Gadget Advisor » Solid State Drive

SanDisk ExtremeFFS Significantly Improves SSD Performance

Gadget Advisor — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:43:51 +0000

Recently memory giant SanDisk unveiled a method that can be used to achieve a drastic improvement in reliability and performance for SSDs by using an advanced flash file system created solely for solid state drives, called ExtremeFFS. ExtremeFFS is a next generation, patented flash management system. With the capability of accelerating random write speeds up to 100x in existing systems, Extreme FFS will feature in SanDisk’s products in 2009. ExtremeFFS incorporates a non-blocking architecture in which all the NAND channels behave independently, enabling some to write, while others read and collect garbage. ExtremeFFS also offers intelligent learning for user patterns, and localizes data to maximize the products endurance and performance.

Solid state drives do not have any moving components, and since their predecessors (hard drives) speed is measured in revolutions per minute, they needed a way to gauge the speed of an SSD. This fueled the creation of vRPM, virtual RPM. vRPM accurately and easily allows customers/consumers to compare SSDs to HDDs when used in PCs. It has been predicted that SSD net performance next year will be more than four times faster than current solid state drives and almost six times faster than the latest 2.5" HDDs.

In addition to virtual RPM, SanDisk also announced LDE, or Long-Term Data Endurance. LDE simplifies endurance as a useful number, which would be the first actual metric data of long term endurance. You can compare it to measuring tread wear on a tire. LDE represents the total amount of data writes allowed in the lifespan of a SSD. SanDisk believes other companies should take note and follow suit.

When it comes to LDE’s impact on SSD adoption, Greg Wong of Forward Insights said: "LDE provides OEMs a simple way to compare SSDs and determine, based on application usage patterns, which drives are suitable for a particular application. The beauty of LDE," he added, "is that it captures endurance in one single, understandable figure. A common metric is necessary to facilitate SSD adoption moving forward."

Transcend SATA-II 2.5″ SSD

Gadget Advisor — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:58:06 +0000

Transcend recently released a 128GB MLC solid state drive (SSD). The Transcend drives offer 145MB/s read and 92MB/s write performance (sustained), which guarantees faster file transfers whether you’re working with a 1GB or 100GB file size. While these speeds are a mile ahead of current standard 2.5" hard drives and very good compared to other MLC SSDs, the Transcend SSDs do not match the performance of the leading SLC SSDs, such as Intel’s X25-E Extreme SSD.

Because of the new rapid transfer rates and insubstantial latency, games and other software applications open faster and run effortlessly, which improves overall system performance. This SSD uses the industry-standard SATA-II interface and a 2.5" form factor, which permits easy and direct user installation into the majority of mainstream notebook computers and PCs like other regular hard drives.

Transcend’s 128GB SSDs integrate error correction code or ECC to raise system integrity and help ensure highly reliable data transfers. Like most other SSDs, the Transcend drives also feature a built-in wear leveling technology that helps to guarantee a long storage lifespan and data-retention durability for persistent use. You can purchase the Transcends 2.5" solid state drives in capacities anywhere from 8GB to 128GB in SATA-II and IDE versions. All of these SSD hard drives come with global support and a two year warranty.

Fujitsu LifeBook N7010 Notebook Featuring an Integrated Secondary Touchscreen Display

Gadget Advisor — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:12:38 +0000

Fujitsu today released the first notebook PC that includes a secondary touchscreen display. The 4-inch touchscreen is embedded above the desktop replacement machine’s keyboard. It can be used to control media or launch applications without accessing the main screen. The 16-inch notebook uses Intel’s Centrino 2 processor technology (dual-core Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 Ultra Low Voltage processor). The LifeBook N7010 offers a removable dust-filter, spill-resistant keyboard, and shock mounted hard drive, as well as up to 6.15 hours of battery life.

Full Specifications:

Intel Centrino 2 Technology
Intel Core 2 Duo SU9300 Ultra Low Voltage Processor
4GB of RAM
Optional SSD (Solid State Drive)
Integrated eSata Port
Gesture-enabled Touchpad for Convenient Navigation, Zooming, and Panning
Blu-ray optical Drive
16" Wide-Aspect Crystal View Display
ATI Radeon HD 3470 Graphics with 256MB GDDR3 Dedicated Graphics Memory
Integrated 1.3MP Webcam
Built-in 802.11a/g/n Wi-Fi Wireless and Bluetooth
HDMI Port
Removable Dust Filter
Spill-resistant Keyboard
Microsoft Windows Vista Operating System

The Fujitsu LifeBook N7010 will be available on 10th November for $1,499.

Samsung 25GB and 50GB Enterprise SSDs

Gadget Advisor — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:37:08 +0000

Samsung has started mass-production of 2.5" 25GB and 50GB SSDs for the enterprise segment. The drives are built using single-level-cell NAND flash technology (consumer-based SSDs are generally constructed using multi-level-cell NAND because it is cheaper, but also less durable). The new drives offer 100MB/s sequential read and 80MB/s sequential write speeds, consuming only 1.5W while operating and 0.3W idle. While the Samsung solid state drives offer improved capacity for SLC and maintain a 100 times greater input/output operations per second (IOPS) lead over typical 2.5" 15,000-RPM hard drives, the performance does not come close to that provided by the Intel X25-E Extreme SSDs.

HP Mini 1000 Netbook

Gadget Advisor — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:02:11 +0000

The netbook market is growing at an incredible pace. It seems that every manufacturer is releasing a netbook option. The HP Mini 1000 stands out as one of the best netbook options due its 92% of full size keyboard, screen options, and storage configurations.

The piano black, 2.23lbs netbook features two USB ports, Wi-Fi, bluetooth, 3G broadband, a choice of 10.2-inch or 8.9-inch LED backlit, flush glass screen (both offer a 1024×600 resolution), and SSD and HDD storage options.

HP’s Mini 1000 can be configured with Windows XP or Linux. All configurations use the Intel Atom N270 CPU, and the system can be customized with 512MB or 1GB of RAM. Graphics support is handled through the Intel GMA 950 onboard video.

8GB and 16GB SSD storage capacities are available or a 60GB (4200 RPM) PATA hard drive can be selected. The default battery is a 3-cell lithium polymer. The base configuration for the Mini 1000 is $399.99.

Super Talent MasterDrive Third Generation SSDs

Gadget Advisor — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:21:11 +0000

The Super Talent MasterDrive OX SSD features a new multi-channel SATA-II interface that offers enhanced read and write performance. The 2.5" drives use multi-level cell (MLC) memory, and provide speeds up to 150MB/s read and 100MB/s write. Available capacities include 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, and prices range from $149 to $419.

The update for the Super Talent single-level cell (SLC) PX series SSDs are available in capacities of 32GB or 64GB, and priced at $499 and $849, respectively. The drives boast 170MB/sec read and 130MB/sec write performance.

Fusion-io ioDrive Available

Gadget Advisor — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:17:35 +0000

The ioDrive from Fusion-io was announced quite some time back, with specifications and information on the product. However, Windows drivers were not available until recently, and the product was not readily available for purchase until today. DVNation has become the Internet’s exclusive distributor for the ioDrive. The product itself is massively impressive. ioDrive boasts 800MB/S read and 680MB/S write performance, with 120,000 IOPS and a sub-50 micosecond access time. Two cards can even be used in a RAID configuration for further enhanced performance. Such speed does come at a price, though. The 80GB version sells for $2649, and the 160GB version sells for $4899 (at the time of writing). Drivers are available for 64-bit versions of Windows only, though, at present.

HP Elitebook 6930p Offers 24 Hour Battery Life

Gadget Advisor — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:12:20 +0000

The most newsworthy feature of the HP Elitebook 6930p is no doubt the 24 hour battery life the notebook boasts. Battery enhancements and power-saving hardware selections have been combined to yield this milestone achievement. The new battery option is 12-cell, ultra-capacity, and each hardware option has been hand-picked for its battery saving benefit, including an Intel SSD for storage and the highly efficient HP Illumi-Lite LED display. Other specifications for the notebook include Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor P8600 (2.40 GHz), 14.1-inch WXGA+ display, up to 4GB RAM, LightScribe DVD+/-RW SuperMulti with double layer support, ATI Mobility RadeonTM HD 3450 graphics, 2 MP Webcam, Intel 802.11a/b/g/draft-n wireless, and built-in broadband.

Intel X25-E Extreme SATA SSD

Gadget Advisor — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:53:12 +0000

Intel has made a big splash into the SSD market. Today the company officially announced the X25-E Extreme SATA SSD. The drive boasts up to 250MB/sustained read, 170MB/s sustained write, 35,000 IOPS read, and 3,300 IOPS write performance. A mainstream model has also been announced with lower write speeds. The SSD also offers a <1ms random access time. This new drive is the fastest SSD currently on the market. With a max 80GB capacity, the SSD also offers a good capacity range for SSDs. As with most solid state drives, pricing will be high at launch. The price for the 32GB model will be $695 in quantities of 1,000.