This is a MLC SSD and is much cheaper than what you are looking at (SLC SSD).
Dell ships exclusively with Samsung SSDs. The 32 and 64GB models are the higher end SLC SSD, while the 128GB and soon-to-be-released 256GB models are the lower end MLC SSD. SLC is a proven technology, used in the military and government for the past 2-3 decades. MLC is relatively new - far cheaper, but reliability is questionable since it's too new for long term data.
Typically, SLC drives are faster than MLC and hard drives in 1) access times (the most critical thing for booting programs and OS), 2) transfer rates (though this is dependent on the drives being compared, though the SLC SSD has a constant speed throughout), 3) have no noise since no moving parts (also cooler, more rugged/resistant to shock, and lighter), and 4) use less power (though the battery life is debated in Tomshardware, again it depends on the make and model; however, higher end ones like Mtron and Memoright definitely give you better battery life).
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
the dell website says this is the samsung flashSSD 128gb SSD drive. I did a google shoppping search and the results say this would be over $3000.
Could anyone explain how this can be so cheap ,even considering buying the whole laptop?
thanks
This is a MLC SSD and is much cheaper than what you are looking at (SLC SSD).
Dell ships exclusively with Samsung SSDs. The 32 and 64GB models are the higher end SLC SSD, while the 128GB and soon-to-be-released 256GB models are the lower end MLC SSD. SLC is a proven technology, used in the military and government for the past 2-3 decades. MLC is relatively new - far cheaper, but reliability is questionable since it's too new for long term data.
Typically, SLC drives are faster than MLC and hard drives in 1) access times (the most critical thing for booting programs and OS), 2) transfer rates (though this is dependent on the drives being compared, though the SLC SSD has a constant speed throughout), 3) have no noise since no moving parts (also cooler, more rugged/resistant to shock, and lighter), and 4) use less power (though the battery life is debated in Tomshardware, again it depends on the make and model; however, higher end ones like Mtron and Memoright definitely give you better battery life).