Corsair Nova, Reactor SSDs now available
By Donald Melanson 
posted February 28th 2010 9:55AM
posted February 28th 2010 9:55AM
Well, it didn't exactly seem like these were nearing an imminent release when they were introduced earlier this month, but Corsair has now pulled a pleasant surprise and announced that its new Nova and Reactor SSD drives are available right now. As expected, the Reactor series comes in 60GB and 120GB varieties and uses the Micron JMF612 controller with 128MB of DDR2 memory, while the Nova boasts 64GB or 128GB capacities and uses an Indilinx Barefoot controller with 64MB of cache memory. Speeds are not drastically different between the two, but the Nova does have a slight edge, with the 128GB model coming out on top at 270MB/second read and 190MB/second write. Prices range from $185 for the 60GB Reactor to $375 for the 128GB Nova.
Or a 2TB HDD for U$ 180
@Billy Gun
I agree with you buddy. I mean where is the incentive to push me to purchase and take SSD's into the realm of mainstream.
I had a Macbook with SSD and sure it was faster but it wasn't worth the extra £££ in my book. Surely some manufacturers could do deals to help bring down prices....
@Billy Gun Real pros get one or two "cheap" (realtively) 30-64gig SSDs, and then a couple 2TB drives for storage. =)
You'll notice the performance specs on cheap 2TB storage drives are not that impressive, and it will bottleneck any midrange or higher current machine out.
Typo?
"Speeds are NOT drastically different between the two..."???
@zyborg
I'm glad someone else was bothered by that too: either they ARE drastically different, or one can have a slight edge, but not both.
article says: " Speeds are drastically different between the two, but the Nova does have a slight edge..."
@rtdunham
Why are you two bothered by that sentence? It says, there are not drastic speed differences between the drives with the Micron controller versus the Indilinx controller. It's just variety and customer preference in the 2 lines. Prices are for the 60GB of the Micron vs the 128GB of the Indilinx version.
Am I missing something?
@Please forgive me The typo that was pointed out was already corrected.
Keep 'em comin'...the more of them to hit the market, the more likely
prices will come down to a reasonable level.
That's /still/ $3/GB. Someone somewhere has to lower this for me to be interested.
@(Unverified) Yeah but you only really need 100GB for the operating system. You can store all your data files (music, films, documents etc.) on a normal hard disk; there isn't much benefit storing them on an SSD.
@(Unverified) As above, I think $/GB comparisons aren't useful. If you can fit a second drive in your computer, these things are superchargers - put all your operating system and program files on it and your computer will respond a lot faster.
Program launch times are usually my biggest complaint anyways. If suppose you'd need a huge SSD if you worked with big media files in GBs all the time, but for usual purposes you can keep all your work, music and even movies on a HDD.
@Timmmmmm What in the world Operating System are you using that you need a 100GB drive for?!?!
I've got Win7 running off a 36GB WD Raptor Drive and still have gigs upon gigs left.
@Rebel6381
I'd probably install all my apps and games on the SSD then have a larger drive for docs, music, video, vacation pics..
especially now that alot of games and apps are digital download could store the install files on platter as well.
Is that a mini usb port on the right hand corner of the left drive? What's it for?
@GingerFox
...for direct use as an external drive w/o the need for an enclosure?
@Schmitty338
No, usually the usb port on SSDs are for updating the firmware. I can't remember hearing about any that lets you use it as a usb HDD like how you're thinking.
@pballinuyasha
Newegg has the Reactor listed as an SATA/USB device. I know that Filemate and some other company in the past have made such drives. But yes, usually it's just for flashing the firmware, so don't expect any drive that has a USB port to function as an external drive through it.
"Micron JMF612" this is incorrect, it is actually "JMicron JMF612".. you know the much hated company pronounced Jay Mike Ron. Micron would loathe to be associated with JMicron.
@excelsium The confusion is especially bad now that Micron just launched its own SSD line, and a good one, unlike JMicron's last controller.
@YpoCaramel
Nope, Micron is using a Marvell controller.
@Trevize
They didn't say Micron is using the JMicron controller, they're saying the Reactor series is using the JMicron controller, not the Micron controller.
@excelsium
Either way, doesn't matter. OCZ has a $40 rebate on their Vertex line right now which has a better controller than both JMicron and Marvell. Lets see if I can do this first try... Illinix ? Damn. whatever http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227394&cm_re=ocz_ssd_vertex-_-20-227-394-_-Product
Is there price fixing going on with SSD manufactures? It seems every freaking company has a SSD and with that inventory and supply the prices should be going way down. So why isn't it?
@poached The cost of manufacturing NAND flash memory has not gone down, these prices have been in place for what, 6 months? Apparently a new process will improve things by Q4.
I doubt there's been extensive price fixing. OCZ especially has been aggressive shopping around for memory - their Vertex series came out at what, $400? And now the Solid 2 with cheaper flash is at $315. They are still high margin products, according to OCZ's annual report, but costs have been cut. Remember in late 2008, less than a year and a half ago, the 80GB X25M cost $600, without TRIM. Now it's just $300 for the G2 - and Newegg even has OEM for $219.
can we please just flash forward 5 years from now so I can get a 1 TB SSD for a hundred bucks? that'd be lovely..
The reactor models have been available at newegg for over a week now
My friends call me "Nova.". As in Cassanova? Jeez, you don't have to laugh at me.
Honestly, what respectable SSD manufacturer still uses a JMicron controller? Time and time again, they've been proven to be naught but garbage.
Get the Nova and shut down the Reactor.
@Suigi
the JMF612 doesn't have the stutter issues the previous ones had.
Just buy a Samsung. Cheaper prices.
Plus COrsair, Kingson Rip-off Consumers and Samsung.
Since most middle men like Corsair actually use Samsung's own devices and tweak it a bit and re-badge it as their OWN damn device. The gaul
JMicron controllers are nothing even remotely near the performance of Indilinx. There is a significant difference.