CompactFlash SATA cards on the horizon

As the evolution of flash memory (and CompactFlash in particular) continues on, it looks like the CompactFlash Association is gearing up to create a CF card with a SATA interface. Reportedly, the CFA has assembled a working group to "develop a specification for a CompactFlash card with a Serial ATA interface," as it looks to broaden the market appeal of CompactFlash and exceed the current 133MB/second interface data rate. Regrettably, we've no idea when these newfangled devices are slated to go commercial, but we'd recommend that you start saving right about now anyway.

[Thanks, Mark]

[Raia @ Jul 19th 2007 10:35AM]

That's cool, but I'm waiting for true, single purpose, SATA SDDs. They serve the same purpose inside your PC, but SSDs are prob gonna be cheaper. I wanna put on in my iMac

[rockintom @ Jul 20th 2007 11:02AM]

Er, that *is* a SATA SSD. Just not a large one.

[jpxdude @ Jul 19th 2007 10:42AM]

I'm looking forward to this, seems like their gunning to create a faster speed at the CF's wellknown sustainable data rate. It's exciting, if it's good enough, these could theoretically be used as hard drive replacements for micro devices and pc's.

[Bruno @ Jul 19th 2007 10:48AM]

The headline should read "SATA CompactFlash Cards on the Horizon"

After all you're talking about CF cards here, not SATA cards, which are something entirely different. Maybe someone needs to spend the next recess break in class going over their text books.

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 19th 2007 11:22AM]

Maybe someone does.

[Darvin @ Jul 19th 2007 11:14AM]

So, does that mean we can upgrade our harddrive based iPods with flash-based media? Meaning increased storage, less volatile media, faster read speeds and increased battery performance, whilst also recovering broken iPods?


Sounds like a new business model!

[markie @ Jul 19th 2007 11:43AM]

>So, does that mean we can upgrade our harddrive >based iPods with flash-based media?

In a short while you can :-)

http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/03/add-compact-flash-to-almost-any-ipod/

Although, that's based on the current CF-cards, not with SATA-interface, but then again, there are no SATA-drives in your iPod right now, so no need for CF-cards with a SATA-interface either...

cheers,

-mark hoekstra

P.S. if you want to get an email when this adapter is finally available, drop your address on my projectpage:

http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/767/put-flash-memory-into-almost-any-ipod

[Alexander @ Jul 19th 2007 12:23PM]

Yes. Dipstick. *hands you a Darwin Award*

[Elvis Ripley @ Jul 19th 2007 1:27PM]

That is great. I was just looking for such a thing and surprised I couldn't find it.

[Jake @ Jul 19th 2007 2:34PM]

This I'm going to enjoy. With the IDE CF you still need an adapter that i can't really find in my country. If this is going to have a SATA connector ON it ...sweet.

[xl8 @ Jul 19th 2007 9:14PM]

flash cant do more than 30 MB/s at 200X
whats the point of using a wider bandwidth interface, sata / ide drives cant even do more than 40MB/s and have bottlenecked pcs for over 20 years. adapting the sata interface is pointless.
flash and sata is junkware for an OS drive. Ramdisks like the ramsan is the only revolution in computer speed improvement.

[Tacticus @ Jul 21st 2007 12:50AM]

...
considering that most modern drives will have sustained speeds of up past 70MB/s these days i have nfi where your 40MB/s statement is from

also sata is a lot nicer to deal with from the purely physical point of view.

ram disk have this annoying problem with how they lose everything when they turn off.

[rockintom @ Jul 20th 2007 11:00AM]

Sarcasm? Don't you mean "stupidity"?