Toshiba announces 512GB SSD, other smaller SSDs

We'd heard Toshiba was working on 512GB SSDs back in April, and the company's delivering right before CES. The industry-first half-terabyte drive is the highlight of Tosh's new line of 43nm MLC drives, which also includes 64GB, 128GB and 256GB units in both 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch form factors -- just right to pudge out your laptops and netbooks. No word on price, but you've got plenty of time to save up, as these won't hit mass production until at least April.

[Orris @ Dec 18th 2008 3:24AM]

APRIL! Come on!

[leo @ Dec 18th 2008 12:13PM]

Look mate, as long as it doesn't come out on April 1st, I think everybody will be happy that the SSD thing is finally starting to get somewhere, go hush hush in the corner now and touch yourself or whatever you usually get up to in-between destroying the atmosphere in club:engadget.

[reader @ Dec 18th 2008 3:25AM]

Perhaps you may want to reconsider writing "half-gig" as it has exceeded that many times over.

[Kyle @ Dec 18th 2008 3:58AM]

Yea is it just me or does it hurt your brain to read that... Atleast I'll only see the post once.

[Saad Rabia @ Dec 18th 2008 4:03AM]

Also, is it just me or does anyone else feel that when Engadget wants to fix a word in their articles, they first setup a meeting, discuss the issue for a couple of hours, create a poll in between them, then chose one of them to go in to the quest of changing that simple mistake?

[kamakaze @ Dec 18th 2008 4:14AM]

maybe they count the reader comments concerning and when they reach a certain number, they fix the mistake?

[KarlW @ Dec 18th 2008 4:16AM]

Not only that, but the mistakes are pretty frequent. Engadget writers should re-read their articles before posting, or get another writer to read them over.

Just think of the damage it would do to Toshiba's stock price if an error like this was uncorrected. Engadget could be responsible for a japanese government bailout.

[ahdok @ Dec 18th 2008 4:36AM]

Half a gig?

Man, I'm going to party like it's 1999.

[jeesusfreek @ Dec 18th 2008 3:25AM]

I think you mean half-terabyte unit...not half-gigabyte.

[Steve Bergey @ Dec 18th 2008 3:25AM]

It's a half TB. Not a half gig. Haha. But sweet, none-the-less.

[Evan R. @ Dec 19th 2008 7:05PM]

1 please.

[Alexei @ Dec 18th 2008 3:27AM]

I guess good for laptops, but its MLC...

Hopefully Samsung trumps them with a 512 GB ...

[Rob @ Dec 18th 2008 3:27AM]

"The industry-first half-gig drive" ehhm that would be 512MB. That probably should have read "The industry-first half-TB drive"

[jeesusfreek @ Dec 18th 2008 3:28AM]

@Nilay

Lol, I think a lot of people are noticing your mistake.

why, oh why, can we not edit our comments.

[Mic2000 @ Dec 18th 2008 4:54AM]

Or just an edit button for article instead

[kal326 @ Dec 18th 2008 9:07AM]

@Mic2000
"Or just an edit button for article instead"

Engadget gone Wikipedia.....that would be a scary day indeed.

[syko21 @ Dec 18th 2008 3:33AM]

All these nice powers of 2 and yet intel has its 80gb x-25, what gives?

[Karn Eggie @ Dec 18th 2008 3:36AM]

yea everyone has already caught the mistake ... now its only how long till they get to the update!

[DCJames @ Dec 18th 2008 7:40AM]

Did somebody forget to tell Toshiba that MLC SSDs perform like....CRAP?????????

They are slower and run hotter than traditional hard drives and cost 2-3 times as much.

[Mike @ Dec 18th 2008 8:18AM]

That's actually not true. Some MLC SSDs (namely those made by intel and possibly others in the future) vastly outperform traditional hard drives and even beat SLC SSDs in certain situations.

[Za @ Dec 18th 2008 8:11PM]

Welcome to 6 months ago. Read: Intel.
Thank you for playing.

[PM1 @ Dec 18th 2008 3:48AM]

This looks really good at first, until you find out that its MLC and not SLC SSD. This makes me believe that this is rather a "ha, we're first!" product, rather than a true breakthrough in capacity (as it would have been if it was SLC).

Still, with much faster access times, an SSD is still heaps better in many ways.

[MarbleMind @ Dec 18th 2008 6:45AM]

Has it ever been about something else than being first?

[Poom @ Dec 18th 2008 3:57AM]

AWESOME! Now, please announce more affordable ones!

[Saad Rabia @ Dec 18th 2008 3:58AM]

"Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger", Daft Punk.

[kjk @ Dec 18th 2008 5:33AM]

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4ItqVgaTIjI&feature=related

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 18th 2008 6:46AM]

That's how long I've been on ya!

[Fteo @ Dec 18th 2008 4:00AM]

Lets hope these are FAST and reasonably priced to compete with the SanSung breed. I understand Toshiba took a large stake in Mtron the leader in fast flash who uses FPGA as the controller. Now the Toshiba people can put that FPGA into a cheaper and smaller ASIC within weeks. Or implement similar with embeded controller and DRAM combo.

If the read rates are less than 200MBps it will not be competitive. The write rates better be over 120MBps. Yes, give the Intel X-25 a good kick. I think 512GB is way over board while 256GB is just perfect for a notebook. And it has to be fast otherwise the coming 7200 rpm 1/2 Terabyte drives are just round the corner at rock bottom prices for sure.

[Johan S @ Dec 18th 2008 4:27AM]

I think pricing will matter more. By the way, what are you doing that needs a 200 MBps read rate? Multiple uncompressed HDTV streams? Isn't that what a RAID array configuration is for?

A 200 MBps read can load the entire Vista OS into RAM before you finish reading this sentence, ok the sentence isn't finished yet, hmm ok fine I'll end the sentence now; just kidding, ok fine it's ended.

[Johan S @ Dec 18th 2008 4:30AM]

FYI, cut & pasted from the link:

Reading speed Maximum speed 240MBps (sequential mode)
Writing speed Maximum speed at 200MBps (sequential mode)

[Ahmed Alzayani @ Dec 18th 2008 4:31AM]

Reading speed Maximum speed 240MBps (sequential mode)
Writing speed Maximum speed at 200MBps (sequential mode)

http://news.prnewswire.com/ViewContent.aspx?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/12-17-2008/0004943967&EDATE=

[loosely_coupled @ Dec 18th 2008 5:17AM]

200MB/sec writing with MLC??

[Vidikron @ Dec 18th 2008 10:36AM]

"I think 512GB is way over board while 256GB is just perfect for a notebook."

Maybe if all you're concerned about is notebooks, sure. But I'm waiting for the day these can replace desktop drives as well. 512GB is still way too small and the drive is likely still way too expensive. Nice progress, but still a long way to go.

[Trevor @ Dec 18th 2008 4:01AM]

I just want it in my iPhone.

[Saad Rabia @ Dec 18th 2008 4:07AM]

Any Phone with 512 GB SSD: $1000 - $1500
Apple iPhone with 512 GB SSD: $6500 - $7000

[Trevor @ Dec 18th 2008 4:18AM]

But the apple logo is totally worth the extra bucks. That and the white headphones...

[Bobbymelbourne @ Dec 18th 2008 4:40AM]

You mean iPhonies?

[PM1 @ Dec 18th 2008 4:52AM]

@ Saad Rabia

I'm pretty sure the 512GB version already costs anywhere in the range of $700-$1000, and please saying that Apple products are 6X more expensive than competing products show nothing more than ignorance these days. They are priced much more reasonably nowadays. It still amazes me how some people cling on to age old stereotypes and use it even now when clearly prices show otherwise.

I don't support that original poster (Trevor)...but your point was just plain stupid. I think people get the point now.

[The WC @ Dec 18th 2008 5:06AM]

Worry not. I'm sure iFixit will have a way. Of course, that would mean that I could store more stuff on my iPhone than my computer, but it'd still be cool.

[loosely_coupled @ Dec 18th 2008 5:22AM]

@PM1

That is only partially correct. Obviously Apple's products do not cost 6X more than a comparable product from Dell/HP/IBM, but they are more expensive. It does really depend on the circumstance... It appears that the higher cost products like the Mac Pro, Xserve, MB Pro, etc are a much higher value than the cheaper consumer products..

[Erb @ Dec 18th 2008 6:37AM]

If apple didn't overcharge for their products, then why would they do through all the hassle of preventing Psystar from making OSX computers?

Simply stated, psystar could make a computer 1/2 as expensive as Apple and it would have the same specs.

[Erb @ Dec 18th 2008 6:37AM]

would they go*

[trevor @ Dec 18th 2008 8:51AM]

for once. just once... i want someone to say "fuck apple".

[skyblaze @ Dec 18th 2008 8:52AM]

fuck apple.

[trevor @ Dec 18th 2008 10:45AM]

you, sir... are my hero for the day.

[va jj @ Dec 18th 2008 4:02AM]

the half tb one will probably cost over a grand.

[Shinigami @ Dec 18th 2008 6:30AM]

More like over ten grand - its "first-in-whatever" product, remember? When there are 0 competitors, you set the price you've always dreamed of.

[MarbleMind @ Dec 18th 2008 6:47AM]

@Shinigami

Yup. Until Transcend stops by, that is.

[G @ Dec 18th 2008 4:09AM]

Wow, a couple more years and there will be no more hard drives :D

The only problem now is the price

[joshua collins @ Dec 18th 2008 4:29AM]

1/2 terabyte?? ROFL.