Storage 2012

Our storage reviews and articles covering SSDs, HDDs, NAS, and portable drives with real-world performance insights. Browse our comprehensive Storage section, featuring 98 items organized from newest to oldest for 2012. Whether you're after in-depth benchmarks or expert buying advice, it's all here. Also, learn about how TweakTown tests and reviews hardware.

ReviewOCZ Vector 512GB SSD Review

December 31, 2012 | The holidays are past us and hopefully you're left with a wad of cash in your checking account after depositing all of the checks received because no one understands what the items are on your wish list. OCZ has a worthy upgrade if you're ready for ultimate PC performance.

ReviewSuperSSpeed Hyper Gold S301 128GB w/5.03 FW SSD Review

December 17, 2012 | We've tested SuperSSpeed's S301 SLC before, but a lot has changed since we said it was the fastest SSD in the world. The competition has caught up a bit, and SuperSSpeed now stocks the drive in the US, and we get a newer TRIM fixing firmware.

ReviewDIGISTOR Archive Your Life REWIND Bundle Review

December 16, 2012 | DIGISTOR is a software maker specializing in data archiving. They also produce all-inclusive packages designed to maximize ease of use.

ReviewOCZ Vector 128GB SSD Review

December 11, 2012 | You asked for it, we got it. Today Chris takes the world's first look at the OCZ Vector 128GB SSD based on the new Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller that is raging fast. Can the smallest capacity Vector outperform existing SSDs on the market costing less? We'll find out today and also see more tests that make up the 2013 bench tests.

ReviewMushkin Atlas 480GB mSATA SSD Review

December 5, 2012 | Mushkin breaks the mold with brilliant engineering and doubles the highest capacity ever offered on an mSATA form factor SSD.

ReviewioSafe Solo G3 Fireproof and Waterproof External Hard Drive Review

December 4, 2012 | Disaster recovery is for the unprepared and it's very expensive. Disaster prevention on the other hand shows that you're responsible and costs much less.

ReviewThecus N5550 5-Bay Home NAS Review

December 3, 2012 | Thecus rehashed a successful design for the successor to the N5500 and increased performance with a new Intel Atom processor paired with twice the amount of RAM. The new N5550 also adds advanced features, HDMI output and USB 3.0 topping that list.

ReviewIntel 335 Series 240GB SSD Review

November 30, 2012 | Intel revamps its mainstream 300 class SSD with new 20nm synchronous flash in the 335 Series solid state drive.

ReviewGIGABYTE GR-EZI04H 4-Bay NAS Review

November 30, 2012 | A familiar name ventures into an unfamiliar market. GIGABYTE expands its horizons and enters the NAS market with a product that works well in your home or small office. Get your digital collections ready.

ReviewSamsung 840 250GB SSD Review

November 29, 2012 | Samsung's 840 returns for the second day in a row. This time Chris tests TLC flash paired with a tri-core MDX controller with the 250GB model. Will he love the low power or will the 240MB/s sequential write limit send him for a cold shower?

ReviewSamsung 840 500GB SSD Review

November 28, 2012 | A number of next-generation SSDs are coming to TweakTown this week. OCZ, Intel and Samsung and others will follow after CES. Today Chris tests Samsung's low-cost 840 with TLC flash in the 500GB capacity size. Does TLC show the love or is this low-cost offering another low-budget blunder?

ReviewOCZ Vector 256GB SSD Review

November 27, 2012 | OCZ recaptures the performance lead and brings a new product line to market. Meet Vector, based on the Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller, Indilinx's first new controller since the OCZ acquisition.

ReviewIcy Dock MB996SP-6SB 6-Bay 2.5inch Drive Cage Review

November 21, 2012 | Icy Dock built a solution for installing up to six 2/5" SATA SSDs or HDDs drives in a single 5.25" bay in your case.

ReviewSanDisk Extreme 480GB SSD Review

November 19, 2012 | Sandisk released firmware R211 and customers celebrated. The 480GB Extreme uses the same philosophy that made the 240GB model so popular. You get a very good SSD with real premium flash at an unbeatable price.

ReviewSilicon Power Slim S70 240GB SSD Review

November 16, 2012 | Silicon Power's Slim S70 is a high performance SSD with Intel 25nm synchronous flash and a 7mm Ultrabook friendly package.

ReviewThecus Top Tower N6850 6-Bay NAS Review

November 8, 2012 | Thecus' Top Tower Series brings the power of a rackmount to a pedestal form. The N6850 is Thecus' entry level Top Tower, but it brings big performance and features.

ReviewCorsair Neutron Series GTX 480GB SSD Review

November 5, 2012 | Corsair's lock on Link_A_Media Device's controller is holding. We've seen the 240GB capacity sizes of the Neutron and Neutron GTX, and now we get our turn with the massive 480GB drive.

ReviewQNAP TS-869 Pro 8-Bay NAS Review

November 1, 2012 | When QNAP went high-end last year with 10GbE capability, they left an opening for lower cost units designed for true small office environments. The x69 Series fills that gap while still offering high drive count NAS products, but reduces some of the enterprise features only used in large office environments.

ReviewComay Venus Pro 3 240GB SSD Review

October 18, 2012 | CoreRise is back with its Comay brand and our second look at a Venus Pro 3 and its special power safety features that are rarely seen on consumer drives.

Ask the ExpertsI have $450 to spend on my PC, should I spend it all on a GPU or split it with a GPU and SSD?

October 15, 2012 | Should I upgrade just my GPU, or buy an SSD and GPU at the same time?

ReviewTranscend SSD320 256GB SSD Review

October 14, 2012 | Today Chris follows up the Transcend SSD720 review with the mainstream model, the SSD320. The SSD320 pairs asynchronous flash with the same SandForce controller found in the flagship 720 model. This combination reduces the total cost, but does it also significantly reduce performance?

ReviewSynology DS412+ NAS Review

October 11, 2012 | Synology's DS412+ NAS has quiet operation, along with a small footprint but big performance, and a number of consumer and business features.

ReviewTranscend SSD720 256GB SSD Review

October 8, 2012 | Transcend goes for gold with its new flagship SSD720 product that brings LSI SandForce performance to a new higher capacity point. The new 7mm package coupled with 24nm flash and working TRIM makes this the best RAISE free SandForce offering yet.

ArticleSynology NAS DSM Software Deep Dive

October 4, 2012 | With more Synology products entering our review pool, it's time we take a closer look at the software and advanced features.

ReviewKingFast F3 Plus 240GB 7mm SSD Review

October 2, 2012 | KingFast surprises us with its new F3 Plus 7mm SSD. With Intel 5K flash paired with LSI SandForce's SF-2281 high performance SATA III controller, this drive is not only functional, it is fast too.

ArticleMDSSD TweakTown Chris Ramseyer Signature Edition by SuperSSpeed 128GB SLC SSD Review

September 27, 2012 | If you could build an SSD, what would you make? In this rare opportunity, Chris took on the role of product manager and built what he considers the best SSD on the market today.

ReviewStrontium HAWK Series 120GB SSD Review

September 19, 2012 | Strontium looks to lift your computing experience with the new low-cost HAWK Series. This is the first time we've published a SandForce based drive with Hynix 26nm flash. This is also our first public outing with FW 5.0.4. Many firsts today, this will be interesting.

ReviewZalman F1 240GB SSD Review

September 18, 2012 | Just days after looking at the 120GB model, Chris is back with the 240GB to see how it performs.

ReviewZalman F1 120GB SSD Review

September 11, 2012 | We went to the other side of the planet Earth to bring this review of the Zalman F1 to you today. Unlike many of the other SandForce based SSDs on the market today, the Zalman F1 still uses 3.3.2 firmware and is an impressive performer.

ReviewCorsair Force GT (2012) 240GB SSD Review

September 6, 2012 | With little variation in the market we go gaga when something comes along that's different. Designed on a myth, built by enthusiasts and sold like any other SSD, this one is truly different.

ReviewSuperSSpeed S302 Hyper Gold MLC 240GB SSD Review

August 31, 2012 | SuperSSpeed delivered the best two prong approach to the SSD market yet. SLC flash for enthusiasts/prosumers and MLC flash for mainstream/power users. Today we look at the MLC portion and like the last couple of reviews this one has TRIM now as well.

ReviewVisionTek Racer Series 120GB Solid State Drive Review

August 29, 2012 | Few companies are as established as VisionTek, but can a great company name built on good support, quality and product availability make up for an SSD with an inflated cost?

ReviewKingston HyperX 3K 120GB Solid State Drive Review

August 28, 2012 | This isn't just another HyperX 3K review, like the 99 others you've seen. This is the first real and true review of the HyperX 3K, now with working TRIM and it's available to end-users.

ReviewSanDisk Extreme 240GB Fixed TRIM Solid State Drive Review

August 24, 2012 | Sandisk's Extreme 240GB SSD has an extreme price of just $175 and we know the new firmware is on the way. Today Chris tests the Extreme to the extreme, but this time with working TRIM.

ArticleCorsair Neutron Series Solid State Drives Review - LAMD or Wolf in a 7mm Package?

August 20, 2012 | Corsair delivers two new high performance SSDs based on the silicon from Link_A_Media. Chris takes a look and compares LAMD with IMFT and Toshiba Toggle flash.

ReviewAreca ARC-1882i PCIe 3.0 RAID Controller Review

August 16, 2012 | Putting new technology to work is the Areca way. The name might have stayed the same, but this new ARC-1882i gets a boost in performance from its PCIe 3.0 connector.

ReviewCorsair Force GS 240GB Solid State Drive Review

August 14, 2012 | Corsair finally goes Toggle and with new firmware brings LSI SandForce back to the top.

ReviewMyDigitalSSD BP3 256GB mSATA SSD Revisited - 3.2 Firmware Update

August 13, 2012 | MDSSD and Phison have a new firmware ready for the S8 SATA III controller. Under normal circumstances we'd expect a small performance increase, but when the promise of a 4x increase was made, we knew we had to see for ourselves.

ReviewOCZ Technology Agility 4 256GB Solid State Drive Review

August 9, 2012 | At less than $1 per GB right out of the gate, this OCZ SSD is already a making waves, but can it still float after Chris gets finished with it?

ReviewPlextor M5 Pro 256GB PX-256M5P Solid State Drive Review

August 7, 2012 | Plextor uses the new Marvell 9287 controller, new Toshiba 19nm Toggle Mode Flash and gives us a new understanding of what it means to be fast.

ReviewCrucial m4 mSATA 256GB Solid State Drive Review

August 6, 2012 | Crucial's m4 is one of the best-selling SSDs in the world thanks to its high performance and low price. Can Crucial hit the same high sales numbers with the new m4 mSATA SSD?

ArticleLSI SandForce 5 Series SSD Firmware - TRIM Lost and Found, Performance Investigated

August 1, 2012 | If you've bought an SSD in the last five months or updated your firmware, you need to read this article. Chris concludes a quest he started exactly five months ago and is now ready to guide you to higher performance with your LSI SandForce controlled SSD.

ReviewHitachi Deskstar 5K4000 4TB Hard Disk Drive Review

July 27, 2012 | Hitachi GST, now part of Western Digital, has a new 4TB, 5,400 RPM drive featuring Low-power CoolSpin Technology.

ReviewZalman U3M16 16GB SLC Flash Drive Review

July 23, 2012 | SLC flash continues to become affordable and companies like Zalman are making good use of this faster speed NAND.

ReviewPlextor PX-M5S 256GB Solid State Drive Review

July 23, 2012 | Plextor skips M4 and jumps straight to the M5 Series. The first product in this new series brings IMFT flash in and with it we should see a lower price.

ReviewOCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS 120GB Solid State Drive Review

July 19, 2012 | The OCZ Vertex 4 is out, but when it comes to performance in the 120/128GB capacity size, the Vertex 3 Max IOPS is still hard to beat.

ReviewWestern Digital Red Series Review: A Low Cost Validated NAS Specific HDD

July 18, 2012 | Western Digital releases a drive specifically for your home and small business NAS. Now you don't have to worry what hard drive will work in your NAS.

ReviewOCZ Vertex 3 480GB Solid State Drive Review

July 10, 2012 | The largest Vertex 3 has seen its cost reduced to half of what it was on launch and is still a flagship offering even though Vertex 4 is quickly catching the aging drive in performance.

ArticleBiwin NuvoDrive NX Novachips Bugatti Preview - World Exclusive

July 9, 2012 | Biwin's NuvoDrive NX is the first SSD announced with the new Novachips Bugatti controller. Today Chris takes a full run with an engineering sample to see if this 10-Channel controller lives up to its racy name.

ArticleLSI Evolves to PCI Express 3.0 - New Products Announced

July 4, 2012 | LSI discusses several new products that make the leap to PCIe 3.0, unlocking bandwidth on RAID controllers and improving IOPS performance on HBAs.