MaximumPC 2006 12

46 MAXIMUMPC DECEMBER 2006

Plextor

PX-7558A

With Intel eliminating PATA

completely in the 965 chip-

set, we see the writing on

the wall: SATA optical is the

future. Plextor’s second-gen

PX-755SA replaces the com-

pany’s original SATA drive,

the PX-716SA, and also gives

you faster double-layer burn

rates and such nifty features

as the ability to “erase” a

write-once disc by burning

all the pits on the surface.

$130, http://www.plextor.com

BEST CASE

Silverstone

Temjin TJ09

SanDisk Cruzer

Titanium 2GB

A surefi re way to win hearts at

Maximum PC is to send us a product

that’s beautiful, functional, and fast.

The Cruzer Titanium is all three.

This is the fastest USB thumb drive

we’ve ever tested, delivering top

marks in both reads and writes. The

fact that its USB connector slides

neatly into its shell is just the icing

on an already tasty cake.

(Reviewed November 2006)

$110, http://www.sandisk.com

BEST USB KEY

Western Digital Raptor 150GB

They say that speed kills. We’re not really sure who

“they” are, or what’s being killed, but if the dictum is true,

then this 10,000rpm hard drive should defi nitely come

with a warning label.

Sure, it has just 150GB of capacity, but those are a hun-

dred and a half insanely fast gigs. And if you shell out an

extra $50 for the Raptor X version, you get a window through

which you can see the drive’s platters and read head in glori-

ous fast action.

(Reviewed March 2006) $350, http://www.westerndigital.com

For the fi rst time ever, the backup drive was

a hotly contested category. With two compet-

ing Seagate external drives facing off—one a

speedy 500GB eSATA drive, the other a 750GB

USB-only drive—the choice was diffi cult. In the

end, we sacrifi ced the signifi cantly speedier

eSATA interface for the much roomier 750GB

capacity of the USB model, and all was right

with the world.

(Reviewed Holiday 2006) $550, http://www.seagate.com

Seagate 750GB Push Button Backup

We were set to declare the

SilverStone Temjin TJ07—

our fave for all of 2005—as

the best case currency can

procure, but then another

box landed on our dock.

The Temjin TJ09 reprises

the now-classic design

with even snazzier alumi-

num construction, a pop-up

USB/FireWire/headphone connector panel, and two

quick-release hard drive cages. Sweet.

(Reviewed December 2006) $250, http://www.silverstonetek.com

Seagate 750GB Push Button Backup

Plextor Plextor

BEST OPTICAL DISC BURNER

BEST BACKUP DRIVE

BEST HARD DRIVE