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SanDisk releases new 'Lightning' bootable, lower-cost competitor to the Intel 910 Series PCIe SSD

Subject: Storage | June 5, 2012 - 01:07 AM |
Tagged: ssd, sandisk, pcie, enterprise, computex

Just over a month back we took a look at the Intel SSD 910 Series PCIe SSD. While the specs and performance were excellent, there were some factors preventing use in workstation systems - namely the prohibitive cost and lack of a Boot ROM. With that, it seems SanDisk has made an attempt to answer that call. Today at Computex they announced a new PCIe Enterprise SSD, the PCIe Lightning:

image001.jpg

This is a much simpler layout, with flash right alongside the controller - an option not possible with the multi-PCB Intel 910 Series as it contained much more flash on its daughter boards. With this simpler layout comes lower cost but unfortunately lower maximum capacities. Less complexity also means lower maximum specs, but they still look quite good given the price point this card will be filling:

  • Price: $1350 (200GB) / $2350 (400GB)
  • 4k 70/30 R/W split: 23,000 IOPS
  • Sequential Throughput: 425 MB/sec
  • Warranty: 5 Year
  • Endurance: 10 full-drive writes per day for warranty duration

I'm glad to see some good PCIe SSD competition cropping up - especially the bootable kind.

Full release after the break:

 

Source: SanDisk Lightning Product Page

Corsair Announces 'Neutron' SSD Series Driven by LAMD Controller

Subject: Storage | June 4, 2012 - 06:31 PM |
Tagged: neutron, ssd, LAMD, corsair, computex

Today at Computex, Corsair announced a new line of SSDs. This 4th generation line will sport a new controller made by Link_A_Media Devices (LAMD). Their announcement boasts a System On a Chip (SoC) design, but that's the way most modern SSD controllers are architected. The new controller has the following claimed specs:

Neutron (Standard):

  • 90,000 read / 85,000 write IOPS (assumed 4k random)
  • 555MB/s read / 370MB/s write (sequential)

Neutron GTX:

  • 90,000 read/write IOPS (assumed 4k random)
  • 555MB/s read / 500MB/s write (sequential)

Here's a few quick pics:

SSDv2_NTRN_A.png

SSDv2_NTRN_GTX_A.png

The drives meet all of the typical SSD wickets, such as TRIM support and a generous 5-year warranty. The specs do look very good, but the proof is in the benches, which we hope to see shortly.

Full press blast follows after the break:

Source: Corsair Neutron Product Page

Podcast #204 - ioSafe soloPRO and Synology DiskStation 212+, NVIDIA news, the OCZ Agility 4 and more!

Subject: General Tech | May 31, 2012 - 03:53 PM |
Tagged: video, synology, ssd, podcast, ocz, nvidia, iosafe, diskstation, agility4

PC Perspective Podcast #204 - 05/31/2012

Join us this week as we talk about the ioSafe soloPRO and Synology DiskStation 212+, NVIDIA news, the OCZ Agility 4 and more!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath, and Allyn Malvantano

Program length: 1:10:29

Program Schedule:

  1. 0:00:30 Introduction
  2. 0:00:50 Random Sound Card Discussion
  3. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  4. http://pcper.com/podcast
  5. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  6. 0:06:30 Take the PC Perspective Survey, win prizes!!
  7. 0:08:40 ioSafe SoloPRO and Synology DiskStation 212+ Review - Disaster-proof Networked Storage
  8. 0:18:38 Tegra 3 to see 30 devices this year, LTE support
  9. 0:20:25 NVIDIA claims GTX 680 sales outpacing GTX 580 sales
  10. 0:27:30 NVIDIA shows ASUS Zenbook Prime UX32VD
  11. 0:29:50 HP has 27,000 too many employees
  12. 0:32:00 Dell leaks Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet
  13. 0:34:40 Dell promotes their "Copper" ARM-based servers
  14. 0:39:30 OCZ Launches Agility 4 based on Indilinx Everest 2
  15. 0:51:20 Intel shows you how to make a processor
  16. 0:54:00 Time for a GPU Stock Update?
  17. 0:57:00 Crysis 2 back on Steam? EA and Valve make up?
  18. 0:59:00 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
    1. Ryan: Corsair Vengeance 2000 Wireless headset $149
    2. Jeremy: The best way to blow $10,000
    3. Josh: Faster Internets... Worth it!  http://west.optimum.com/services/high-speed_internet/optimum_online_boost/
    4. Allyn: is lame
  19. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  20. http://pcper.com/podcast   
  21. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  22. Closing

Source: PC Perspective

OCZ to Showcase Game-Changing Solid-State Solutions at Computex 2012

Subject: Shows and Expos | May 31, 2012 - 12:21 PM |
Tagged: thunderbolt, ssd, ocz, lightfoot, computex 2012, z-drive R4 CloudServ, SandForce 2581, PCIe SSD

OCZ will be showing off some of the same things they showed off at CES though they are much closer to release.  Lightfoot is their external Thunderbolt enclosure which will house SSDs that can utilize the extra bandwith provided by the new external transfer technology.  They will also being showing off Enterprise class PCIe SSDs, the brand new Intrepid line of SSDs and software designed to replace SANs in a network environment.  Keep an eye out for more details as Computex grows nigh.

ocz_z-drive_r4_cloudserv_01.jpg

SAN JOSE, CA—May 31, 2012—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, will showcase the Company's latest client and enterprise storage solutions at Computex 2012 in Taipei, Taiwan June 6 through June 9 at the Taipei International Convention Center.

Continuing to demonstrate leadership in both the enterprise and consumer markets, OCZ will display a comprehensive lineup of its innovative SSD products. For high-end business, server, and OEM clients, OCZ will showcase PCI Express (PCIe) SAN acceleration and replacement solutions, and unveil the impending Intrepid 3 SATA III SSD Series based on the Everest 2 architecture. Live demos at the booth will include both the current industry-leading Z-Drive R4 CloudServ PCIe SSD that delivers over one million IOPS, and the highly anticipated Z-Drive R5 Series based on the co-developed OCZ-Marvell Kilimanjaro platform that raises the bar in performance, reliability, and endurance. OCZ will also showcase the VXL Storage Accelerator software that enables large scale deployment of a virtualized environment for businesses to eliminate the need for costly tier-1 SANs in a wide range of enterprise IT infrastructures.

For client storage, OCZ will showcase the flagship Vertex 4 SATA III SSD, along with the upcoming ‘Lightfoot’ portable SSD designed with the Intel Thunderbolt platform that excels in data transfer speeds and offers high capacity for multimedia professionals.

Source: OCZ Technology

OCZ launches Agility 4 SSD based on Indilinx Everest 2

Subject: General Tech, Storage | May 29, 2012 - 08:45 PM |
Tagged: ssd, ocz, Agility 4

OCZ Technology Group launched their latest entry in the Agility 4 line of Solid State Drives. The drive will make use of the Indilinx Everest 2 controller over a SATA 6Gbps interface. It is rated to provide 400MB/s reads with up to 85,000 write IOs per second. Unlike its 5-year Vertex 4 brethren the Agility 4 will be backed by a 3-year warranty.

Just a couple of months ago Al posted his review of the OCZ Vertex 4 solid state drive which he found to be aggressively priced and with good potential depending on firmware support.

OCZ has just released the Agility 4 to complement their new product line with a slightly cheaper and slightly lower performance option compared to the Vertex. Both drives are based on the same Indilinx Everest 2 controller with transfer rates being the main divisor between the two products. Retail price of the Agility 4 is placed much more aggressively and flirts even closer with the $1 per gigabyte line than the Vertex 4.

OCZAgility4.png

Almost time to get change our metric to cents per gigabyte. ... Yay!

The Agility 4 is rated to perform with consistent read bandwidths of 400MB/s which is below the Vertex 4’s rated 535 MB/s sequential reads throughput. The write IOPS is rated at 85,000 random transactions per second and exactly matches that metric with the Vertex 4.

OCZ is covering the Agility 4 with a 3-year manufacturer warranty. It is on back-order from NCIX with an expected retail value of $259.20 for the 256GB version which might as well be called a dollar per gigabyte. Newegg has yet to list the product or its expected value.

Source: OCZ

Comay's Venus line of SSDs is designed for paranoid techs

Subject: Storage | May 24, 2012 - 01:14 PM |
Tagged: ssd, comay, ups, sandforce, SandForce SF-2281

The Comay Venus Pro 3 comes in seven sizes, ranging from 30GB to 480GB and is powered by a SandForce 2281 controller.  Those specs are not very unique, what makes the Comay special is the super-capacitor on the PCB which ensures that no data will be lost in the event of a power outage.  It is not quite a UPS in the normal sense but it will provide power for long enough to ensure all data is written from the cache to disk before it powers down.  As well there is onboard overload protection to ensure that power spikes cannot damage your drives.  Both of these features are sought after by Enterprise clients, almost more so than the performance, which you can read about at SSD Reviews.

SSDR_Comay.jpg

"Just over a month ago, we conducted an analysis of what we thought to be the Comay Venus Pro 3 and, only after the review, were informed that we were actually looking at the Venus 3, an SSD that was not only branded incorrectly, but was also a special configuration for a specific customer. It appears our orders were mixed up. Comay apologized for the mix up and promised that we would be receiving a Venus Pro 3 soon enough where we could validate some vicious ‘SandForce Driven’ performance first hand."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

 

Source: SSD Review

Runcore Launches SSD With Physical Data Destruction

Subject: Storage | May 16, 2012 - 03:50 PM |
Tagged: ssd, sata 2, runcore, data destruction

For people worried about their personal information (or spies) RunCore has developed a new SSD that will make sure no one can steal your data. The InVincible SATA II solid state drive comes with two brightly colored buttons for different levels of data destruction. Pressing the green button will initiate the “intelligent destruction” mode wherein the drive will be wiped out and the data overwritten with zeros. And if that is not enough, users can press the red button to activate a physical destruction mechanism. In the physical destruction process, a high electrical current is delivered to the NAND flash chips causing them to burn and crack. Good luck recovering your data after that (though it’s not as flashy as Thermite)!

2011.8.26_9.44.40_3737.jpg

Just keep your cat away from the red button if you know what’s good for your hardware!

In terms of performance, the RunCore SSD is capable of up to 240MB/s reads and 190MB/s writes. The drive features a SATA II interface, and it is available with either MLC or SLC NAND flash. The internals are placed in a green 2.5” form factor case and–in addition to SATA data and power cable connections–it also comes with one red and one green button connected to the drive by two wires. The new solid state drive is now official, but pricing and availability have yet to be announced. More information on the drives can be found on the RunCore website, and you can see the data destruction in action in the video below.

Source: RunCore

The toughest SSD on the planet

Subject: Storage | May 3, 2012 - 08:10 PM |
Tagged: TCS, Galatea Ultra-Rugged SSD, ssd, 100GB, slc, SandForce SF-1565

Just by their very nature SSDs are physically tough, with no moving parts like you find in platter based disks, so they are able to withstand much great acceleration forces ... or deceleration depending on how you look at it.  TeleCommunication Systems is not a name you are likely to recognize when it comes to SSDs so you should take note of the Galatea Ultra Rugged SSD.  The flash is just as tough, with 20,000 terabytes of write guaranteed along with 10 year data retention also guaranteed.  Performance is also guaranteed thanks to the SandForce SF-1565 controller and Micron 25nm SLC flash.  If there is an SSD likely to make it into orbit soon, this will probably be the one to do it.  Check it out at SSD Review.

SSDR_Galatea-Table-Specs.png

"This report covers the Telecommunications Systems (TCS) Galatea line of ultra-rugged SLC SSDs. Adhering to the MIL-STD-810 military specifications governing a multitude of ultra-ruggedized requirements, this SSD is designed for ultimate reliability in the harshest of environments. Designed and tested with the most hostile environments imaginable in mind, these SSDs are surely amongst the toughest storage mediums available."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

 

Source: SSD Review

Podcast #200!!! - GTX 690, Intel 910 Series PCI-E SSD, our Podcast Life in Review, and much more!

Subject: General Tech | May 3, 2012 - 04:53 PM |
Tagged: ssd, podcast, nvidia, intel., amd, 910, 690, 680

PC Perspective Podcast #200!!! - 05/03/2012

Join us this week as we talk about the GTX 690, Intel 910 Series PCI-E SSD, our Podcast Life in Review, and much more!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

  • iTunes - Subscribe to the podcast directly through the iTunes Store
  • RSS - Subscribe through your regular RSS reader
  • MP3 - Direct download link to the MP3 file

Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath, and Allyn Malvantano

Program length: 1:23:52

Program Schedule:

  1. Introduction
  2. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  3. http://pcper.com/podcast
  4. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  5. PC Perspective Live Review - GTX 690
    1. http://pcper.com/live
    2. http://www.pcper.com/news/Editorial/Questions-GTX-690-Live-Review-Win-NVIDIA-Crowbar
  6. Podcast Life in Review
    1. #1 - 5/3/2007 - NV 8800 Ultra
    2. #10 - 8/14/2007 - AMD takes wraps off 3.2GHz Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Black Edition 
    3. #46 - 2/4/2009 - NVIDIA ION
    4. #50 - 3/26/2009 - Bigfoot new Gaming Card, Original from 2006!!
    5. #75 - 9/24/2009 - HD 5870 Launch
    6. #100 - 4/7/2010 - VRaptor 600GB
    7. #150 - 4/13/2011 - HD 6000 mid-range rumors
  7. Intel SSD 910 Series 800GB PCIe SSD First Look
  8. Dying Atoms: The Failure Of Low-Power x86 Processors
  9. SilverStone Nightjar ST50NF 500W Fanless Power Supply Review
  10. ASUS P8Z77-V Premium motherboard announced.
  11. Custom Gaming PC Being Auctioned Off For Charity Doing Multiple Sclerosis Research
  12. NVIDIA Announces dual-GPU Kepler GeForce GTX 690
  13. NVIDIA Announces GeForce Experience Cloud Service for Quality Presets
  14. NVIDIA Crates the GeForce GTX 690
  15. Cheaper GTX 670 GPU Spotted At Malaysian Retailer
  16. Moore's Law End in Sight
  17. Trinity Slides Leaked
  18. HWLB Update
  19. Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
    1. Ryan: LogmeIn Ignition - good and bad
    2. Jeremy: $60 3 LCD stand
    3. Josh:  Apparently quite CPU intensive. SRS gamers only!
    4. Allyn:  Mini SAS SFF-8087 to 4x 2.5in SATA/SAS 5.25in Hot Swap Backplane.
  20. 1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
  21. http://pcper.com/podcast   
  22. http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
  23. Closing

Source: PC Perspective

1TB OCZ SSD Coming Later This Month

Subject: Storage | May 2, 2012 - 08:34 AM |
Tagged: ssd, ocz, Octane, mlc, 1TB

According to a recent press release, OCZ Technology Co. is going to up the Octane ante with a 1TB solid state drive. Coming in at an MSRP of $3,238 USD (approx. 260,000 yen), the SSD features 1TB of synchronous MLC flash, 512MB of DRAM, and an Indilinx Everest controller bundled in a 2.5” form factor.

Octane_SSD_800x533.jpg

The SATA 3 (6Gbps) OCT1-25SAT3-1T SSD not only brings gobs of storage, but puts up some respectable performance numbers. It is capable of 460MB/s sequential reads and 330MB/s sequential write speeds. Also, it can deliver a maximum of 24,000 4K read IOPS (input/output operations per second) and 32,000 4K random write IOPS [the translation may be off here, I was expecting to see the higher IOPS reflected as 4K reads and not writes]. Other drive features include TRIP support, ECC (error correction), AES-256 drive encryption, SMART diagnostics, and a MTBF (mean time between failures) of 1,200,000 hours.

The 1TB SSD is slated for a mid-May release and will come with a 3 year warranty. You know, my birthday is coming up in a couple months... (hehe)

Source: hermitage aklhabara

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