Archive for December, 2009

Brando Unitek USB 3.0 to SATA adapter (Y-1034)

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Brando Unitek USB 3.0 to SATA adapter

The guys at Brando have very kindly come up with a very cunning device, the Y-1034 USB 3.0 to SATA adapter. Attach the Y-1034 to any old SATA HDDs and then plug the other end into your shiny new USB 3.0 port on your desktop and the files on the HDD will become available at the theoretical USB 3.0 speed of 5.0 Gbps. This ‘theoretical’ speed is ten times faster than USB 2.0 – now you’re interested! Here are some more details on the Y-1034 USB to SATA adapter from Brando

* USB 3.0 connectivity
* Plays nicely with Window 7 / Vista / Xp, Linux
* 69 x 40 x 12mm
* 67g

The price tag on this is a mere $48, how can you say no? And for IDE devices you’ll need an extra gizmo, the ‘Docking Convertor’, but that’s only $16. So for $64 tops, you can grab an old HDD and convert it instantly into a USB 3.0 external HDD. How cool is that?

Source: Brando

Dell unleash small Desktop Optiplex 780 USFF

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

Dell Optiplex 780 USFF

Aimed at the business user with space consideration a top priority, Dell have launched the Optiplex 780 USFF (Ultra Small Form Factor). The base on this unit measures a mere 9.4 x 9.4 inches yet the box contains the usual bits and pieces you’d associate with a ‘normal’ sized desktop. The Optiplex 780 USFF also has a neat $624 price tag with customisations and for that you get the following bells and whistles

* Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic SP1
* Intel® Celeron® 450 (2.2GHz, 512K, 800MHz FSB)
* 1GB DDR3 Non-ECC SDRAM, 1066MHz, (1 DIMM)
* 160GB 2.5 inch SATA 3.0Gb/s
* Integrated Video, Intel® GMA 4500
* Dell USB 2-Button Entry Mouse with Scroll, Black
* Dell USB Entry Keyboard

Of course there’s no optical drive or monitor, but with most workplace installs done over a network and monitors chip as chips, well almost, the 19 inch Dell E190S will set you back $169, for a touch over $800 you get yourself a corporate desktop. As usual with Dell PCs you can ramp the base Optiplex 780 up a touch with a Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 (2.93GHz) powered unit with 2 GB memory, 320 GB HDD and 8X DVD+/-RW SATA optical drive costing $902. Not bad if you’re looking for something compact for your office workstations.

Source: Dell