High Capacity Corsair SATA 3 Force GT SSDs Now Available

Subject: Storage | August 31, 2011 - 12:27 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd, storage, corsair, sandforce, SATA3

Today Corsair announced two new high capacity SSDs that have joined the company’s Force GT solid state drive lineup. The new drives come in 180 GB and 240GB flavors, a nice increase from the current 60 GB and 120 GB drives.

The new Force GT SSDs utilize the SATA 3 (6Gbps) interface, and are powered by the SandForce SF-2280 controller. In addition, the drives are powered by ONFI synchronous flash memory. The hardware results in random IOPS of 85K, read speeds of 555 MB/s, and write speeds of 525 MB/s. Thi La, the VP of Memory Products for Corsair stated the new 180 GB and 240 GB SSDs are best suited for enthusiasts systems that require large amounts of high performance storage.

The Force GT drives will come with a 3.5” adapter for cases that do not have 2.5” drive bays. The SSDs are available for purchase now, and carry an MSRP of $379 USD for the 180 GB model and $489 USD for the 240 GB SSD.

Kingston joins the SandForce club

Subject: Storage | August 19, 2011 - 12:03 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: kingston, ssd, sandforce, SF-2281 controller

Kingston has moved on to the new SandForce 2281 controller and synchronous flash memory with their new series of HyperX SSDs.  Like previous models, cables and brackets and sometimes even ghosting software are included in the packaging in addition to a 3 year warranty.  The drive comes in two varieties of package, one is intended for those planning a complete reinstall of Windows when they add the SSD to their system.  The other is an upgrade kit, which has everything you need to move your OS onto the SSD, up to and including a USB casing to ease the transfer.  [H]ard|OCP has the scoop here.

"Kingston's move into the SandForce SSD market is great news for the consumer. With its new HyperX branded solid state drives in hand, we take a look at these amazingly fast SSDs and examine if an SSD from Kingston should be on your short list for your next storage purchase."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Kingston HyperX 120GB SATA 3 SSD Review @ t-break
• Samsung 470 128GB SSD @ XSReviews
• Plextor PX-128 M2S 128 GB SSD @ XSReviews
• Crucial M4 128GB SSD @ OC3D
• Kingston HyperX 240GB SATA III SSD @ Bjorn3D
• Hard Disk Drive Myths Debunked! @ TechARP
• Western Digital Scorpio Blue 1TB Mobile Hard Drive Review @ Techgage
• WD Scorpio Blue 1TB Notebook Hard Drive Review @ Legit Reviews
• Seagate Barracuda XT 3TB SATA 3 HDD Review @ Real World Labs
• Icy Dock MB982SPR-2S Dual 2.5" to 3.5" SATA HDD / SSD Converter Review @ eTeknix
• Flash Drives and Controllers: USB 3.0 vs. USB 2.0 @ X-bit Labs
• Silverstone RVS02 USB 3.0 2.5" HDD Enclosure @ Pro-Clockers

Patriot tries out the SandForce 2281 controller in the newest Wildfire SSD

Subject: Storage | August 1, 2011 - 03:51 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ssd, patriot, wildfire 120GB, sandforce, SF-2281 controller

120GB is a nice spot for SSDs, enough space for an OS and limited programs but without forcing you to spend $500+.  The Patriot Wildfire 120GB SSD SATA 6GB/s drive is $300, not the least expensive but certainly competitive with other similar drives, in price.  As for performance, with the new SATA standard and a SandForce controller it seemed best matched against the OCZ Vertex III Max IOPS.  Hi Tech Legion's testing showed the two to be running neck and neck in both performance and price.  Competition that close will hopefully bring sales and discounts making both drives even more attractive.

"The Patriot Wildfire 120GB SSD claims to deliver enterprise-class performance on a home PC. The Patriot Wildfire 120GB SSD is equipped with the SandForce SF-2281 controller paired with 16 8GB Toshiba 32nm toggle mode NAND chips. Much like other next generation SandForce based SSDs, the Patriot Wildfire 120GB has DuraWrite technology, Windows 7 TRIM support and is 256-bit AES encryption capable. With a sequential read speed of 555MB/s and write speed of 520MB/s, as well as a max random write IOPS of 85,000, the Patriot Wildfire 120GB SSD is aimed squarely at enthusiasts who want raw speed and uncompromised performance."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Patriot Wildfire 240GB @ Legion Hardware
• Corsair Force Series GT 120GB SSD Review @ Hardware Canucks
• Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD Review @ Hardware Canucks
• Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD @ VR-Zone
• Corsair Force III Solid State Drive @ Pro-Clockers
• OWC Electra 240GB @ Tweaktown
• Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro Ultra-Portable Drive USB 3.0 Review @ eTeknix
• Archgon MH-2624 Mobile Hard Drive Enclosure @ Pro-Clockers
• Archgon MH-2612 Mobile Hard Drive Enclosure @ Pro-Clockers
• INEO Tech I-NA320U Plus USB 3.0 HDD Docking Station @ Real World Labs
• hecus N2200XXX NAS @ Overclockers Online
• Kingston Wi-Drive 32GB Video Review @ Legit Reviews

ADATA digs their toes into the sand and then jumps into SSDs

Subject: Storage | July 5, 2011 - 02:50 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: sandforce, SF-2281 controller, sata 6Gps, ssd

With SSDs it seems that the brand on the shell tells you very little about the performance of the drive its self and picking up an off brand SSD can net you a great deal, as long as you know what is inside.  Since ADATA chose the SandForce SF-2281 SATA 6GB/s controller, the same as we've seen in Al's review of the OCZ Agility 3 drive which fared very well in our testing.  The reported prices run from $155 for a 60GB to $520 for the 240GB which is in line with OCZ's Vertex 3 series and is too bad in a way.  In almost every test Benchmark Reviews tried, the ADATA offering fell slightly behind both flavours of the OCZ Vertex 3, which you would hope would bring the price down.  However in the market right now SSD makers can pretty much charge whatever they want as enthusiasts will pay the price; that makes it very nice to see the market opening up with a wide variety of vendors putting out top notch SSDs.

"ADATA knows that SandForce-driven SSDs are a win-win combination of performance and speed. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the ADATA S511 solid state drive. Based on the popular new SandForce SF-2281 SATA 6GB/s controller and fast IMFT-branded NAND flash components, ADATA claims the AS511S3 is capable of 550 MB/s read and 510 MB/s write speed with 4K random write speeds as high as 60,000 IOPS in real world testing. We test these claims, and compare performance to competing storage solid-state solutions in this review to find out which SSD is best."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Intel SSD 510 Series 250 GB @ techPowerUp
• OCZ Vertex 3 240GB Update: Retail vs Review Sample @ Hardware Canucks
• OCZ Agility 3 240GB Solid State Drive Review @ ThinkComputers
• OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 (480GB) Preview: 200K IOPS & 1.5GB/s for $1699? @ AnandTech
• Patriot Wildfire 120GB Solid State Drive RAID Report @ Tweaktown
• Patriot Wildfire 120GB SATA 3 SSD @ The SSD Review
• Corsair Force Series 3 120GB SATA 3 SSD @ The SSD Review
• OCZ Agility 3 240 GB @ techPowerUp
• PS3 SSD Performance - SSD vs HDD on Playstation 3 @ hardCOREware
• Kingston 32GB microSDHC Mobility Kit Review @ OCC
• TEAM Group TR1151 USB 3.0 42-in-1 USB 3.0 Card Reader @ Tweaktown
• Synology DS411+ II NAS @ TechwareLabs

OCZ's new SSD, the Vertex 3, is storage glee

Subject: Storage | June 28, 2011 - 02:00 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ocz, vertex 3, sata 6Gps, sandforce

OCZ 's third iteration of the Vertex series of SSDs continues their dominance in the feild.  The new Sandforce controller is matched with IMFT 25nm flash from Toshiba on a true SATA 6Gb/s drive.  That all adds up to one incredibly fast SATA SSD, with the slightly larger 240GB drive pushing ahead of the 120GB drive.  [H]ard|OCP also briefly covered the Agility 3 240GB and Vertex 3 max IOPS 240GB which produced mixed results, the Agility 3 dissapointed their high expectations and the MaxIOPs could not beat the normal Vertex 3 though theoretically it will have a longer lifespan.  The plain Vertex 3 drives were simply impressive at everything they were tested on.

You can get a faster drive though, with the PCIe based OCZ RevoDrive 3 x2 480GB SSD, the fastest storage on the planet.  It doesn't come cheap though.

"Today we take a look at the OCZ Technology Vertex 3 in both 120GB and 240GB capacities. The Vertex 3 was the first SF-2000 based client SSD to hit the market in 2011 and such will be the product in which all others will be judged against. The Vertex 3 is capable of transferring data at 550+MB/s."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 480GB PCIe SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
• OCZ RevoDrive 3x2 480GB PCIe @ SSD Review
• OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS & Patriot Wildfire SSDs Reviewed @ AnandTech
• Intel series 510 120GB & 250GB SSD Review @ t-break
• Patriot Wildfire 120GB @ Tweaktown
• Crucial m4 128GB SATA 6G @ Tweaktown
• Seagate GoFlex Slim (320GB) Review @ TechReviewSource
• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 INEO I-NA309D Pro @ TechwareLabs

OWC grabs the SandForce SF-2200 controller and heads for the lead of the SSD pack

Subject: Storage | June 23, 2011 - 01:47 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ssd, owc, sata 6Gps, sandforce

OWC has been around for a while, but since they were making drives for Apple they were not a common name for enthusiasts.  They've since broken free and are selling their SSD line to any and all.  The first generation was good, not outstanding but not a the back of the pack performance wise.  Their new Mercury EXTREME Pro 6G 240GB is poised to take the lead though, as Legit Reviews compared it to the outstanding OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240 GB SSD.  In this apples to apples review we see the OWC hit reads of 559MB/s and writes of 527MB/s and it took top spot in quite a few benchmarks.

"The SandForce SF-2200 controller does all the heavy lifting, pushing out listed reads of 559MB/s and writes of 527MB/s. This is almost exactly what we saw on the benchmarks in terms of max performance so OWC was true to their specifications. Fresh off of testing the OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240 GB drive we felt others would have a tough time topping its performance but OWC came through with a drive that eked out better scores more often than not. OWC is going to garner a lot of attention if they keep putting out products like the 240 GB Mercury EXTREME Pro 6g SSD as we found it to be the best overall performing SATA III drive we have tested to date..."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS & Patriot Wildfire SSDs @ AnandTech
• OCZ Agility 3 240GB SSD Review @ HardwareHeaven
• Intel SSD 320 Series 160 GB Review @ Hardware Secrets
• OCZ Vertex 3 240GB SATA 6Gbit/s SSD Review @ Techgage
• OCZ Vertex 3 240GB Review @ OCC
• OCZ Agility 3 SSD Tests @ Benchmark Reviews
• Hard Drive Vs SSD - The space inbetween Review @ eTeknix
• Hard Disk Drive Performance Comparison Guide @ TechARP
• QNAP TS-412 Turbo NAS @ Techspot
• Samsung M2 portable 3.0 External Hard Drive @ Metku.net
• Synology DiskStation DS1511+ @ Legion Hardware

OCZ Technology Introduces Deneva 2 Series Of SSDs For The Enterprise

Subject: Storage | June 21, 2011 - 10:54 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ssd, sata 6Gps, sandforce, enterprise, deneva 2

SAN JOSE, CA—June 21, 2011—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today launched the Deneva 2 SSD line for enterprise clients. Taking full advantage of the cutting-edge SATA 6Gb/s interface, Deneva 2 SSDs are designed for a wide range of enterprise applications including servers, cloud computing, and data centers. The Deneva 2 series delivers maximum performance while meeting the stringent reliability, security, performance and economical needs of enterprise storage environments.

"Data centers are one application where the speed benefits of a fast SSD visibly fall straight to a company's bottom line," said SSD analyst Jim Handy of Objective Analysis. "This has driven the enterprise to be the fastest-growing market for SSDs - Objective Analysis forecasts for enterprise SSD unit shipments to grow at an average annual rate of 83 percent, nearly doubling every year."

As the demand for increased storage efficiency, maximized data throughput, and a smaller operating footprint broadens across various industries, more and more companies are turning to the benefits of SSDs to significantly optimize their storage infrastructures. With these requirements in mind, OCZ has been a pioneer in the design and development of SSDs for the enterprise environment, pushing the envelope to develop solutions that combine industry-leading performance with a robust feature-set. Deneva 2, the company’s latest offering, features several enterprise-critical options not available in OCZ's consumer product lines, including power loss data protection, best-in-class endurance (e.g., minimal write amplification, intelligent block management and wear-leveling), and advanced encryption and ECC.

“Processing data is critical to any business looking to compete in a rapidly changing, global marketplace. However, many enterprise organizations are limited by outdated storage solutions, which limits their ability to process the necessary data they require to operate their businesses,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO at OCZ Technology Group. “Deneva 2 SSDs are optimized for high-volume storage applications, offer industry-leading reliability, and leverage the latest NAND and controller technology to deliver superior performance. This combination means that enterprises can overcome previous roadblocks, and use their data in real-time.”

Based on SandForce® SF-2000 SSD processors, the Deneva 2 series delivers up to 80,000 4KB random write IOPS and 550MB/s of potential bandwidth. Along with world-renowned performance, Deneva 2 SSDs are specifically designed to deliver superior reliability and are manufactured with the latest flash components specific to the customer’s needs. In addition, the series includes enterprise-grade multi-level cell (eMLC) NAND flash technology, which offers improved endurance for write-intensive applications. Deneva 2 SSDs can also be customized, come in a wide variety of interface options including PCIe, and are available in 2.5, 3.5, and 1.8 inch form factors for use in very high density computing environments, including blade servers.

OCZ Deneva 2 solutions overcome the performance, durability, and maintenance obstacles inherent to mechanical HDD storage. OCZ's ability to provide a tailored solution ensures ultimate compatibility, reliability, and cost-savings, resulting in products that are optimized to specifically address the unique needs of enterprise clients.

Revisiting the OCZ Agility 3 and its asynchronous flash

Subject: Storage | June 15, 2011 - 06:01 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ocz, agility 3, ssd, sandforce, sata 6Gps

It has been a few weeks since Al took a look at OCZ's 240GB Agility 3 drive, so it seems worth revisiting.  As you can see at OCIA, the drive is fast even with slightly cheaper memory inside and can compete with the theoretically more expensive Vertex drive.  Unfortunately just like Al saw, the street price does not reflect the internal parts, saving $10 over the Vertex model is not a great deal.

"The SSD technology of today is worlds better than what we had in 2009. Better understanding of the technology, mature controllers, Windows 7, SATA 6Gb/sec and even the PCI-e bus have all advanced things to a point where SSDs are coming close to mainstream adoption. Pricing is also much more attractive as evident by the drive we are looking at today, OCZ's Agility 3 240GB unit. The Agility 3 is one of three new SATA 6Gb/sec SSDs and is classified as a high-performance drive alongside the higher-end Vertex 3."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Kingston SSDNow V100 vs. Patriot Torqx 2 128 GB SSD Review @ Hardware Secrets
• LSI 9265 MegaRAID Supplementary Review: The Beauty of CacheCade! @ The SSD Review
• ADATA S511 120gb SATA 3 SSD Review @ The SSD Review
• Kingston 32GB DTU3G2 USB 3.0 Flash Drive @ Bjorn3D
• TwinMOS A3 USB3.0 drive Quick Look @ t-break
• Mach Xtreme MX-GX USB 3.0 16GB Flash Drive Review @ eTeknix
• ICY DOCK MB881U3-1SA EZ-Dock Review @ ThinkComputers
• Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Gen. 2 USB 3.0 Flash Drive @ TechARP
• Samsung S2 USB 3.0 Powered Hard Drive @ VelocityReviews