The KingSpec Challenger E3000 is an Enterprise-targeted drive, with great random write performance. While KingSpec may not be well known to many of our readers, they are a company based in Shenzhen, China and only produce SSDs, nothing else. Strictly speaking, based on such a specific product lineup, KingSpec has an enormous capacity to produce a huge volume of drives for the market. Let's see how this Sandforce-based SSD performs.

While the VisionTek Data Fusion drive is certainly suitable for home or office use, there's also opportunity to employ it in a mail server or other IT applications. The Data Fusion drive is bootable, and with claims of 800MB/s and 100,000 IOPS, such speed is typically expensive, but this PCI-E SSD currently retails for only $380 for the 240GB version. Sounds very tempting to us.

Introduction: As part of our ongoing efforts to connect with industry players in the tech world, we reached out to interview some of the premier manufacturers who might be able to educate us on various aspects of the tech industry. Recently we had the pleasure to speak with Crucial. They gave us the opportunity to hold a question and answer session on their newest technology, (like the Crucial M500 SSD). We also discussed the direction of the company, and other technologies we might see in the near future. Before we jump into the Q & A, below is a bit of history about the company itself, including a video. At Crucial.com, we know memory. We research it. Test it. Stock it. And we’ll even replace it. We’re among the first ones to get a new platform, OS, motherboard, or killer game and we waste no time putting it to the test. We sit in dark rooms reading benchmark scores. We spend hours installing and uninstalling memory modules into motherboard after motherboard… We don’t get tired. We never cut corners. We break our backs to get your upgrade out the door in a flash. And we support our products—and customers—every step of the way. Crucial.com has been serving its customers for nearly 15 years. And we use our expertise to make it easy for our customers to find the right upgrade. Our award-winning online applications—the Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool and the Crucial® System Scanner—take the guesswork out of giving new life to your computer...

Another in the list of SandForce SSDs is the latest from OCZ, the Vertex 3.20. It's an interesting move because we've seen the Vertex 4 already from OCZ, so is this "new" drive a step backwards? Not really, according to OCZ. This drive shares the same features as its predecessor, showcasing the popular SandForce 2281 controller, but this latest version now comes with 20nm NAND flash memory.

Another in the list of SandForce SSDs is the latest from Kingston, the SSDNow V300. It's not entirely different in most regards, but it does have Toshiba Toggle NAND and exclusive input from LSI directly to tweak the controller's performance. Factor in a strong accessory package and a competitive price, and we have a drive that could prove very attractive to consumers looking for a massive speed boost over a traditional hard drive setup. Let's dive in and find out how the Kingston SSDNow V300 240GB fares.

Over the last couple of years or so we've looked at many Solid State Drives that feature various technologies in the attempt to boost speed and performance. Some have been successful, some have not. We've looked at many SandForce drives in particular, and today's SSD also contains the SF-2281 we've come to know and love. It's a popular setup, as consumers get top notch speed without having to fork out tons of cash. Today now we have the Transcend SSD320 in a 256GB capacity for a closer look.That's not a terribly flashy name for a speed demon of a drive, but we care less about the marketing and more about the results. In a sea of similar products, can this Transcend somehow stand out? Let's dive in and find out.

OCZ has an impressive history of innovation in the SSD market, leading the way in many respects, and whether it's fair or not, they're the target and we hold OCZ to the highest standard. And so OCZ is responding the consumer/enthusiast’s growing demand for a fast and reliable drive that performs as well with incompressible data as it does with compressible data. OCZ is also responding to the demand for a drive that retains its performance in a peak condition over time as well as greatly extending the life span of the NAND with their new Proprietary Indilinx Ndurance 2.0 Technology. The OCZ Vector is the result, promising enthusiast-classed performance to battle the SandForce drives. But how does the performance of the Vector measure up? Is it worth the investment? Let's dive in and find out.

It's not always the enthusiasts (and well-heeled) that want blistering speeds, and certainly not just in the SSD arena. Anyone with an SSD can benefit from massive performance gains over a hard drive, from the most diehard to the budget-oriented consumer. So the ADATA Premier Pro SP600 targets the latter, offering an SSD that's very accessible to users on a modest budget of less than $100. But how does the performance of the ADATA Premier Pro SP600 measure up? Is it worth the investment? Let's dive in and find out.

Cooler Master is well-known for being innovative in both design and function. They seem to always look for ways to improve existing and new components, and today we will look at something a little different from them. It's great to see the creativity behind this next piece of hardware we are about to review. We are referring to the new Cooler Master HAF XB whose Chassis is designed to be both a regular PC Case and/or a Test Bench. The HAF XB is designed for those who are consistently changing out there hardware and can benefit from a test bench. As you will see shortly, we will share these details and the innovative ideas Cooler Master has put into the HAF XB. The sleek design and versatility might just leave you in awe. First, here's a little about Cooler Master.

I have to say I am totally blown away as to just how far we have come since then. With everyone going mobile, we now have Cell Phones, Tablets, Notebooks, Laptops, and other portable devices to download, store and stream video and data wirelessly across the information highway at breakneck speeds. Today I have the pleasure of reviewing such a device; The Gauntlet Node from Patriot Memory. We have high demands being placed on us at school, in the workplace, and at home, to store and transfer data and information. With hard drive space on our laptops and computers becoming a premium, I believe Patriot, with the Gauntlet Node, may have come up with a perfect solution. With the Gauntlet Node, you can do it fast and inexpensively, but more importantly wirelessly as well.

It's not always the enthusiasts (and well-heeled) that want blistering speeds, and certainly not just in the SSD arena. Anyone with an SSD can benefit from massive performance gains over a hard drive, from the most diehard to the budget-oriented consumer. So the Crucial v4 targets the latter, offering an SSD that's very accessible to users on a modest budget. Specifically, the v4 is limited to the SATA II 3G interface, so we're not expecting record-breaking performance results today. But at a price of $189, it's a very attractive option. Let's just say that Crucial's stated specifications for this drive turned out to be very conservative, and we were pleasantly surprised by the performance offered by the v4.

The interesting thing about the Agility 4 is the Everest controller looks to offer nearly enthusiast-classed performance, particularly in incompressible data, at a much lower price point than we typically see. Currently retailing for only $189 in the 256GB capacity ($100 for 128GB), that's only $0.73 per GB and a very attractive deal. But how does the performance of the OCZ Agility 4 measure up? Is it worth the investment? Click through to find out.

The NZXT Aperture M looks like it could be a great option for those needing more connectivity in their rig. Read on to find out more...

Introduction With SSD prices getting lower in recent months, more and more people are making the switch to the SSD platform. So it’s not entirely surprising to see VisionTek moving into the SSD market. While VisionTek has been around for years and are very well known for making ATI/AMD graphic cards, the company appears to be jumping on the SSD bandwagon with their Racer Series of SSDs. We recently had the opportunity to look at another Racer Series SSD from VisionTek. This time we have the 480GB version on the bench, and it’s the largest capacity drive in the Racer series. The last time we tested a Racer Series SSD it did not disappoint, and we expect this big 480GB model to rip through data as well. The VisionTek Racer series SSDs have featured the latest SandForce SF-2281 Controller and impressive Toshiba Toggle MCL NAND. This should translate into big numbers, but we will have to get it on the bench and see. Let’s dive in.

Apacer has asked us to post an invitation open to anyone to check out their wares at the AUVSI Show in Las Vegas. If you are interested, simply print the included invitation to attend.