24. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 Desktop Hard Drives

Last but not least, we had to give the nod to the newest family of disk drives from Seagate, the first 3.5" hard disks to incorporate perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology. PMR basically turns the magnetic domains on their sides so they stick down deeper into the magnetic substrate deposited on drive platter surfaces. Though this may sound like a "so what?" technical trick, the result is smaller magnetic domains, higher data density, faster access, read and write times, and drives with bigger capacity. Rather than "so what?" we think it's more of a "gee whiz!" kind of phenomenon.

Most 3.5" drive mechanisms look the same but trust us: this one uses PMR.

Sister site Tom's Hardware gave the 750 GB 7200.10 a glowing review in January, 2007, and even the introduction of several terabyte drives since then hasn't dampened our enthusiasm for the 7200.10 HD family. It delivers transfer rates up to 76 MB/s and access times as low as 13.5 ms. Smaller versions have a slight edge over bigger ones because they usually incorporate a smaller number of platters, and therefore tend to run cooler, and are less likely to require active cooling to keep them working at their best.

Do-it-yourselfers and system builders will find a lot to like about these PMR drives from Seagate. Bigger units run 400, 500, and 750 GB, and can be pretty costly ($230-280 for 750 GB, $120-150 for 500 GB, $100 for 400 GB). 7200.10 drives also come in 80 GB, 160 GB, 250 GB, and 320 GB models, for those in need of less storage space. Whichever model you choose, you'll get great performance and a drive that isn't too terribly noisy, either. That should make back-to-schoolers happy, particularly those with large multimedia collections they've been wanting to put somewhere.

For more information about the Barracuda 7200.10 Hard Drives, see the Seagate product family page.

Back to School Part 1

It's hard to believe that summer will be over in a matter of weeks, while it's never too early to start thinking about getting ready for school. So once again, we jump into the fray with a three-part buyer's guide of goodies and gadgets for those gearing up to return to the halls of academia, or those for whom any excuse to drool over the latest widgets and whatnots will do.

In this first installment of a three-part Back to School Buyer's Guide, we plan to beguile you with an interesting mix of several notebook PCs, a couple of GPS equipped mobile devices, plus some notebook and desktop hardware that no self-respecting technophile will want to do without for too long. And with the return to school so soon in the offing, what better excuse to whet your appetite for some new gear?

To begin with, we start with a quartet of notebook PCs, including the brand-new Fujitsu Lifebook A6025, the HP dv6000z, the Dell Inspiron 1501 and the Toshiba Satellite P205. This provides an interesting mix of budget pricing, multimedia capabilities and some great computing power to boot. Next we look at a couple of GPS-equipped devices: the Garmin Nuvi 350 and the Asus MyPal A696 GPS PDA. Both are mobile and both can tell you where you are (and where to go), but one does quite a bit more than the other.

Next, it's on to some computer gadgets and widgets. We start with the Nyko desktop multi-hub, an attractive and well-packaged hook-up for USB, Firewire and more. Then we look at the Titan TTC-G4T Notebook cooler, perhaps to help one of our aforementioned notebook quartets keep its cool. After that, we take a look at D-Link's new Xtreme N Gigabit Router, which combines 802.11 pre-N wireless and gigabit Ethernet wired capabilities. Our next look takes in the Gigabyte 8600 GT Silentpipe 2 graphics card, a passively cooled but powerful unit ideal for media PCs or dorm rooms (where quiet can often be important, especially during the wee hours of the morning). Throw in a top-notch Razer Krait gaming mouse, and an internal ReadyBoost Flash device from SuperTalent, and you've got the whole roster for this guide.

Fujitsu LifeBook A6025

We cheerfully admit to being suckers for advance publicity on hardware releases, especially when it comes to computer gear. When the folks at Fujitsu's PR agency approached us with the equivalent of "Psst! Hey! Want to hear about some hush-hush hardware coming soon?" we found our curiosity piqued. Once we learned enough to understand that the LifeBook A6025 would make a dandy student notebook PC, we gladly agreed to nondisclosure until the product was announced in exchange for advance information (it will have already been announced by the time you read this, so don't get too excited, though).

The LifeBook A6025 doesn't look too different from most other 15.4" notebooks, but offers some very nice features at a good price.

As student notebooks go, the LifeBook A6025 doesn't represent a radical departure from other members of this class of mobile PCs, but it does include some very nice features. The model we received included an Intel Core Duo T2450 2.0 GHz processor, 1 GB of DDR2 667 MHz RAM, a 120 GB hard disk with shock sensor protection to guard it against sudden moves (or drops), a dual-layer multi-format DVD burner and a bright, clear 15.4" color LCD screen that remained visible even in bright light indoors. It even includes a built-in fingerprint sensor that can be used to protect the system against unauthorized access and use.

With a 15.4" display, this LifeBook is a pretty sizable unit with dimensions of 14.25" x 10.375" x 1.75" and a weight of 6.68 lbs. It's not going to win any contests for size and weight, but it qualifies as eminently luggable and should fit inside most notebook-ready backpacks or carrying bags. That's good, because Fujitsu does not include a carrying case for the A6025 as part of the basic accoutrement. It does, however, come equipped with the Windows Vista Home Premium operating system, CyberLink PowerDVD 8, PowerDirector Express, PowerProducer, Microsoft Works and trial copies of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day version), plus Norton Internet Security 2007 (90-day version).

In addition, this notebook also includes an 802.11a/b/g wireless network interface built around the Intel 3945 chipset, integrated Bluetooth wireless connectivity, plus five USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire port, PC Card and ExpressCard slots, as well as memory card readers for Memory Stick, Secure Digital and x-D Picture Card formats. The spill-resistant keyboard is a nice touch, especially for teenagers, and the six-cell 10.8V, 4000 mAh battery is rated for up to three hours of use (for all day unplugged use in the classroom, a second battery is probably a good idea).

At a retail price of $949 as described, this unit delivers acceptable power and storage for the price. Any student (or educator) who gets one of these as a back-to-school gift can't help but be pleased. For more information about the LifeBook A6025, visit the vendor's product page for this unit. As we write this story, a $50 rebate is currently available (and good until 9/3/07, which leaves some time to exercise it if needed).