DIAMOND MULTIMEDIA
Stealth ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro PCIe 256MB: $119
www.diamondmm.com

OPENING THE DOOR TO DIRECTX 10 GRAPHICS DOESN’T require a prohibitively expensive card. Diamond Multimedia’s Stealth ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro does the job for a little over $100 and includes 256MB of DDR2 memory to complement its unified shader architecture.

Perhaps your customer is wondering why he should even want a DirectX 10 card after having bought a DirectX 9 card only a year ago. Native support for Windows Vista is one reason to upgrade. Though older DX9 cards work the same under the new OS as they as they did with XP, the only way to get DX10 support with Vista. The coding in Vista is more efficient, so DirectX 10 games should shed a lot of the overhead responsible for slowing down older applications.

But Diamond’s Radeon HD 2400 is about more than just gaming. The card also features an HDMI adapter for output to a big-screen TV. The integrated UVD (universal video decoder) accelerates—in hardware—critical portions of the decoding process, easing CPU utilization during playback of Blu-ray and HD DVD movies. HDCP compliance solidifies the card’s position as a multimedia masterpiece. Dual-link DVI and VGA output also make the Radeon HD 2400 Pro a great choice for multi-monitor configurations.

LACIE
Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive: $139
www.lacie.com

CUSTOMERS IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTS know that hard drives aren’t designed to be bumped around while in use. But these users might not be as cautious when those same data repositories are in transit from here to there. LaCie’s Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive is designed to deliver the protection needed in the back seat of a work truck. The largest model holds 160GB of information and connects via USB 2.0. A scratch-resistant aluminum shell and shock-resistant rubber bumper help keep the drive inside protected against the elements. Should the drive fall from a distance of 35 inches or less in non-operational mode, it should be fine.

HITACHI GLOBAL STORAGE TECHNOLOGIES
Deskstar 7K1000: $229
www.hitachigst.com

EVERYONE’S TRYING TO GET THEIR HANDS ON MORE SPACE for backup, digital media, and networked storage. The leaders in hard drive technology have slowly pushed the largest data repositories from 500GB to 750GB, and now we’re looking at massive 1TB drives enabled by a second generation of parallel recording technology. Each step of the way, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has led the crusade to support the latest features while pushing the envelope on capacity. The company’s new Deskstar 7K1000 epitomizes that effort with an unprecedented 1TB of disk space.

Many mainstream motherboards sport four SATA ports. And as eSATA becomes more popular, additional connectivity is being added to back I/O panels. At the same time, chipset vendors are touting built-in RAID support for more advanced modes. Software RAID 0 and 1 have evolved to include 5, 10, and JBOD arrays. Move up in complexity and those arrays start incorporating three and four drives each, leaving very little room for expansion. Rather than make a compromise between data security and capacity, upsell the Deskstar 7K1000 into desktop environments where expansion is going to be limited.

Hitachi’s Deskstar is also a fantastic play on performance. Support for 3 Gbps data transfers, reduced power consumption, and better acoustic performance demonstrate Hitachi’s efforts on all storage fronts. A relatively huge 32MB data cache keeps information moving swiftly drive. An integrated thermal sensor helps detect overheating, helping adjust the drive to keep it running within spec. Also note that the Deskstar offers a three-year warranty.

SAITEK
Obsidian Wireless Mouse: $49
www.saitek.com

EVERYONE’S HANDS ARE different. Therefore, finding the right input device is an exercise in extreme subjectivity. Fit and finish, resolution, long-term comfort, and extra features all help set solid mice apart. Saitek’s Obsidian Wireless Mouse has a long list of features your productivity-oriented customers will like. If they’re drawn to its water-worn pebble shape and can take advantage of its programmable buttons, there’s a good chance they’ll want to take the mouse home.

Performance-wise, the Obsidian sports a 1,000 dpi optical sensor yielding accurate tracking. Where you’d normally expect to find a scroll wheel, there’s a touch-sensitive pad with four modes to scroll fast or slow either up or down. Buttons on each side of the mouse help take the place of common “clicks,” like the Back and Forward buttons in Internet Explorer.

Flip the Obsidian over for access to its rechargeable battery compartment. Normally, customers would never mess with a mouse’s battery. They’d instead drop it on its charger when the battery ran out. But Saitek is gunning for true 24x7 operation, so it includes a spare battery that rests on a bundled cradle, ready should the primary power source drain out. The cradle also holds the USB wireless receiver, ensuring reception is never an issue on the 2.4 GHz band. Finally, the oval shape makes the Obsidian equally usable to right- and left-handed customers.