RDX QuikStor Hard Drive Solutions Challenge Tape Backup

Conclusion

The RDX QuikStor performed very well in our tests, with higher transfer rates and lower average seek times that significantly surpass other backup solutions . Given the design of the cartridges, which are based on self-contained 2.5" hard drives, we expect this performance to increase with the advent of newer and faster hard drives.

These newer hard drives will also result in higher capacity cartridges, which will meet the demands of our ever increasing amounts of data, without the need for a drive upgrade. It is expected that 160 GB cartridges will be available in Q1/2007, with 200 GB and 250 GB models coming in the third quarter of the new year.

Author's Opinion

As you can clearly see from the benchmarks, Tandberg's RDX technology has the edge over the competition in terms of performance. The significantly higher cost of its media, however, might make you think twice before purchasing the RDX Quikstor Backup solution.

In my opinion, Tandberg is off to a good start, and this is a great backup alternative if the added performance justifies the cost, or if you are just an early adopter. By all means, though, don't rely on too few media: hard drives are still mechanical components that sooner or later could let you down. If you go with a cartridge for every day of the week, you should be fine.

The beauty of this drive is in the forward compatibility of the product, and its expected longer-than-average lifetime. Unlike Iomega's REV solution, which requires the purchase of a new drive to support future media, the RDX Quikstor drive will be compatible with larger and faster next-generation cartridges.

Related Articles:
Back Up Your Business Data With Tandberg's 420LTO and 220LTO Streamers
Iomega's REV Loader 280: The Ultimate Backup Master?
Iomega's REV Marks Leap Forward For External Drives
Hard Disk Charts
Iomega REVs Up To 70 GB

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