to the bill. But it was Wikipedia and Reddit, the popular social news site, that really got down for the cause. On January 18, the two sites, along with many others, orchestrated a service blackout. The sites shut down for the day and put up banners explaining why they weren't operating and instructing people to sign petitions against SOPA.
Their silence spoke volumes. On January 20, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith put off plans to draft the bill.
 

9. Facebook Buys Instagram

Date: April 9
Any doubts anyone had about Facebook being a major player in the tech game, on the level of Google, Microsoft, and Apple, were wiped away when Facebook unexpectedly picked up Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock. It was a move that not only showed the prowess of the company that was set to go public a month later, but also of Mark Zuckerberg who reportedly didn't include the company's board in the decision to buy the popular photo sharing social network.

10. Samsung Wins Apple Patent Lawsuit, Everyone Laughs

Date: July 9
Apple and Samsung have been embroiled in a contentious patent suit since April 2011 when Apple accused the South Korean company of making products that were similar "beyond the realm of coincidence" to the iPhone and iPad. The lawsuit was like a white-collar world war, taking place in a number of countries and consuming a vast number of financial resources. For a while it seemed like it would never end. The two companies met in late May to hash out their differences and walked away no better than they arrived.
Then, finally, earlier this month, the lawsuit—well, a part of it, anyway—came to a hilarious and unexpected conclusion. Judge Colin Birss ruled that Samsung's Galaxy tablets did not have the same "They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool."
Hey, a win's a win, right.

source:www.complex.com/tech/2012/07/the-10-biggest-tech-news-stories-of-2012-so-far/

Windows 8

NEW YORK: While Microsoft is touting next week's launch of Windows 8 as the savior of the computer industry, PC makers and analysts are increasingly skeptical that the new operating system will lure consumers away from tablets and smartphones. 

Even Intel, which makes the processors at the heart of 80 per cent of personal computers, doubts that Windows 8 will have a big impact on sales. CEO Paul Otellini said this week that he's "very excited" about the new operating system but expects the usual holiday bounce in PC sales to be half of what it usually is. Otellini suggested that PC makers are being cautious about building big stocks of Windows 8 PCs. 

source: google news

Images: Peek into the amazing world of Google’s data centres

Google is opening a virtual window into the secretive data centres that serve as its nerve centre. The closely guarded facilities house an intricate maze of computers that process Internet search requests, show YouTube video clips and distribute email for millions of people. Check out some awesome images from the data centre here.

The data centre in Mayes County, Oklahoma, Each of the server racks has four switches, connected by a different coloured cable. Google keeps these colors the same throughout  the data centre so as to know which one to replace in case of failure. Screengrab from the  Google data centre website.The data centre in Mayes County, Oklahoma, Each of the server racks has four switches, connected by a different coloured cable. Google keeps these colors the same throughout  the data centre so as to know which one to replace in case of failure. Screengrab from the  Google data centre website.

This undated photo provided by Google shows a Google data centre in Douglas County, Georgia. Google is opening a virtual window into the secretive data centers that serve as its nerve center. The unprecedented peek is being provided through a new website. Google/AP

This undated photo provided by Google shows a Google technician working on some of the computers in the Dalles, Oregon, data centre. Google/AP

Council Buffs, Iowa: The Council Bluffs data centre is spread over 115,000 square feet of space. Connie Zhou, Google/AP

source: http://www.firstpost.com/tech/images-look-into-the-amazing-world-of-googles-data-centres-494649.html

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Technology

My name is Harry and I am honoured to be guest blogging here on Computing Forever. For those of you who know me, you will know just how much I love technology and gadgets, as I am sure the same is true for most of you. However recently I have began questioning the direction we are taking as a society in terms of technology and the paths we seem to be heading down. Just exactly what type of sacrifices are you and I prepared to make in the name of technological advancements?

I guess, some of this has come with age and perhaps quite a bit with fatherhood, for the younger generation, technology is really all they have known and moving forward is not happening fast enough. I wouldn’t say I am a particularly awesome Dad, but in the same vein I am not a bad Dad. I love my children more than life and I have always wanted the best for them, however it is this strive to provide the best for them that has kickstarted this doubt and caution towards technology.

Source : The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Technology