Best Buy Unveils New Look, Latest Technology In Private Line of ``vpr Matrix'' Computers

Business Wire, July 11, 2002

With so many consumers increasing their use of more sophisticated, memory-intensive digital applications into their everyday lives, Best Buy decided it was the right time to demystify RAID technology and bring it to the mainstream.

The consumer benefits of the "mirroring" setting of RAID become apparent when a home PC is used to document and preserve the milestone moments of people's lives.

The explosive popularity of digital photography has led to a record number of technology users who store digital images in a single place - the hard drive of the family computer. With no back-up, digital photos and videos are literally at risk every time the computer is used. If that single hard drive should fail, stored memories - birthday parties, wedding, vacations - irreplaceable images - are gone forever.

RAID that "mirrors" data on to other hard drives is the technology behind the kind of instantaneous data back-up that many people rely on from their workplace PCs. It is what gives users the peace of mind that important information is much less likely to be "lost".

The "striping" setting of RAID, in which data from individual files is split into smaller sections and saved onto separate hard drives, allowing for increased speed in reading and writing, is ideal for the home user who wants another boost in performance and speed. This kind of RAID setting is ideal for "stutter"-free images when using graphic-intensive applications like computer gaming or digital movie editing.

The 253R model of vpr Matrix comes standard with two 80 GB hard drives pre-configured for "striping", making RAID for faster performance available to the user right out of the box. All vpr Matrix PCs are expandable to run four hard drives, which allows the RAID system to simultaneously mirror and stripe data for the highest level of performance and reliability.

What the Leaders Behind vpr Matrix Have to Say

"If Best Buy is to continue being recognized by consumers as a leader in digital-lifestyle options, we need to offer a PC that sets a new technology standard for making the adoption of digital products as easy and enjoyable for the widest range of Best Buy customers," said David Morrish, Best Buy's senior vice president and business group leader for computers, peripherals and digital imaging. "We believe the power, quality and value of a vpr Matrix will make this new offering a compelling option for those looking to take their next step into the connected life."

"In many ways, you could say that we are totally obsessed with a commitment to quality," said Steven Lee, Best Buy's vice president of strategic development, and the person behind the "vpr Matrix" brand. "We wanted to deliver a PC that Best Buy could proudly stand behind and the serious user would appreciate for the dedication to detail. I think people are going to be very surprised to see how we really extended the capabilities of a home PC in every way and still offer a competitive price."

MEDIA NOTE: Visit vprmatrix.com/info for more information and downloadable images.