SSD
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Micron reveals RealSSD lineup of 32GB / 64GB SSDs
Check it -- we've got a new entrant in the ever-expanding solid state disc market, and it goes by the name Micron. The firm's first SSD lineup (dubbed RealSSD) will feature a native SATA II interface, a rugged, lightweight plastic casing, and suck down less than two-watts of power while active. Furthermore, the units will come in both 1.8- and 2.5-inch iterations, with a 32GB and 64GB flavor to be available in each size. The newly launched family is expected to slip into mass production in Q1 of next year, and on a related note, the 1GB to 8GB RealSSD Embedded USB range -- which is slated to ship en masse next month -- was also introduced. We know, you've hung around this long just to get the low down on pricing, but unfortunately, Micron has yet to dole out that oh-so-crucial information.
Samsung's 64GB SSD: better, faster, stronger
We've been fooling around with Samsung's 64GB SSD for the past couple of days and guess what, it turns out the thing is both completely silent and really fast. Who knew? Without getting all chartngraph up in this piece, we pitted it against a couple of stock Seagate Momentus 5400RPM SATA 2.5-inch laptop drives and see what happened. Here's the high-level overview: Results with h2benchw were a bit inconclusive in read/write tests: sequential reads and writes were mostly neck and neck between flash and spindle, but it's important to remember that h2benchw isn't as "real world" since it does all its testing across completely blank, unpartitioned disks. Seek times were definitely spot where the flash drive pulled way ahead; average random access read was 20-33x faster at 0.9ms; large random writes, however, were about 4x slower. (This is no surprise, as Samsung does expect SSD drives to perform slower than platter disks in random write scenarios.) Once we switched over from cleanroom drive tests to formatted drives running operating systems, though, the FlashSSD started to mop the floor with its platter-based counterpart. In Xbench it doubled sequential and random uncached read and write speeds over the platter drive in most cases, topping out at about 52MBps read / 32MBps write. Boot speeds saw plenty of gain: even with a few startup apps and extra services installed we saw cold boot times drop from about 1:45 to under 30 seconds. In fact, we had to redo the first test because we looked away for a moment and it had already finished booting. That's a good thing. Real world read/write showed the flash drive almost on par, but usually a bit slower; testing with a 2.75GB file it took slightly longer to copy to the flash drive than the platter (3:07 to 3:00), and a fair bit longer when copying that same file from each drive to itself (3:20 to 3:46). We don't have a good baseline to run power tests and don't want to put out any misleading figures, but Samsung claims you'll eke out 10-15% more system time on battery. That actually sounds a little low to us since platter drives suck a lot of juice, but your mileage may vary. It's obviously completely quiet. In fact, it actually kind of freaked us out that we could no longer tell the drive was grinding away during heavy read/write sessions. This is something that will take some getting used to. So is paying about a grand worth it to you for a drive that effectively cuts your laptop's storage in half, but also boosts read, seek, and boot speeds, saves power on the go, and is completely silent? We have a feeling that until it's 128GB, costs just a couple hundred dollars, and is available for purchase to end users as a part (instead of an upgrade in a new machine) most people won't jump. But look at us -- it's doubtful we could be much more stoked to ditch our primitive spinning-platter drive for a svelte all-flash lappie.
Samsung's 64GB SATA II SSD drive hands-on
Sweet merciful god of gadgets, we just snagged one of Samsung's new 64GB SATA II SSD drives, fresh from the NAND oven. If the prospect of gifting your laptop a ridiculously fast, low power hard drive free of moving parts (read: the thing that causes drives to fail) and with a two million hour MTBF doesn't catch your fancy, you should probably stop reading right now: we're unashamed to say SSDs make us swoon. Unfortunately we've yet to slap this slab of flash into a real computer and do some testing, but you can expect to see some more coverage there in short order. Those that don't want to wait can snag their own as we speak, but Samsung isn't selling to end users, so you have to snag a full machine from an OEM (like Dell's M1330, for example) and take a $950+ hit to get it. More shots of this sucker below.%Gallery-9955%
Samsung announces 64GB SATA II drives in 2.5, 1.8-inch varieties
All familiar things: Samsung, SSD flash drives, SATA II, 2.5 and 1.8-inch sizes (read: laptop and portable media device sizes, respectively), 100MBps write / 120MBps read, up to 64GB (again). Not that they stated prices, but we're not even asking.[Via Akihabara News]
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.
Hitachi's new SSD withstands lots of overwrites
Those who live for nothing more than to cram their SSD to the brim with useless data, only to mass delete the bulk of it, rinse, and repeat, we've found the perfect drive for you. Hitachi ULSI Systems Co., a subsidiary of Hitachi, has reportedly "developed a solid state disk on which data can be overwritten 100 times more than is possible on a conventional product of that type." On the device, "data predicted to have a high overwrite frequency is stored on the DRAM and not sent to the flash memory, while information with low overwrite frequency is stored on the flash." Consequently, "overwrite frequency on the flash portion" is substantially less than that of traditional alternatives. According to the company, it will start shipping out samples next month, but there's no mention of a commercial launch date. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
HP to add SSD options to business-minded laptops
We know that when it comes to a company like HP, you cats hang on its every word, waiting for a juicy tidbit of information, quietly hoping to be privy to another life-altering, ingenious decision. Well listen up folks, because we've got news. According to a report today, HP will be begin offering solid-state drives as an option for all of its professional series laptops, including the HP Compaq 2710p, 2510p, 6910p, and 8000 lines. The company's first NAND flash offering will be a whopping 64GB SSD, adding about $1000 in additional cost to the systems, though the company expects the prices to drop as solid-state proliferation increases. In all seriousness, HP isn't always on the cutting edge, but this is a smart decision, which -- luckily for us -- seems to be cropping up all over the map.
BiTMICRO crams 416GB of SSD into 2.5-inch IDE HDD
Oh sweet, sweet SSD. BiTMICRO clearly shares our love for that speedy, stable and battery-friendly form of storage, and is letting the world know with its new 416GB 2.5-inch SSD drive, which as far as we can tell is the largest amount of flash memory yet to be crammed into that form factor. Dubbed the E-Disk Altima ATA-133, the line starts out at 4GB for the spendthrifts out there, but ramps up to 416GB for some indeterminate and undoubtedly large price. They should be shipping by March of next year.
Alienware offers up dual 64GB SSD Area-51 m9750
You've got to stay on the bleeding edge of component offerings when you're trying to charge the prices that Alienware does, so it's no surprise that the Dell subsidiary is the self-proclaimed first manufacturer on the market to stuff dual 64GB solid state disks into a consumer PC. Of course, you'll be paying out the nose to add 128GB of un-RAIDed SSD goodness to an Area-51 m9750 gaming notebook -- just about $2,000, nearly doubling the machine's base price. Those feeling a little "stingier" or perhaps requiring more storage space can also opt for a 64GB SSD / 200GB 7,200RPM HDD combo as well, which only tacks another $1,400 onto an entry-level rig. Still, despite the steep cost, we're sure that there are more than a few folks out there who can't put a price on having the fastest read times in their guild.
InnoDisk's 32GB Flash Disk ExpressCard also does USB 2.0
Neither 32GB USB keys nor 32GB SSD ExpressCards are anything new, but wedding the two ideas into a swank dual interface drive is a commendable twist. Notably, InnoDisk has done just that, as its 32GB Flash Disk plays nice with both ExpressCard slots and USB 2.0, touts a read speed of around 30M/S, a write speed of 20M/S, and also arrives in a few smaller capacities for those not needing all 32 gigs. Unfortunately, there's no word on price at the moment, but we'll keep our eyes peeled.
OQO Model 02 lowers price, bumps specs, adds SSD and new CEO
A bit of news from camp OQO today: the Model 02 is getting some upgrades, including a 32GB SSD or 120GB spinning disk option, new CPUs up to 1.6GHz, and upgraded WWAN with EV-DO Rev. A from Verizon and Sprint, with the base model also dropping to $1,299. In related news, OQO's got a new CEO on the scene, Dennis Moore, formerly of SAP. That's nice, but you know we're all about the gear, and a reduced price OQO with an SSD option and Rev. A is just what the doctor ordered.
Mtron kicks out 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB SSD drives
It's one thing to toot your own horn, but it looks like Mtron has gone a bit overboard with this one. Apparently, the company firmly believes that its new SSD lineup is faster than anything similar on the planet, but in all honestly, it's not. Nevertheless, the firm is hyping up its new 16GB, 32GB and 64GB solid state discs, claiming that the read speed of 120MB/s and write speed of 90MB/s trumps that of "other SSD" drives. 'Course, it must not be counting those SLC NAND flash-based iterations (like the Simpletech ZeusIOPS) as true competitors, and until we see unbiased benchmarks to prove these claims, we're ain't buyin'.[Via DailyTech]
Seagate makes plans for an SSD future
In a move which we all hope will be a sign of things to come, Seagate -- prominent mechanical drive-maker -- has voiced its intentions to enter the SSD game in the near future. According to Bill Watkins, the company's chief executive, the drive manufacturer will be getting into the solid-state market sometime next year, beginning with some form of enterprise solution. "We have solid-state drives on every road map that we have," Watkins said, though Seagate sold off the 40 percent stake it held in SanDisk, a chipmaker which now has almost the same market value as the drive company. Watkins was tight-lipped about exactly what kind of products the company will offer, though he did hint at a "hybrid" which uses both chips and disks to store data. It was only a matter of time till the drive makers started feeling heat from the SSD and flash markets -- hopefully this will help bring prices down to reasonable levels.
Kohjinsha's UMPC gets a taste of SSD
Kohjinsha's UMPC/convertible tablet (and its various incarnations) has already been pretty well received since its release, but the company looks to be sweetening the deal even further, with it now set to offer the diminutive device with some solid state storage in place of the standard hard drive. From the looks of it, a 32GB SSD drive will be your only option on the solid state front, with the other specs remaining the same as before. That includes a 7-inch 1024x600 display, an Intel A100 processor, 1GB of RAM, an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, and built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. No word on price just yet, but it'll apparently be available for pre-order tomorrow.
SSD shootout: pricey HDD replacements do battle
Considering that solid state discs -- although still noticeably more expensive that traditional HDDs -- are quickly plummeting in price, it's about time a brief roundup was executed in order to pinpoint which SSD was best for you. Granted, CustomPC's evaluation only included a handful of options, but the in-depth testing process found a few glaring losers and even fewer runaway winners. As expected, reviewers used a number of read / write testing applications to judge the speed differences and real-world performance increases on seven SSDs ranging from 8GB to 32GB in size. Coming out on top was Samsung's 32GB drive, which proved both "quick and silent" in their testing; however, the 18GB STEC Zeus-IOPS proved the hands-down winner in terms of sheer speed. 'Course, we highly doubt many of you will be snagging the latter after witnessing its £7,050 ($14,461) pricetag, but a number of slightly slower performers including PQI's Turbo Plus 2.5 could very well provide the boost you desire without (totally) breaking the bank.
Alienware offers SSD for the m9750, m9700, and m5550
Alienware, certainly no stranger to the high-end spec game, has further upped the ante with a recent announcement touting SSD options for three of its laptops -- the Area-51 m9750, m550, and the Aurora m9700. The gamer-centric PC manufacturer is now making the solid-state choice available as a single 32GB SSD, or a 64GB SSD RAID 0 dual configuration. In addition, the 32GB option can be coupled with a 200GB hard drive for added secondary storage. The new drives should increase battery life for the power-hungry laptops, while running faster and stabilizing your extra-important game saves and frag videos. The drives are available now, running in price from $500 for the 32GB single option, to $920 for the RAID set-up.
Buffalo intros the 56GB SHD-UH external SSD
Japanese peripheral manufacturer Buffalo has cooked up a storage option you might want to crack open your wallet for: a whopping 56GB SSD in a thin, external form factor that's just shy of credit card-size. Of course, it's not nearly the mind-blowing capacity of PQI's monster, but for an external SSD, they don't get much bigger. Sure, it's priced at ¥94,980 (around $783), which isn't exactly cheap, but if this trend continues these prices are bound to drop -- and just think of the possibilities of never having to hear a drive mechanism failing again. 8GB, 16GB, and 24GB models available late July, but the 56GB variation hasn't been given a release date yet.[Via Akihabara News]
Hands-on with Sony's VAIO TZ superultraportable notebook
Obviously unaware that we're not exactly the classiest folks around (we were the only ones there wearing shorts and a T-shirt), Sony invited us to a decidedly swanky "product unveiling" at Rockefeller Plaza's 66th floor Top of the Rock observation deck, replete with such pricey fare as caviar, salmon canapes, crab salad, tuna tartare, and grilled shrimp, along with four varieties of champagne (from a 2000 Veuve Clicquot Reserve Rose to a 1996 Bollinger R.D., if you must know) to wash it all down with -- and as if that weren't enough booze, several bottles of well-aged scotch sat prominently atop a fully stocked bar. This whole luxury theme was meant to sway our coverage about reflect the high-end status of the company's 11.1-inch VAIO TZ, whose $2,200 minimum price tag gets you a waif of a Santa Rosa-based ultraportable featuring a carbon fiber exterior, 32GB SSD, WWAN in the form of EV-DO Rev. A, and a MacBook-style keyboard, among other goodies. Sorry to cut this short, but we're off to shower and shave with the pleasant smelling men's products that Sony stuffed in our gift bag (we gave everything else -- cigars, lip balm, four dollar bottled water, book on wine -- away to elevator operators and people on the subway), so this would probably be a good time to check out the gallery below. And, as a special, one-time only bonus, we've also included photos of the recently announced VAIO-branded LF-V30 LocationFree streamer, whose component jacks enable HD place-shifting, and with which the entire VAIO lineup will soon be compatible thanks to pre-loaded software... %Gallery-4973%
Transcend debuts 32GB SSD ExpressCard
You may "remember" recently that memory manufacturer Transcend busted out a 16GB ExpressCard for your flash-storin', no-moving-parts-havin' delight. Well, the gang is back, and this time they're packing 32GB of solid-state action and a serious "can do" attitude (note: the solid-state action is real, but we're just assuming they have a "can do" attitude). For $509 (according to the company's website), you can put your mind at ease by doing things like storing your OS and apps in one large, happy, non-volatile spot. The Vista compatible drive comes with a USB adaptor, for those not EC ready, and is available now.[Via PCLaunches]
Toshiba's 12.1-inch Dynabook SS RX1: 11-hours with 64GB SSD
Toshiba is showing off their 12.1-inch Dynabook SS RX1 this morning with specs aiming to please. According to Akihabara News, the store front model (read: not available on-line) can be configured with a 64GB SSD, a first if true but not a surprise. Configurable with a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo U7600 proc, up to 2GB of memory and 11-hour battery. All this in a 19.5~25.5-mm sled. On sale in Japan starting today for about ¥279,800 or $2,284 well equipped but without the SSD.[Via Akihabara News]
