solid state drive
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Samsung comes clean with self-encrypting SSDs
It seems that Dell jumped the gun a wee bit by shedding some light on Samsung's forthcoming self-encrypting SSDs, but now Sammy is providing us with all the missing details... er, most of them, anyway. In conjunction with Wave Systems, Samsung is launching what it calls an industry first with its new line of solid state drives. Said devices are able to automatically encrypt information as it's saved to the drive, and they each come bundled with Wave's EMBASSY management software. At least initially, these super secure SSDs will ship in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB flavors, and while we're told that the whole lot is available now "through at least one major OEM," there's no specific mention of price. Shocker, we know. The full release is after the break.
Dell adding Samsung's encrypted SSDs to its arsenal
Dell's been doing both solid state and encrypted drives for some time now, but only now is the company combining both efforts and preparing to offer encrypted SSDs in the coming months. The Samsung-manufactured drives will come in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB options, and though the hardware encryption method isn't specified, we'd venture a guess it'll have something to do with Trusted Computer Group's 128-bit standards adopted by Sammy and virtually every other drive maker back in January. No word just yet on how much they'll cost, but if current prices are any indication, it won't come cheap.
Intel issues firmware update for ailing X18-M and X25-M SSDs
Wait, what's this? Intel admitting that its X18-M and X25-M SSDs do actually have the potential to slow after extended use? After the company flat out denied allegations brought forth by PC Perspective earlier this year, it has now quietly pushed out a v1.1 update for the 80GB and 160GB versions of the aforementioned devices. All we're told is that it brings along "several continuous improvement optimizations intended to provide the best possible user experience," but there's absolutely no denying what it's really aiming to fix. Intel still maintains that the likelihood of users experiencing any long-term issues are next to nothing, but we'd suggest applying the update just in case. Wouldn't want to be missing out on any lightning fast read / write rates, now would you?[Via HotHardware]Read - Intel firmware updateRead - Updated firmware review
SandForce breaks into SSD market with speedy SF-1000 processors
With SSD prices still well above the point of affordability, we're thrilled to see more entrants joining the burgeoning market. Big players like Western Digital and Corsair are being greeted by small timers such as PhotoFast, Fusion-io and SandForce, the latter of which has just escaped "stealth mode" in order to launch its first solid state drive processor family. The chips utilize DuraClass technology and promise to address "key NAND flash issues allowing MLC flash technologies to be reliably used in broad based, mission critical storage environments." More germane to our discussion is the nice boost in transfer rates and lower cost of production; we're told that the SF-1000 crew sports a standard 3 gigabit-per-second SATA host interface connecting up to 512 gigabytes of commodity NAND flash memory, and that it delivers 30,000 IOPS and 250MB/s performance (sequential 128KB read or write transfers) with 100 micro-second latency. If all goes well, select OEMs will be launching SSDs based on this processor later this year, so we'll definitely be keeping our eyes peeled.[Via GadgetMix, thanks Kamal]
Super Talent ships $1,500 2.5-inch MasterDrive RX 512GB SSD
Just a year ago, Toshiba was dreaming of 512GB SSDs while simultaneously trying to figure out why in the world HD DVD became such a dumpster fire. Fast forward to today, and you can own one of these mythical masterpieces (albeit with a Super Talent logo) if you don't mind parting with $1,499.99. Starting this very moment, the company's most capacious MasterDrive RX device yet is ready to rumble, bringing with it loads of MLC NAND flash, 230MB/sec read rates and 200MB/sec write rates. Suddenly, that forthcoming Z Drive doesn't look so outrageously priced, huh?[Via HotHardware]
Inductive coupling slashes SSD power consumption
While HDD vendors are still pushing areal density limits, SSD manufacturers seem to be kicking back and soaking in the profits associated with a cutting edge technology. Unsatisfied with the lack of innovation in the space, a team from Keio University has developed an inductive coupling wireless communication technology, which is used within a solid state drive composed of "three-dimensionally layered 64 NAND flash memory chips." The development is being highlighted at ISSCC 2009, and it's bruited that drives constructed using this tech can operate with 50 percent less power compared to traditional SSDs. Additionally, the wireless communication that goes on enables the amount of wires within to be cut down significantly (from 1,500 to 200 in one example). We can only imagine that those involved with the process are pushing hard to get it implemented by SSD makers, and while we're still looking for overall prices to drop before we start focusing on anything else, we'll certainly take a performance boost (and energy savings) while they're at it.[Via HotHardware]
Intel 80GB SSD price cut by one-third, still very expensive
Looks like Intel is giving some of its SSDs a more reasonable -- yet still very exorbitant -- price tag. The company has slashed the 2.5-inch 80GB X25-M from $595 in September to now $390. While a 34 percent cut is nothing to scoff at, that's still $90 more expensive than Western Digital's 2TB spinner, which offers 25 times the capacity. The company also recently discounted its 160GB variant 19 percent, from $945 to $765. No reason was given for the markdown, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the economy isn't looking too kindly on solid state's dollar-to-data ratio.
Corsair joins SSD party with 2.5-inch 128GB drive
Corsair is entering the solid-state market with a 2.5-inch 128GB SSD. The MLC NAND-based drive boasts rather moderate 90MB/sec read and 70MB/sec write speeds. At £326 / $449, it's priced on par with OCZ's offerings, but you're still paying a hefty premium to say goodbye to hard disks. No word yet on availability. The company promises more SSDs are in the pipeline.
Will a solid-state drive speed up the PS3?
Tired of those slow installs the PS3 is so famous (or infamous) for? The guys over at ExtremeTech came up with a solution that will partially solve that problem, albeit at a heavy price. They replaced their 60GB PS3's hard drive with one of Intel's 80GB X25-M solid-state drives. The retail price for one of those babies is $598 ... about the same price as a launch PS3, and 50% more than the current 80GB SKU.Unfortunately, the results were a bit of a letdown. Installs off a Blu-ray disc were as slow as ever, due to the the limitations of Blu-ray drive speed. Downloadable titles and demos, however, were a different story. Installation speeds of that variety received a significant speed boost, about 40% faster. Startup and load times for games became 25-40% faster.So is it worth it? Probably not at 600 clams. Swapping out the PS3's hard drive is relatively easy though, so it might be something cool to do if you've got the cash to burn.[Via Engadget]
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]
The ASUS Eee PC 1000 shows up for pre-order at Amazon
If you've been tearing your hair out, pacing wildly around the room, and sweating bullets over the availability of the ASUS Eee PC 1000 (and we know you have), you'll be pleased to know that the grown-up sized version of the company's mini-laptop is now available for pre-order on Amazon. The site doesn't provide specific release dates for the systems (the $699.99, 40GB SSD equipped 1000, and the $649.99, 80GB HDD equipped 1000H), though we're figuring it can't be too long till these models hit shipping centers. In the meantime, we recommend going for long jogs.Read - ASUS Eee PC 1000 40GRead - ASUS Eee PC 1000H 80G[Via I4UNews]
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]
OCZ reveals Core Series SATA II 2.5 SSDs: 128GB for $479
¡Aye carumba! OCZ Technology just made us do a double take this morning with the introduction of its all new Core Series SATA II 2.5 SSDs. Hailed as the "world's first truly affordable high-performance SSD for consumers," these drives check in at $169 (32GB), $259 (64GB) and $479 (128GB), which -- as you undoubtedly recognize -- are amazing price points. Each unit utilizes NAND flash technology, possesses a 1.5-million hour mean time before failure and delivers 120 - 143Mbps read / 80 - 93Mbps write speeds. The sub-0.35ms seek times are also worthy of a tip of the hat, and the low power consumption just makes things unnecessarily sweeter. OCZ doesn't mention a definitive ship date, but we're hoping that "available" mention means "right now."[Via Electronista]
SSD Upgrades for MacBook / MacBook Pro
MacBook / MacBook Pro owners, are you suffering from SSD envy?There's no need to fret, since ExperCom has just announced immediate availability of SSD upgrades for your favorite Apple laptops. If you already own a MacBook or MacBook Pro, you can send it to ExperCom's Logan, Utah office and have your hard drive replaced with a 60GB ($599) or 120GB ($899) SSD. ExperCom moves your data to the SSD so your MacBook is ready to roll when it is back in your hands, and returns the old HD to you for use as a Time Machine drive (enclosure not included). If you've been thinking about purchasing a new MacBook Pro or MacBook, ExperCom is selling those laptops pre-configured with SSDs. A 15" MacBook Pro with the 2.4 GHz processor and a 120GB SSD is $2649, compared to $1999 for a stock Apple MBP with a standard 200GB hard drive. Want a white MacBook with a 2.2 GHz CPU and a 60GB SSD? It's yours for $1649, $550 over the price of a white MacBook with a 120GB HD.Since the SSD upgrades are not covered by Apple's warranty, ExperCom provides service or can re-install the old drive prior to Apple service.Thanks to Eric Hancock for the tip!
Greenhouse claims its DH-SSDGD SSD drive is 'industry's fastest'
When it comes to drives, it's all about space and speed. That's why we were happy to see that Greenhouse is boasting that the DH-SSDGS series is the "industry's fastest" -- sure, we can't verify that claim, but at least they're trying to get our attention. Regardless, the new drives read at up to 130MB/s with write speeds of 67MB/s, with capacities that range from 16GB up to 128GB. Drive size is a standard 2.5-inches, with a 9.5mm height. Greenhouse says the SATA-compatible boxes will be available in late May (in Japan at least), no word on pricing.[Via Impress]
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]
Battleship Mtron: the absurdly fast SSD RAID array
Listen, we know you think your RAID setup is pretty snazzy, and, truth be told, it probably makes our rig look silly by comparison. However, in the computer world, there's always someone out there with a bigger, nastier system -- and we've just spotted one of the nastiest of them all. Next Level Hardware is a site that specializes in putting outrageous setups to the test, and this time they haven't disappointed with their benchmarks on the Mtron 16GB SSD (reportedly the fastest SATA drive in the world). Oh, did we mention the test was on a RAID 0 array of nine drives? Dubbed the "Battleship Mtron," the sickening collection of hardware blazed past the competition (a WD Raptor, less stacked Mtron RAID setups), delivering mind-boggling data swaps like copying a 1GB folder in four seconds. You read that right: four seconds. Like where this is headed? Truck over to the test page and peep all the stats... seriously, it's upsetting.[Thanks, David]
SiliconDrive USB Blade gets tiny for embedded storage applications
Cramming 2GB of storage space into a device no larger than a standard postage stamp isn't exactly unheard of, but SiliconSystems has done just that with its new SiliconDrive USB Blade. Hailed as the "industry's first ultra-small solid state drive for embedded storage applications," this wee device feels most at home when shoved into incredibly tight quarters on any flavor of PCB. Additionally, the USB 2.0-compliant device is designed to handle shock, vibrations and extreme temperatures, and it features read / write rates of 10MB/sec. The firm plans on releasing these in 512MB and 1GB flavors as well, and while we've no idea when to expect 'em on store shelves, evaluation units and host developer tool kits should be available in December.[Via SlashGear]
Alienware adds 64GB SSD option to ALX desktops
Alienware has already brought some 64GB SSD drives to its laptops, and it's now giving some of its desktops the same solid state treatment as well, with both the AMD-based Aurora ALX and Intel-based Area-51 ALX available with the speedy, and pricey new option. What's more, apparently sensing that its customers wouldn't be satisfied with a mere 64GB, it seems that Alienware is only offering the drives in dual RAID 0 configurations, giving you a total of 128GB and an extra $1,700 on top of the already multi-thousand dollar price tag.
