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Corsair Force GT SSDs put through their paces, have graphs to prove it
Instead of singling out one of Corsair's latest SandForce-equipped SSDs, the folks at StorageReview sussed out performance differences by putting each drive through the wringer. Though read / write specs are relatively uniform across the line, barring some slight dips in speed, they dug up a few juicy morsels of info that could benefit both frugal and performance-minded shoppers. In a read intensive gaming test, the 60GB entry drive performed similarly to the 480GB behemoth. Another notable result was a 60% jump in throughput between the 120GB and 180GB models. Keen on eking out the most performance-bang for your buck? Hop over to the source for the full skinny and a bevy of charts.
SanDisk Extreme SSD has 'mighty' mix of performance and support
SanDisk's new Extreme SSD sounded nice enough when it launched recently, but we weren't expecting anything too crazy -- just another 6Gbps SandForce-based drive that would compete on $-per-GB more than performance. As it turns out, that doesn't do it justice. StorageReview has shown that the unit actually beats the Intel 520 in some key real-world tests and delivers a "chart-topping" 4K random write speed of 88,324 IOPS. With the bonus of the low price-point -- starting at $190 for 120GB -- and the level of support from SanDisk, the Extreme SSD can now boast an Editor's Choice trophy. Click the source link for the full report.
OCZ Octane SSD benchmarked, new Indilinx controller holds its ground
Maybe it's just interference from our seasonal goggles, but isn't there something quite cheery about SSD reviews? In the case of OCZ's Octane drive, our good spirits derive from the sturdy performance of its freshly-conceived Indilinx Everest controller, which ought to keep big players like SandForce and Samsung on their toes. HotHardware just reviewed the $369 $879 512GB variant and found that it delivered fast boot-up times, strong read speeds and writes that were just shy of enthusiast-class drives. Follow the source link for the full and possibly festive benchmarks. Update: Sorry about the optimistic price error. Guess we got carried away with all the holiday discounts. As many of y'all spotted, it's the 256GB version that goes for $369. Update: We just added links to reviews from AnandTech and Storage Review, which both arrived at similarly positive conclusions.
Plextor outs limited edition M2P SSD in weirdest press release ever
"Although no specific information is available," says Plextor in its own statement, "word has it that Plextor is serious about the limited edition status" of its latest M2P SSD. In other detective work, they've discovered that the drive comes in 128GB and 256GB variants that cost $240 and $440 respectively and should be available towards the end of the month. Both models handle 6Gb/s SATA III, are powered by the "server grade" Marvell 88SS9174 controller chip and deliver up to 500MB/s reads and 440MB/s writes. Engadget suspects the full PR is right after the break.
SanDisk Ultra SSD heading to retailers, brings youthful exuberance to aging PCs
Who hasn't needed to upgrade their personal workstation when running short on funds? We've definitely been there. As luck would have it, SanDisk offers all of us who are a bit strapped for cash an option for improving our aging PCs. The company announced today that its latest offerings, the Ultra SSDs, are heading out to retailers as we speak. Promising 280MB / sec reads coupled with 270MB / sec write speeds, the drives provide a welcome tune-up for, ahem, experienced machines. Random speeds on these disks clock in at up to 3Gb / sec with three sizes available: 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB, ranging from $130 to $450. So save up your extra lunch money, as this is certainly a nice way to breathe new life into your current set-up without going completely broke. Who knows, maybe you can use those dollars you'll save on some of this. As for the full rundown, scope out the PR after the break.
Sony's new VAIO Z ultraportable laptop with Power Media Dock hands-on (video)
Now that we've seen Sony's new VAIO Z in its luscious press shots, it's time to face reality and lay our itchy hands on this 13-inch ultraportable laptop, along with its eccentric expansion dock that packs both a Blu-ray drive and an AMD Radeon HD 6650M graphics chip (with 1GB of video RAM). Just as we were told by our little birdie, said dock is connected to the notebook via Light Peak -- a first for Sony -- but there's a catch: Sony's only implementing the architecture and not the connector, so for the time being, this sweet high speed connection is only compatible with the docking unit and nothing else. Anyhow, here's a quick recap: what we have here is a 1.18kg feather-light machine packing an Intel Sandy Bridge i5 (also available with an i7), 256GB SSD and 1.3 megapixel webcam, plus a matte LCD display with resolution at 1600 x 900 or an optional 1920 x 1080. Oh yes, for an extra cost, you get some sweet full HD action at just 13 inches. This upgraded display performed well in the relatively dark confines of the press event, but how it fares under direct sunlight remains to be seen. Read on for more hands-on impression. %Gallery-127316% %Gallery-127288% %Gallery-127289%
SanDisk outs faster U100 and i100 SSDs for ultra-portables and tablets, we go hands-on
SanDisk has been pumping out press releases all day thanks to Computex-mania, so we shuffled past its stall to see what all the fuss is about. The biggest news is the U100 range of tiny SSDs for ultraportables, which crank data in and out at twice the speed of SanDisk's previous generation P4 drives. We're talking 450MB/s reads and 340MB/s writes thanks to the latest SATA III interface, plus a max capacity of 256GB -- specs which have already enticed ASUS to use the U100 in its lightweight UX-series notebooks. Mass production is expected in Q3 of this year. Specs table and triple-shot of PR coming up after the break, plus a gallery showing size comparisons of the U100 SSD in its glorious mSATA and Mini mSATA varieties, stacked up against some common objects like a 2.5-inch SSD drive, an HP Veer, and a vaguely goth bracelet. Meanwhile, SanDisk hasn't forgotten about our desperate need for faster tablets. The company has doubled the speed of its existing iNAND embedded flash modules, and is also releasing a brand new SATA III drive, the i100, specifically for this form factor. The i100 maxes out at 128GB and achieves a significantly slower write speed (160MB/s) than the U100, but it has same impressive read speed (450MB/s) -- which should mean nippier tablets in the not-too-distant future. %Gallery-124851%
Corsair Force series gets 90GB and 180GB brothers, middle child syndrome inevitable
Corsair has added new 90GB and 180GB sizes to its blazin' fast Force Series of SSDs, growing the happy family which already included 60, 120, and 240GB versions in addition to the original 100GB and 200GB options released back in the spring. Unlike its previous siblings, both the F90 and F180 are also available immediately from Corsair dealers for suggested MSRPs of $255 and $430, respectively. Built around the lauded SandForce SF-1200 controller and capable of beastly 285MB/sec read speeds and 275MB/sec write rates, these latest releases are not too small and not too big, making them the perfect Goldie Locks drives of the SSD world. To hear the news straight from Corsair's mouth, check out the press release after the break.
The joy and pain of upgrading a 27-inch iMac with an SSD (video)
As the old Chinese proverb says: "Time flies like an arrow." Just like that, today -- coincidentally the 27th -- marks the one year anniversary of my Core i7 27-inch iMac. No words can express the satisfaction of having such sheer screen estate and computing power all encased in one gorgeous body, but said joy started to fade recently -- ask my colleagues and they'll testify to my regular rants about the darn machine freezing up over the last few weeks. I've had it with the bloody hard drive, and being a geek who's pimped up his last two laptops with SSDs, I thought rather than just reformatting it, why not spoil my iMac with the same goodie that it clearly deserves? Read on to find out how the upgrade went.%Gallery-108375%
Toshiba introduces MacBook Air-type solid-state drives
One of the key elements that allowed Apple to make the new MacBook Air so slim was the elimination of traditional drive packaging for the solid-state drive (SSD). Rather than installing the flash memory in a case that could be installed in place of a spinning drive, the SSD looks like an old-school DRAM stick with exposed chips and the interface contacts along one end. Toshiba is now offering these blade-type SSDs in the aftermarket in the same 64, 128, and 256GB sizes found in the 11- and 13-inch Airs. They even have the same part number as the originals, indicating that Toshiba may be the OEM supplier. Apple has designed the Air to try and prevent end-user serviceability, but if you can find a five-point Torx screwdriver, you can perform a drive upgrade. It's not yet known if the 256GB drive will fit into the 11-inch Air (a combination not offered by Apple) since the largest stick is marginally thicker than the other two parts. There's no word on pricing or availability, but it seems likely that we'll soon see computers from other manufacturers using these parts as well. In the meantime, PhotoFast has also produced a SSD upgrade kit for the MacBook Air that boosts internal storage to 256GB and turns the machine's original 64GB drive into a USB 3.0 device.
SanDisk works it harder, unveils G4 and P4 solid state drives
Still haven't dropped a speedy solid state drive into your PC? SanDisk might just tempt you with its latest batch. At Computex 2010 the memory manufacturer announced its fourth-generation SSD lineup, consisting of the laptop-sized SSD G4 and the diminutive SSD P4 -- those tiny mini-SATA netbook boards you see chilling outside Jefferson's posh, nickel-plated mansion. The former will arrive in up to 256GB capacities with 220MB / sec read speeds and 160MB / sec writes (a sizable bump from prior numbers) while the latter range in size from 8GB to 128GB. Both feature the usual set of marketing buzzwords indicating speed and reliability, and both are slated to enter the OEM market in Q3 2010. That said, considering SanDisk's recent track record here, we wonder if the company meant third quarter next year. PR after the break.
(You can't get no) SATAsfaction 6Gbps SSDs (yet)
Enterprise solid state drives aren't typically our foray, but when they support SATA 6G, we pay attention. It also doesn't hurt when they sport a fantastic name. The SATAsfaction drives from Accelerated Memory Production (AMP) have both Sandforce controllers and the speedy ports to match, alongside 12 byte per sector ECC error correction and TRIM support. Still, they're not the fastest SSDs around, clocking in at only 260MB / sec reads and 150MB / sec writes, but they do have SLC flash memory for likely higher reliability than the current speed demon. No pricing or availability yet, but SLC NAND is pretty expensive stuff... so unless you're buying for a corporation with a large bankroll, better count on waiting for the cheaper Devo version.
Lenovo RapidDrive brings SSD and HDD together, demoes 66 percent speed boost on video
You know, making that jump from HDD to SSD still costs an arm and a leg, so how about somewhere in between that gap? That's what Lenovo's offering as an option for the IdeaPad Y460 and Y560 coming in March. The idea with this RapidDrive technology is that you can have a 32GB or 64GB PCI-Express SSD installed alongside your regular HDD (up to 500GB option), and the two drives will effectively be combined into one. Sounds like a tribute to the hybrid hard drives that seem to have quietly disappeared. The guys at Lenovo Blogs claim that "this is not Intel TurboMemory" as RapidDrive implements a "more automatic" algorithm to dynamically pool and manage the hybrid drive, thus giving up to 66 percent increase in Windows 7 boot speed as well as everyday performance. Regardless of this jab at Intel, we've seen this demoed at CES and it looked as good as the video demo after the break. Just don't let us down with the SSD prices, Lenovo.
Kingston SSDNow V dips to 30GB size, lower price
We've already made our fond feelings toward Kingston's SSDNow V line quite clear, so you'll understand our joy at the news that it's about to add a new member to the fold. Cutting storage down to 30GB should mean Kingston is about to offer its cheapest drive yet, though all the info we have is that it'll be "under 90GBP" (or $145). That doesn't immediately strike us as better value than the 40GB SSDNow V -- which reached an $85 price point not too long ago -- but European prices aren't directly comparable at the best of times. In exchange for your cashola, you'll get a speedy little boot drive, backed by a three-year warranty, 24/7 tech support, and the knowledge that it can withstand a baseball bat should the need ever arise. Full PR after the break.
Toshiba bolsters 32nm mSATA SSD lineup, your future netbook nods approvingly
We like to think of 'em as the SSDs for the little guys, and we couldn't be happier to hear that they're getting bigger and bigger in terms of capacity. Toshiba introduced the first solid state drives to use the mini-SATA interface back in September of '09, and while those 32nm units were made available in 30GB and 62GB sizes, the pack rats weren't satisfied. Now, the company has introduced a 128GB flavor with an mSATA interface, offering up a maximum sequential read speed of 180MB/s and a maximum sequential write speed of 70MB/s. The 128GB modules are said be one-seventh the volume and one-eighth the weight of 2.5-inch SSDs, and in case that's not enough, the third-generation HG SSDs will bring nearly twice the aforesaid speed and will ship in capacities of 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. Hit the source link for all the dirt... except for the pricing, naturally.
OCZ Vertex 2 Pro SSD previewed: awesome, and could do with some 6Gbps SATA love
Speedy SSDs might still be a pipe dream for most of us, but at least picking a top brand isn't a challenge. OCZ would no doubt be a popular choice, and SandForce has just made it easier with its debut SSD controller, SF-1500, to be featured on the forthcoming Vertex 2 Pro SSD. Our friends at AnandTech managed to harvest some jaw-dropping results out of their 100GB prototype -- most notably, the drive topped the charts with 2MB sequential performances at around 260MB/s (which is "virtually bound by 3Gbps SATA"), as well as a 50.9MB/s 4KB random write rate. SandForce dubs the magic behind these results DuraWrite, which is likened to real-time compression on the drive thus saving a significant number of write cycles. No prices announced yet, but hey, do we even care any more?
Super Talent intros a sub-$300, 128GB solid-state drive -- things will never be the same
If you've been waiting for SSD prices to drop to reasonable ranges -- now may be the time to put the credit card down. Super Talent has begun selling its 128GB, 2.5-inch, SATA II "MasterDrive LX" for the shocking affordable price of $299, which works out to about $2.49 per gigabyte. If that still puts of pinch on your pocketbook (and what doesn't right now?), then perhaps you can be enticed by the company's 64GB offering, which clocks in at a fairly doable $179. With prices this low, you barely have a defense against purchase... unless, you know... you don't have the money. Then we totally understand.[Via jkOnTheRun]
SSD-maker responds to nasty report, says it'll do better next time
If you were shaken to your very core at the recent report that SSDs may not be as power-friendly as you'd been led to believe, drive-maker STEC wants to talk you down from the ledge. According to the company's Patrick Wilkison, the Tom's Hardware article which benchmarked (and gave failing grades) to power-consumption of the non-mechanical drives was flawed because, "They are using legacy drives, none of which will be used by any major PC OEM." According to Patrick (whose job, you might note, is to sell SSDs), new versions of the drives will / do have intelligent power management which circumvents the issues that report shed light on. Wilkison goes on to say that, "Drives will need to have very intelligent power management systems. Some of these SSDs will have them, and those (that) do not have such power intelligence will not be used (by PC makers)." So it's sort of like saying a car you buy in the future will get better gas mileage than the one you own now, provided the automaker cares about fuel efficiency. Small solace, we'd say.Update: We've gotten a statement from Micron concerning the report -- you can check it out after the break.
SSDs save battery power, right? Wrong.
If you just shelled out some pretty pennies for the a high-speed, low-power SSD, Tom's Hardware may have stumbled onto some findings that won't sit well. According to a rigorous benchmarking session, they discovered that not only do the drives not save you battery power... they eat more of it. How is this possible you ask? Well mechanical drives only hit peak drainage when the actuator has to move the heads, whereas SSDs use full power whenever they're in use, so the end result is actually a diminished efficiency. What that means is that the hype over "green" drives may be just that: pure hype. On the other hand, you're still getting a drive with no moving parts, which at least makes your data more secure, if not more eco-friendly.[Via Eeeuser; Thanks, Tony]
BiTMICRO introduces 832GB SSD for CES 2008
The folks at BiTMICRO are about to blow some doors off of the SSD truck with a new product they'll be showing at CES this year. According to a press release, the company is introducing a new, 2.5-inch solid-state drive with a whopping 832GB of NAND flash goodness. The SATA II (3Gbps) drive is a new addition to the company's E-Disk Altima line, and utilizes a technology the company calls multi-level cell (or MLC) memory, which apparently doubles the number of bits stored per memory cell when compared with single-level cell (SLC) NAND. The drives are expected to ship Q3 2008 in capacities ranging from 32GB to 832GB -- and you can be sure we'll be staring intently at them (and asking for demo units) as soon as CES rolls around.[Via Macrumors forums]
