HIGHPOINT
RocketRAID 2320: $299
www.highpoint-tech.com

When it comes to SMB server storage, there are plenty of good reasons to go SAS. Unfortunately, the folks who buy entry-level servers can come back with just as many reasons not to buy SAS, cost being the first. Compromise with a SATA storage subsystem backed by dedicated hardware RAID and the full complement of current technologies.

HighPoint's RocketRAID 2320 falls in the upper echelon of SATA hardware, perfect for a customer reluctant to adopt SAS. You can tell it means business, too. That PCI Express x4 interface handles 2 GBps of bi-directional data transfer. You'll need that wide pipeline if all of the card's eight ports are populated, with each drive bursting at up to 300 MBps. The hardware fully supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50, and JBOD configurations. Moreover, the RocketRAID 2320 is compatible with today's newest SATA technologies, including hot swapping, failure LEDs, chassis management, SMTP for email notification, and LBA support for arrays in excess of 2TB.

HighPoint adds its own value by enabling extensive operating system support. You can use this card in a 32-bit Windows server, a 64-bit box, a Linux machine, or a PowerMac. It has its own configurable BIOS and a browser-based RAID management utility for administration. OCE (Online Capacity Expansion) and ORLM (Online RAID Level Migration) support allow you as a VAR to make major changes to the customer's storage sub-system without taking a server offline.

ASUS
MyPal A636: $599
www.asus.com

Handheld devices loaded with functionality are becoming increasingly popular. But making margin is more difficult when hooking your customers up with a BlackBerry or Palm's new Treo 700w, especially with service providers dishing out deep discounts to subscribers with contracts. Therein lies the beauty of ASUS' MyPal A636, a PDA-like device that resembles a handheld computer more than anything else.

ASUS' headline feature is GPS functionality. Using the latest SiRF Star III chipset, a 25mm patch antenna swivels out from the MyPal's back section, and ASUS bundles the Destinator PN navigation software on a 256MB SD memory card. Customers even get a car windshield cradle, which facilitates a landscape view of the GPS software in action as they drive.

The A636 is a tremendous tool when used exclusively as a navigation system. But because the device runs Windows Mobile 5.0, customers get the flexibility of a PDA as well. Microsoft Office and Personal Information Management is a standard feature, as is Windows Media Player 10.

With a 3.5" touch panel TFT LCD screen, you can comfortably watch full-motion video or pen short notes. The A636 includes 128MB of flash ROM and 64MB of SDRAM. However, storage can be expanded through the onboard SD memory slot as well. When it comes to getting information to and from the A363, you can choose between Bluetooth, SIR, USB 1.1, and 802.11b. Having USB 2.0 and 802.11g would help, but this is a handheld with a 416 MHz processor and limited storage we're talking about.

Those high-speed interfaces are probably overkill. As it sits, the MyPal A636 is equipped well, full of cool functionality, and priced reasonably. In a market typically unforgiving to VARs, ASUS' MyPal presents a solid upsell opportunity.

FSP Group
FX700-GLN: $160
www.fsp-group.com.tw

Power supply sales are tricky. not only is it difficult to gauge a good supply versus a great one, but you also have to pay close attention to what your customer intends to do with its system. Super high-end supplies, such as those from PC Power and Cooling, come highly recommended. But they also bear gut-wrenching price tags for which most folks just won't pay. FSP Group's new FX700-GLN is the perfect alternative because it combines a solid specification sheet with palatable prices.

FSP rates the FX700-GLN at 700W with efficiency greater than 85 percent. The hefty supply wields four 12V rails, which means that critical components such as the processor, video cards, and hard drives are guaranteed plenty of power, even under load. For comparison, most other power supplies only offer one 12V rail. In turn, FSP gets to sport NVIDIA's SLI compliance seal. ATI's CrossFire is supported, as well.

Beyond performance, FSP also prioritizes noise output by incorporating a 120mm cooling fan that spins at slower RPMs to keep acoustics in check. There's also plenty of connectivity. In addition to two PCI Express graphics connectors, you also get an 8-pin EPS12V auxiliary output and an ATX connector with backwards compatibility to older motherboards requiring 20-pin plugs. Smaller details round the supply out. A deep blue finish covers the chassis, mesh sleeving keeps cables together, and a honeycombed cooling vent guarantees maximum air flow. You simply can't find that level of professionalism at a $160 price point anywhere else.

SanDisk
miniSD Memory Card 1GB: $105
www.sandisk.com

There is simply no substitute for storage. In a day when most high-end hard drives seem to serve up limitless capacity and even cell phones are including onboard memory, we still run out of room. The hard drive issue is easy to fix—just add another drive and run. But smaller devices don't have the same expandability afforded to PCs and thus need to be upgraded more carefully.

SanDisk's 1GB miniSD card is so attractive because it finds a solid balance between available capacity and reasonable price. It's easily 10 times larger than your typical cell phone storage space; ditto that for most PDAs. And yet the thing's as small as a penny.

There's a value-added SD adapter included with each memory card, which is a real ace here. Rather than just supporting tiny devices such as cell phones, the miniSD card can also be dropped into cameras and PDAs.

The 1GB card is covered by SanDisk's five year limited warranty. And if 1GB isn't quite the right size for your customer, the company also offers the same product in 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, and 2GB sizes.