A 256 GB MLC from Toshiba   Posted on 29/09/2008 at 15:44 by Marc - source: Toshiba

	Toshiba has just announced that it will be unveiling a new 256 GB SSD. Using MLC Flash chips, this 2.5" SSD is stated as having a read speed of 120 MB/s and a write speed of 70 MB/s, which is nothing special in terms of what is now available on SSDs. The first THNS256GE8BC samples are tabled for this month and mass production will begin in the last quarter. No prices have been given yet, but seeing that the price of MLC memory was halved during the summer, it ought to be “reasonable”. An 8GB MLC chip is currently priced between $13 and $14, around half the price of a 2GB SLC chip!

3rd gen SSD from SuperTalent   Posted on 17/09/2008 at 11:27 by Marc

	Yesterday SuperTalent announced the arrival of its new generation of SSD, the 3rd SATA. The MasterDrive PX with SLC memory has stated speeds of 170 MB and 130 MB, for the 16, 32 and 64 GB drives. The MasterDrive OX with MLC is at 150 and 100 MB for 16, 32, 64 and 128 GB drives. These performances are facilitated by a new controller, for which no information is given. The MasterDrive OX is being marketed at $419 for the 128 GB version, which goes to show that the rapid fall in the price of SSDs is well underway!

400 and 500 GB on 2.5” from WD   Posted on 16/09/2008 at 08:39 by Marc

	Western Digital has put two new 2.5” drives on the market, at 400 and 500 GB. The WD Scorpio Blue at 5400 rpm has an SATA 3GB/s interface and comes in at a recommended retail price of $190 for the 400 GB version. Where the Western steals a march on, say, a Travelstar 5K500, is with its second platter, with up to 250 GB per platter. With this sort of density, it won’t be long before 500 GB 3.5” drives start to appear on the market!

IDF 2008: Intel unveils its SSDs   Posted on 20/08/2008 at 18:32 by Damien

	It’s probably the most important product announcement of this IDF: Intel’s SSDs. The company is taking advantage of flash memory production capacities to enter a market that is currently exploding. Several products were announced based on NAND ONFI 1.0 chips and an SATA 2.6 3 Gb/s interface. The first versions, called the X25-E Extreme, involve the performance line that is based on SLC version flash chips with 10 channels in parallel. This enables sequential speeds of 250 MB/s in reading and 170 MB/s in writing with an access time of 75 µs. This product line is also optimized for a server type use and capable of very high performances when there is a high level of iops. The X25-E will be available in 32 GB versions before the end of the year and a 64 GB version in early 2009. The second line, the X25-M and X18-M, differ in their format (2.5" or 1.8"), will be based on MLC chips and have lower performances in writing. Thus, while reading speed will remain at 250 MB/s, it drops to 70 MB/s in writing. Otherwise, access time slightly increases to 85 µs although this adds very little. They will be available in 80 GB versions starting in September and in 160 GB in early 2009. As for the reliability of these SSDs, Intel speaks of the different technology put into place in order to improve reliability and longevity and announces an MTBF of 2 million hours for the X25-E and 1.2 million for the X25-M and X18-M. No figures were given in terms of the number of writing cycles.

Product review: WD VelociRaptor   Posted on 07/08/2008 at 17:01 by Marc

	With the VelociRaptor, Western is offering its 4th generation of 10.000 rpm SATA drives. How does it fare compared to its predecessors as well as the current stars, the 640 GB Samsung and Western? > Product review: The Western Digital VelociRaptor