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

Corsair Unveils Two New 90GB SATA 6Gb/s SSDs, A World's First

Subject: Storage | August 19, 2011 - 02:35 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd, ONFI, Force Series 3, corsair, asynchronous NAND, 90GB

Corsair recently added two new solid state drives to its SSD lineup. The new drives weight in at 90 GB, and make an interesting choice for those that need a bit more space than Corsair’s 60 GB drives provide but not enough to justify a higher priced 120 GB drive. Of the two drives, one will be labeled a Force Series 3 drive, and the other will be a Force Series GT SSD. Tweaktown quoted Corsair in stating:

“We're happy to add the world's first 90GB SSD to our product lineup. With 50% more storage capacity than our 60GB models and at pricing significantly lower than our 120GB models, they help make the Force Series 3 and Force Series GT among the most robust and flexible SSD lines on the market.”

The new 2.5” drives are powered by Sandforce 2281 controllers, and the SATA 3 (6Gb/s) interface. Using the benchmarking utility IOMeter 08, Corsair measured the IOPS (input/output operations per second) of the two drives to be 85,000. The Force Series 3 90GB SSD uses asynchronous NAND, and is capable of sequential read and write speeds of 550MB/s and 500MB/s respectively. On the other hand, the Force Series GT 90GB SSD uses ONFI synchronous flash, and features a slight performance edge with sequential reads of 555MB/s and sequential writes of 505MB/s.

The 90GB SSDs supports SMART monitoring, the TRIM command, and have a MTBF (mean time before failure) of 2 million hours. Further, the drives carry a three year warranty. The drives are available now from authorized retailers with an MSRP of $159 for the Force Series 3 drive and $199 for the Force Series GT SSD.

Samsung Announces New 830 SATA 3 SSDs for Consumers

Subject: Storage | August 17, 2011 - 07:08 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd, Samsung, mlc, 830 SDD

Samsung today announced a new lineup of consumer solid state drives (SSD) with the SATA 3 (6Gb/s) interface called the SSD 830 Series. We reported last week on this series of SSD's OEM variant, the PM830 Series, and this week is the unveiling of the consumer versions.

The new 830 SSD series builds on its Samsung 470 predecessors while upgrading the controller interface to SATA 3 (6Gb/s), providing twice the amount of available bandwidth. Further, the consumer drives differentiate themselves from the PM830 OEM versions in three distinct manners, including capacity sizes, exterior design, and bundled components.

On the aesthetic front, the 830 drives have a dark brushed aluminum body with a silver colored Samsung logo and orange corner accent, while the OEM PM830 drives are more simple in design with a dark casing and information sticker.

Further proving that the drives are meant for consumer usage, Samsung provides a full upgrade bundle that (in addition to the SSD itself) includes a copy of Norton Ghost to image an old drive onto the new SSD, a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter bracket, all the necessary cables, and detailed instructions on how to use the drive. A notebook oriented upgrade bundle will also be available that includes the SSD itself, manuals, Norton Ghost software, and a USB to SATA adapter to image the old drive onto the new SSD before switching the new drive into the laptop.

The full upgrade kit for desktops.

The new 830 SSD lineup will come in consumer friendly capacities of 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB (for comparison, the OEM PM830 versions only come in capacities greater than 128GB).

Unfortunately, Samsung has not yet announced pricing or detailed specifications on the new drives, instead opting to withhold that information until the official product launch in October 2011. If the OEM versions are any indication on the speed front; however, the consumer versions are looking at MLC NAND capable of respectable 500MB/s read and 350MB/s write speeds.

Update 8/25/2011:  We recently came across a few more tidbits of information on the Samsung 830 consumer SSDs.  Specifically, the drives will be powered by a triple ARM9 based controller that is similar to their previous generations.  The NAND flash that the drives will use is 20nm class rated, which is marketing speak for any NAND manufacturing node that is between 20nm and 29nm.  In Samsungs case, they are likely utilizing 25nm MLC NAND for their 830 series drives.  Finally, the company will be releasing their own "software toolbox" to keep the SSDs healthy by performing secure erase, monitoring, and user adjustible over-provisioning.  Over-provisioning is a process that reserves a specificied amount of NAND cells so that the SSD controller can replace bad and/or worn out cells and keep performance and capacity at stable levels.

End of Update.

Stay tuned to PC Perspective for more information on the new drives as we get closer to the official launch date.

Image credit: Samsung

Intel Releasing Firmware Fix For 8MB SSD Bug In Two Weeks

Subject: Storage | August 16, 2011 - 04:07 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd, Intel, firmware bug, 320

We reported a few weeks ago that Intel was able to reproduce the 8MB firmware bug in it's lab and was working on a fix.  Officially called the Bad Context 13x Error, the 8MB bug is a rather serious firmware issue that a small percentage of users ran into when their drives unexpectedly lost power due to improper shutdown procedures or power outage at an especially wrong time.  Once the drives were powered on again, they reported a capacity of 8MB to its users, who were able to restore the drive using secure erase but not the data.

Fortunately, a fix is on its way very soon, as Computer World quoted Intel in stating "the new firmware update is in final validation testing and is targeted for release on Intel Communities within the next two weeks."

Further, users will be able to apply the firmware fix without needing to secure erase the drive; however, none of the lost data can be recovered.  As with any drive, SSD or otherwise, be sure to perform regular backups to mitigate the amount of data one can lose in drive failure.  Intel is also recommending that users ensure they shut down their computers properly and to avoid unplugging the SSD from a powered on machine.

Stay tuned to PC Perspective for more information on the Bad Context 13x Error as it develops.  Until then, rest assured that a fix is on the way soon.

The Good, the bad and the ugly of SSDs

Subject: Storage | August 15, 2011 - 02:23 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ssd, SF-2281 controller, sata 6Gps

The good and the bad are obvious, unparalleled transfer speeds and a very high price per gigabyte are familiar to anyone keeping up with the new storage medium.  The ugly is the reliability, as we have seen a variety of manufacturers and controllers spawn significant problems for users.  That is before you consider how long an SSD will last, something that we have yet to fully see the scope of as niether the technology nor the drives have been on the market long enough for MTBF to be tested in the real world.

If you are willing to risk the possible failures that some users have been seeing with the SF-2281 controller, AnandTech have rounded up several drives which use that specific controller.  Head over to see if you can pick a winner in this incredibly close race.

"It's a depressing time to be covering the consumer SSD market. Although performance is higher than it has ever been, we're still seeing far too many compatibility and reliability issues from all of the major players. Intel used to be our safe haven, but even the extra reliable Intel SSD 320 is plagued by a firmware bug that may crop up unexpectedly, limiting your drive's capacity to only 8MB. Then there are the infamous BSOD issues that affect SandForce SF-2281 drives like the OCZ Vertex 3 or the Corsair Force 3. Despite OCZ and SandForce believing they were on to the root cause of the problem several weeks ago, there are still reports of issues. I've even been able to duplicate the issue internally."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Corsair Force GT SATA III 120GB SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
• Strontium Matrix Series 120GB Solid State Drive @ Tweaktown
• Patriot Wildfire 120GB SSD Review @ Hardware Canucks
• Kingston HyperX 240GB 6Gbps SSD Review @ Legit Reviews
• Kingston HyperX 240GB SATA 3 SSD Review @ The SSD Review
• OWC Upgrades SATA 3 6G SSD Line To Toshiba Flash and SandForce SF-2282 Processor @ The SSD Review
• Crucial M4 SATA 6GB/s Solid State Drive @ Pro-Clockers
• Strontium Gamma Series 115GB Solid State Drive @ Tweaktown
• Patriot Pyro SATA III 120GB SSD @ Modders-Inc
• OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD @ Benchmark Reviews
• Hitachi UltraStar 7K3000 3TB SATA 3 HDD Review @ Real World Labs
• Icy Box IB-NAS5220 NAS @ Rbmods
• Archgon MH-2624 Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ BayReviews
• ineo I-NAU320U Plus USB 3.0 HDD Docking Station and I-NC05 HDD Protection Box Review @Hi Tech Legion
• WD My Book Essential USB3.0 3TB Review @ t-break
• Synology DiskStation DS2411+ NAS @ Techspot
• Patriot Javelin S4 Network Attached Storage Review @ TechwareLabs
• QNAP Turbo NAS Firmware 3.5 @ CoD
• Thecus N2200XXX @ PC Review
• Thecus N2200XXX Dual-Bay NAS @ Bjorn3D
• ADATA Classic Series CH11 1 TB USB 3.0 @ techPowerUp
• ICY DOCK MB982SPR-2S Dual 2.5" -3.5" Raid SATA HDD/SSD Converter Review @Hi Tech Legion
• LSI MegaRAID CacheCade Pro 2.0 Review - Total Storage Acceleration Realized @ The SSD Review
• SilverStone Ultra Slim EC02 USB 3.0 ExpressCard Adapter @ Pro-Clockers

Samsung Announces New High Performance SSDs for Mobile

Subject: Storage | August 11, 2011 - 05:32 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd, SATA3, Samsung, mobile

Samsung recently announced volume production of a new lineup of SSDs using the fast SATA 3 (6Gb/s) interface and will be available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB capacities.  The new SSDs are called the PM830 series, and Samsung expects the drives to replace their SATA 2 (3Gb/s) drives by year-end.

Wanhoon Hong, executive vice president, memory sales & marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics stated that Samsung's new SSDs "will raise the performance bar to the next level for ultra-slim notebooks and tablets."  In addition, he believes that the new high capacity drives will spur competition in that segment and increase market interest in SSDs with greater-than 256GB capacities.

The new PM830 drives use Samsung's 20nm class (their term for a process node somewhere between 20 and 29), 32 Gigabit MLC NAND flash with a toggle DDR interface in addition to a proprietary controller.  Samsung claims that the controller and flash are able to take advantage of the SATA 6Gb/s interface by delivering 500MB/s sequential read speeds and 350MB/s sequential write speeds.  Further, the drive uses AES 256-bit encryption to secure private and corporate data.

The new SATA 6Gb/s solid state drives are targeted at OEMs for use in notebooks and tablets.  They are currently only available to OEMs; however, a consumer variant of the drive is forthcoming and will be announced at a later date.

Hitachi Releases New Enterprise SSD Based On Intel's 25nm MLC HET NAND

Subject: Storage | August 9, 2011 - 09:10 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd, mlc, Intel, hitachi, enterprise

Hitachi recently released a new enterprise class SSD based on Intel's 25nm MLC flash.  Dubbed the Hitachi SSD400M, the new solid state drive is aimed at Enterprise users and Cloud data centers.  It comes in the standard 2.5" form factor, features a SAS 6Gb/s interface, and will be available in 200GB and 400GB capacities.

As an enterprise drive, the Hitachi SSD400M supports end to end data protection, error correction, error handling and self encryption on certain models compliant with the Trusted Computing Group’s Enterprise A Security Subsystem Class encryption specification.  Further showing it's intended usage as an Enterprise drive, the 25nm MLC based drive is rated for 7.3 Petabyte lifetime write, which Hitachi says amounts to 10 full drive writes per day for five years.  Coincidentally, the warranty of the drive is a five year limited warranty or until the drive exceeds the maximum rated number of petabyte writes per capacity.  Hitachi states that they expect a .44 annual failure rate and have projected a 2 million hour MTBF.

Performance of the drive is much better than that of the previously reported Intel drive, as it delivers 495MB/s sequential reads and 385MB/s sequential writes.  The SSD is further rated at 56,000 read IOPS and 24,000 write IOPS.

The SSD400M has already shipped to various OEMs and will be available soon.  More information on the new SSD can be found here.

Intel 710 SSD Prices Leaked

Subject: Storage | August 8, 2011 - 02:34 PM | Tim Verry
Tagged: ssd, nand, mlc, Intel, 710

According to VR-Zone, Intel's newest enterprise series 710 Lyndonville solid state drives (SSD) will be launching soon in a mid-august time frame, and will be carrying a price-per-gigabyte metric that only a corporate expense account could love.

The Intel 311.  The 710 series will have the same 2.5" form factor.

The new drives will come in 100GB, 200GB, and 300GB capacities and will be priced at approximately $650, $1250, and $1900 USD respectively.  Featuring 25mm eMLC HET, the drives feature 64MB of cache, user-controllable over-provisioning up to 20% (which helps drive longevity by reserving more of the drive for replacement of worn out cells), and a SATA II 3.0Gbps connection.  The SATA 3Gbps connection is not likely to bottleneck the drive as it will only feature 270MB/s read and 210MB/s write speeds.

The eMLC HET flash chips are higher quality MLC chips that Intel hopes will provide enterprise level SLC enduring without the higher cost of the SLC chips.  Interestingly, the drives only carry a 3 year warranty that is then further impacted by the state of the E9 wear level indicator so that the warranty expires once the three years are up or the E9 indicator reaches 1, whichever comes first.  The consumer grade Intel 320 drives on the other hand carry a longer 5 year warranty.

My aging X-25 drive remembers the days when Intel pushed for driving down the cost of SSDs; however, does Intel still remember that goal?

For a few dollars more; synchronized SSD shooters draw first

Subject: Storage | August 8, 2011 - 02:10 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ssd, sata 6Gps, asynchronous flash, synchronous flash, SF-2281 controller

With the latest SSD controller from SandForce, the SF-2281 SATA III, we have been seeing two different types of flash memory used as the storage medium depending on which vendor or product line you look at.  Asynchronous flash and synchronous flash differ in their timing when sending read and write commands, [H]ard|OCP's analogy of synchronous flash working like DDR is perfect as the new variety can send a command on both the rise and the fall of a clock cycle.

The reason this now matters is SATA III, which allows enough bandwidth for synchronous flash to show off its higher speeds; with the previous SATA standard it simply had no impact.  That speed impact on the new standard becomes obvious in [H]'s testing, especially when they fill both drives half way and conduct some real world tests.  Now that some of both types of drives are on the market, they also look at the price difference between the two types of flash,; a comparison in which the old asynchronous flash does not look good coming out of.

"News flash! All flash NAND is not created equal! Sure, you know about multi-level and single-level NAND when it comes to speed, but what about synchronous and asynchronous NAND inside your shiny new SSD? We have answers and tell you where your money is best spent for real data speed."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Patriot Pyro 120GB SATA III SandForce SF-2281 SSD Review @Hi Tech Legion
• Corsair Performance 3 256GB SSD Review @ Hardware Canucks
• OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 - 480GB PCIe SSD Review @ HardwareHeaven
• Patriot Torqx 2 256GB @ Tweaktown
• Western Digital WD Elements SE 1 TB USB 2.0 HDD @ reviewstash
• Thermaltake BlacX 5G USB3 HDD Dock @ Funky Kit
• Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G2 32GB Review @ Techgage
• Akasa Noir Max 2.5" Hard Drive Enclosure Review @ eTeknix

Huda hudda mrphh; Patriot translates the Pyro

Subject: Storage | August 4, 2011 - 03:16 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: SF-2281 controller, sata 6Gps, patriot. ssd, patriot pyro

Patriot has now split it's SATA 6GB/s SSDs into two lines, the faster and more expensive WildFire series and the new Pyro series, which is intended to be a bit more affordable for the average user.  Legit Reviews tested their middle sized 120GB drive to see what, if anything, was sacrificed to bring the price of the Pyro down.  The SF-2281 controller will be familiar to SSD fans while the MLC flash is 25nm Micron which is likely where the cost savings and slightly lower transfer speeds come from.   Legit Reviews calculated the drives MSRP to be roughly $1.88 per usable GB for the 120 GB Pyro drive, under the magic $2/GB mark.

"Patriot hasn't been as active in the SSD realm as some other companies, focusing instead on their memory products and USB flash media. Recently they released their Wildfire line of SSDs and they follow that up with another flame related theme in the Pyro line. Each features the popular SandForce SF-2281 controller and a SATA III interface but differ in the NAND flash employed. The Pyro line is the more value oriented drive as opposed to the Wildfire line which sports slightly better max performance specifications in terms of MB/s and IOPS..."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Patriot Pyro 120GB SSD Review @ Hardware Canucks
• Patriot Pyro 120GB SATA 3 SSD Review - Patriot Wins Over The Consumer With Options & Value @ The SSD Review
• Patriot Pyro 120GB SandForce SF-2281 @ Tweaktown
• Patriot Pyro Review @ OCC
• Patriot Pyro 120GB SSD Review @ Neoseeker
• Midrange SSD Comparison - OCZ vs Crucial vs Patriot vs Kingston @ HCW
• Sandisk Ultra SATA II 240GB SSD Review - Sandisk Returns to The Consumer SSD Arena @ The SSD Review
• Strontium Gamma 115GB & Matrix 120GB SSD @ VR-Zone
• Kingston Hyper X 240GB SSD @ OC3D
• Kingston HyperX 240GB SandForce SF-2281 @ Tweaktown
• Hard Disk Drive Myths Debunked @ TechARP
• Kingston Data Traveler Ultimate 3.0 32GB USB Flash Drive Review @ eTeknix
• RaidSonic Icy Box IB-272StU-OT 2.5'' HDD Enclosure Review @ Real World Labs
• Archgon MH-2615 Mobile HDD Enclosure Review @ BayReviews
• Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Gen 2 32GB Flash Drive Review @ Legit Reviews
• Silverstone EC03 USB 3.0 PCIe Card @ XSReviews

OCZ Technology Launches Next Generation Z-Drive R4 PCI Express Solid State Storage Systems

Subject: Storage | August 2, 2011 - 07:04 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: PCIe SSD, ocz

SAN JOSE, CA—August 2, 2011—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the release of Z-Drive Revision 4 (R4) PCI Express (PCIe) storage solutions designed to dramatically accelerate enterprise applications and significantly reduce total cost of ownership in the data center. The Z-Drive R4 product line features OCZ’s second generation proprietary Virtualized Controller Architecture (VCA) 2.0, providing the utmost in performance, flexibility, durability and enhanced reliability features, allowing data centers, for the first time, to rely on a PCIe-based SSD as their primary tier one storage solution.

"Objective Analysis forecasts that the PCIe interface will become dominant in the enterprise SSD market in 2012, with unit shipments greater than the combined shipments of its SAS and Fibre Channel counterparts,” said SSD analyst Jim Handy of Objective Analysis. “This is because the PCIe interface puts less drag on the NAND-to-processor communication channel than do standard HDD interfaces. By 2015, Objective Analysis expects well over two million PCIe SSDs to ship, a number larger than all of the SATA SSDs that shipped in 2010.”

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

Corsair Forces synchronicity into their latest SSD

Subject: Storage | July 25, 2011 - 05:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ssd, corsair, corsair force gt 120GB, sata 6Gps

The new Corsair Force GT 120GB SSD goes a different way from the crowd with their use of synchronous MLC flash memory, the SF-2000 controller is very familiar though.  Synchronous flash is more expensive than asynchronous and in theory should provide better speeds with large uncompressed files, though not a huge boost. That theory bore out Neoseeker's testing with better results across the board when compared to the Patriot Wildfire SSD.  If you are willing to invest the money to get that little bit more out of your machine, the Corsair Force is worth considering.

"In an SSD market where 500MB/s data read/write speeds are becoming the norm across manufacturers, Corsair's Force GT differentiates itself from the pack by using 25nm ONFI synchronous NAND flash memory, versus standard 25nm asynchronous NAND. This allows the drive to excel at reading and writing compressed data, which is supposed to translate into faster real-world performance with files like video, music and graphics. Hit our latest SSD review to see just how real this real-world performance ends up looking."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Corsair Force GT 120GB @ Tweaktown
• OCZ Agility 3 120GB Solid State Drive @ Pro-Clockers
• Renice X3 120GB 50mm mSATA 3Gbps 120GB SSD @ SSDReview
• 240 GB SATA-600 Solid State Drive Round-Up @ Hardware Secrets
• Patriot Torqx2 128GB SSD @ Bjorn3D
• ADATA S511 120 GB @ techPowerUp
• Hard Disk Drive Myths Debunked! @ TechARP
• Kingston Data Traveler Ultimate 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Review @Hi Tech Legion
• WD Scorpio Black 750GB Notebook Hard Drive Review @ Legit Reviews
• Apacer Share Steno AC430 USB 3.0 500GB HDD Review @ Real World Labs
• Seagate’s GoFlex Satellite: the answer to all our mobile storage problems? @ t-break

Intel reproduces '8MB bug', fix coming soon.

Subject: Storage | July 24, 2011 - 09:22 PM | Allyn Malventano
Tagged: ssd, Intel, firmware, 320

We've seen some recent mumblings about a corner case where inadvertent or improper power loss to an Intel 320 Series SSD would result in the drive getting stuch in an inaccessible mode where it appears as an 8MB drive. From what I've gathered, the issue seems rare and may be tied to some specific hardware configurations.

The SSD 320 we tested back in March (we couldn't get it to 'stick' in 8MB mode).

More after the break...

Wireless storage on the go with Seagate's GoFlex Satellite

Subject: Storage | July 21, 2011 - 03:04 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: mobile hdd, 500gb, usb 3.0 seagate, seagate GoFlex Satellite

There is nothing special about a generic 500GB USB 3.0 external hard drive anymore, you can get them from a wide variety of storage providers and neither the size nor the interface are particularly unique.  Seagate saw that as a challenge and met it with the GoFlex Satellite, which sports WiFi so that you don't need to attach it the device you want to access the data from and it has an internal battery so you don't need to plug it into a power source either.   Legit Reviews grabbed one to review and you can find the results right here.

"The Seagate GoFlex Satellite is more than just a shell on a 2.5" 500GB notebook hard drive supporting USB 3.0 connectivity with an external power brick. This drive has its own battery supply and integrated 802.11n wireless access point all in the same form factor as other external drives in the GoFlex line. I was amazed by how easily and quickly I was able to use this product right out of the box. It was a simple operation to move content on to the GoFlex and stream it back off to any wireless device..."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Solid State Drives with SATA-600 Interface @ X-bit Labs
• OWC Mercury Electra 6G 240GB SATA 3 SSD Review @ The SSD Review
• Samsung 470 Series 256GB SSD Review @ HardwareHeaven
• Corsair Force GT SATA 6Gb/s 120GB Review @ OCC
• Patriot Wildfire SF-2281 Solid State Drive @ Benchmark Reviews
• Hard Disk Drive Performance Comparison Guide @ TechARP
• Areca ARC-4036 6Gb/s SAS/SATA JBOD Enclosure Review - Areca, LSI, Pliant and Patriot Perform! @ SSDReview
• Patriot Torqx 2 128 GB SSD @ techPowerUp
• Corsair Force GT 120GB SSD @ VR-Zone
• RaidSonic Icy Box IB-4320STu3 USB 3.0 RAID Enclosure @ Real World Labs
• QNAP TS-419P+ Turbo NAS @ Computing on Demand
• LG N2A2 NAS @ AnandTech
• Synology USB station 2 Review @ HardwareLOOK
• SilverStone DC01 Mini Network Storage Device Review @ HardwareHeaven
• Seagate GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage Review @ Legit Reviews
• Apacer AC430 USB 3.0 External HDD Review @ Madshrimps
• Kingston DataTraveler 3.0 G2 @ HardwareBistro
• Silicon Power Stream S10 750GB @ Legion Hardware

OCZ Technology Unveils Indilinx Everest Series Solid State Drive Controller

Subject: Storage | July 20, 2011 - 02:43 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: ocz, Indilinx, Indilinx Everest, sata 6Gps, ssd

SAN JOSE, CA - July 20, 2011 - OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today unveiled the Indilinx Everest SATA 3.0 SSD platform. The Everest platform features support of 6Gbps interface speeds, high transactional performance that is optimized for compressed files, and maximum capacities up to 1TB.

"The new Indilinx Everest platform is a complete customizable solution that delivers superior storage performance, features, and capabilities designed to exceed the needs of the most demanding SSD applications," said Bumsoo Kim, President of Indilinx. "Combining a 6Gbps SATA Revision 3.0 host interface, a dual-core CPU, and support for the latest, most advanced NAND Flash memory technology available, Everest offers SSD manufacturers unparallel flexibility in optimizing their designs for both performance and cost."

As a true next generation solution the new Indilinx Everest platform includes a complete spectrum of enhanced capabilities including:

Supports Next Generation Flash Technologies
The Everest Platform supports state-of-the-art, Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND components and next generation three bit per cell NAND Flash. The ability to leverage Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND Flash with proprietary Everest and Indilinx Ndurance Technology provides customers with significant cost reductions associated with moving to the new process.

Advanced Architecture Optimized for High Speed and Density
The Everest Platform features the only controller to support 200 mega transfers per second (MT/s) synchronous-mode flash, up over the 166 MT/s supported by other NAND Flash controllers. Everest supports 1TB capacities in a single controller SSD design with current generation Flash components. Its innovative eight channel design with up to 16-way interleaving for maximum performance, supports full data path and power fail protection to deliver best-in-class data integrity and reliability for enterprise applications.

Performance Optimization
Everest's leading-edge design delivers high sequential speeds up to 500MB/s and is optimized for small file writes at the 8K file size with next generation page mapping technology, which increases transactional performance optimized for 4K to 16K compressed files , by matching file sizes to the 8K page size typical in newer generation NAND Flash.

Enhanced Boot Time
Indilinx's new boot time reduction algorithms can be configured to decrease system boot time by up to 50% over existing SSD controller architectures for customers that require faster boot times and an instant-on experience in their applications. This provides the real world benefits users seek from their storage solutions and enables quicker access and greater responsiveness, allowing clients to take full advantage of solid state storage as a boot device.

Indilinx Everest Platform Complete Feature-Set:

• SATA Revision 3.0 - Supports 6Gbps, 3Gbps, and 1.5Gbps interface speeds
• Dual Core ARM CPU
• 1TB Maximum Capacity
• High Sequential Speeds
• High Transactional Performance - Optimized for 4K to 16K Compressed Files
• Up to 8 Channels of ONFI 2.0/Toggle 1.0 Flash at up to 200MT/s with up to 16-way Interleaving
• Advanced BCH ECC engine - over 70 bits per defined sector
• 400MHz DDR3 DRAM Cache Interface with Support for up to 512MB
• Proprietary Ndurance Technology
• Enhanced Power Fail Protection
• Supports up to 1xnm Node NAND Flash with 1, 2, or 3 bits per cell
• Efficient NAND Flash Management - Dynamic and Static Wear-Leveling, and Background Garbage Collection
• Boot Time Reduction Optimizations - Collaborative Platform Development
• NCQ Support up to 32 Queue Depth
• End-to-End Data Protection
• TRIM Support
• Numerous Over-Provisioning Options
• Industry Standard SMART Reporting

Patriot's new SSD is on fire

Subject: Storage | July 14, 2011 - 12:56 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: patriot, 32nm NAND, Sandforce SF2281, sata 6Gps, ssd

Patriot's original foray into the SSD market was overshadowed by many other manufacturers releasing SSDs and did not get much stage time compared to Intel or OCZ for instance.   This may change now that the community has realized it is the controller that makes the SSD, not the manufacturer.  Their new 120GB Wildfire is a true SATA 6Gps drive and it features the high performing Sandforce SF-2281 controller.  That isn't the only trick they have up their sleeves, though it means the drive costs more, they chose 32nm NAND over 25nm NAND which results in faster performance and possibly longer life which is in line with the three year warranty Patriot offers.  Check out the actual performance over at Neoseeker.

"The Patriot WildFire is a 120GB SSD using the latest Sandforce SF-2281 controller, and 32nm MLC NAND memory. Together these components promise enterprise-level performance in a package priced for hardware enthusiasts. Hit our review to see if the WildFire can live up to its name, or if it ends up burning out prematurely."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

• Patriot Wildfire 120GB Review @ OCC
• OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240GB SATA 6Gbit/s SSD Review @ Techgage
• Crucial m4 SSD 64GB (Raid 0) @ Hardwareoverclock
• Mushkin 32GB SDHC Review @ OCC
• Thecus N5200XXX 5-Bay NAS Server @ Tweaktown
• Icy Dock MB881U3-1SA 2.5"/3.5" SATA & IDE USB3 HDD Docking Station Review @Hi Tech Legion
• Synology USB Station 2 Review @ eTeknix
• Patriot Javelin S4 4-Bay Media Server Review @Hi Tech Legion

OCZ Technology Introduces Next Generation RevoDrive PCI-Express Solid State Drives

Subject: Storage | July 13, 2011 - 01:32 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: VCA, ssd, revo 3, PCIe SSD, ocz

SAN JOSE, CA—July 13, 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 RevoDrive 3 and RevoDrive 3 X2 lineup of SSDs. Designed to deliver maximum throughput in multithreaded applications, the new RevoDrive 3 incorporates an advanced data management feature-set based on OCZ’s proprietary Virtualized Controller Architecture (VCA) technology, providing both the performance and features required by the intensive workloads common in high performance computing and workstation environments.

The RevoDrive 3 provides unique benefits to users by incorporating features from the VCA 2.0 flash virtualization software that allow certain direct memory access (DMA) and data management functions. Included in this feature-set are OCZ’s exclusive command queuing and queue balancing algorithms, which can be handled by the onboard processing core for higher performance and reduced burden on the host resources. VCA 2.0 is also the only virtualization layer in the industry with TRIM and SCSI unmap support to enhance sustained performance and provide greater endurance by significantly reducing the overhead associated with garbage collection. Furthermore, VCA also offers consolidated SMART support and provides system administrators with advanced features for monitoring, analyzing, and reporting device attributes.

“OCZ RevoDrive 3 PCIe SSDs use our VCA 2.0 technology to deliver superior performance and functionality for everything from scientific computing to high availability clustering,” said Daryl Lang, Vice President of Product Management of OCZ Technology. “This exciting new workstation-class storage product accelerates application performance and takes full advantage of today’s multithreaded processors and software, providing customers with greater throughput in an easy-to-deploy, single card solution.”

With its all-new architecture, the RevoDrive 3 shatters its predecessor’s performance record and is faster than comparable solutions that are up to ten times the price. Available in two different models, the Revo3 delivers up to 1.5GB/s of bandwidth and up to 230,000 IOPS (4K random write) under HPC or workstation workloads with a single-card solution. Additionally, the Revo3 X2 960GB offers ample capacity for users in media development and management looking for more storage room.