Flash memory expert PhotoFast expanded its line of ultra-high performance SSDs with the GMonster3 XV2 series, which are based on the 2.5-inch SATA form-factor, making use of SATA 6 Gb/s interface. The drives use a Marvell-made controller, which combined with MLC NAND flash chips, churns out transfer rates of up to 500 MB/s read and 450 MB/s write. The drive supports the TRIM garbage-collection feature that keeps write performance up to the mark at all times. Available in capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB; the GMonster3 XV2 drives will be priced at $110, $200, $400 and $800, respectively, when initially released in Japan, later this year in April.

Sharkoon rolled out a nifty little gadget that gives you quick and fast access to HDDs, SSDs, or pretty much any SATA device. The DriveLink USB 3.0 from Sharkoon is quick to snap on to any SATA device with its standard SATA link/power connector, and gives fast access to it over USB 3.0. The device supports HDDs with capacities up to 2 TB. Measuring 58 (L) x 56 (W) x 21 (H) mm, the device connects to its host using a USB 3.0 cable (backwards compatible with USB 2.0, as well), and powers the drive and itself using a 12V DC input. It also includes a one-touch backup feature. Using the bundled backup software, users can quickly sync/backup data between the host and the drive at the press of a button. The DriveLink USB 3.0 from Sharkoon is priced at €21.

Shuttle Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of multi-form-factor solutions such as the world-famous XPC Mini-PC Barebones, showcases two models for Intel's new 32 nm-technology processor generation (code name: Sandy Bridge) at CeBIT 2011.

Shuttle, as the Mini-PC pioneer, is set to launch the XPC Barebone SH67H3 and SH67H7 at the end of March 2011. Both are based on the Intel H67 Express chipset and boast extremely impressive technical features to support all Intel Core 2nd generation i3, i5 and i7 processors with LGA1155. There are four DIMM slots that enable DDR3 memory support with a maximum capacity of 16 GB.

World leading flash memory manufacturer Silicon Power today announces the new 2.5" SATA Velox V20 series Solid State Drive (SSD). Instantly boosting PC performances, it uses the latest SandForce controller, featuring a maximum read-speed of 285MB/s and write-speed of 275MB/s so enthusiasts can sit back and enjoy the speedy transfer rates!

Silicon Power's V20 SSD uses the latest SandForce controller, it boasts a continuous read / write speed up to 285MB/ 275MB per second, respectively. An actual test using a 40GB V20 required only 13 seconds to boot into Windows and open up a program. It is the perfect enterprise office PC storage solution or the ideal boot-up disk in any PC! In addition, V20 SSD also supports TRIM Command and Garbage Collection technology to counter performance drop issues due to long period of use and continuous write actions.

ASRock seems to be in a hurry to be out with the first socket AM3+ motherboard that supports AMD's next-generation "Zambezi" Fusion Black processors, and so again put its creativity to use. The company designing a new motherboard based on the AMD 890FX + SB850 chipset instead, called the ASRock 890FX Deluxe5. The selling point with this board is the ability to have an AM3+ as early as possible, with capability to accommodate AM3+ processors as they come. For now, ASRock's idea in the public domain is only in the form of a layout drawing.

The typically-sized ATX motherboard from ASRock makes use of AMD's 890FX + SB850 chipset. The CPU socket is compatible with existing socket AM3 Phenom II and Athlon II processors, and future Fusion Black processors. This isn't particularly an advantage, because every AM3+ motherboard in the future based on 990FX will retain support for AM3 processors. On the other hand, 990FX motherboards could also embrace UEFI, something this board seems to lack prima facie.

Intel seems to have fast-tracked its Cougar Point chipset flaw rectification. The silicon giant claims that it will be in a position to start shipping B3 stepping of Cougar Point chipsets (Intel P67, H67, etc,) from 14 February, to OEM partners. According to the latest PCN (product change notification), number 110456-00 dated 2/9/2011, Cougar Point B3 will carry the following changes/features:

• Revision ID will change from 04h to 05h
• BIOS Update (Revision 1.1.4 of the BIOS Specification Update and Reference Code)
• B3 stepping package is pin compatible with B2 stepping package
• Minor metal layer change from B2 to B3 improving lifetime wear out with no changes to functionality or design specifications

Of the above, the last bullet point affirms that the SATA 3 Gb/s port defect issue, which caused physical parts of the chipset to wear out abnormally fast, degrading performance, is resolved.

Plextor is excited to reveal they will be launching their first solid state drive (SSD) in the UK next month - the world-class 2nd generation M2S Series. Plextor has a deserved, solid reputation for high performance, high quality products, especially in the storage sector. This leap into the SSD sector in the UK and Europe is a new move for the ever-expanding manufacturer, and a demonstration of their continued position as pioneers in a market likely to grow rapidly in future years. SSDs are increasing in popularity as a complement alongside traditional HDDs and the technology may eventually replace the HDD entirely for the OS and working environment.

Available in 3 capacities (64GB, 128GB and 256GB), the perfectly engineered 2.5" internal M2S Series SSD is one of the first of its kind to support the new SATA III 6B/s interface and boasts exclusive technologies to increase speed, stability and lifespan - offering up to 10 years of performance which doesn't degrade over time as other SSDs might. With read speeds of up to 480 MB/s, write speeds of up to 330 MB/s and performing significantly highly in benchmark tests, the M2S is currently the fastest SSD available on the market.

Gigabyte released a free software utility that works on any motherboard (of any brand) that uses Intel's defect-prone 6-series chipsets (such as P67, H67), and checks if the installed hard drives are connected to defective SATA ports, or whether the board is prone to defects at all. According to Intel, it's not that every 6-series motherboard out there carries defective ports, and that whatever defects there may be, would only surface over time. Some users, however, are beginning to see signs of defects right away. The 6 Series SATA Check utility from Gigabyte is the company's contribution to resolving what is a chronic market-wide error affecting all motherboard vendors selling socket LGA1155 motherboards. You can grab the tool from here.

Apparently there's a "slim" chance of users actually being affected by the recently-discovered chipset design error plaguing Intel's Cougar Point 6-series chipsets that drive the SandyBridge processors. Intel pegs this at 5% performance degradation caused due to data transfer errors over a period of 3 years. Users of Romanian tech community Lab 501 found out a way of detecting if your hard drives connected to the damage-prone SATA ports are already showing signs of errors.

To do so, you need the HD Tune Pro software, you can try out the Pro version. Select a hard drive connected to the damage-prone SATA 3 Gb/s port, click on the "Health" tab. HD Tune checks out various self-diagnostic parameters of the drive, including SMART values. A drive connected to an affected port should fail a number of tests as shown in the screenshot below. As a stopgap solution, you can connect the drive to one of the SATA 6 Gb/s ports available. Most motherboards should have 2 internal 6 Gb/s ports, some have additional 6 Gb/s ports driven by 3rd party controllers. It's advisable to use ports of those controllers. This stopgap fix should pull you through till April-May, when motherboard vendors are expected to have motherboards with B3 revision of the Cougar Point chipset. You can then claim replacement of your board under warranty.

ECS ELITEGROUP USA branch office has worked with Intel and has been made aware of a design flaw in its newest generation Intel 6 Series Express Chipsets (codenamed Cougar Point, B2 Stepping) which could, under normal operation, experience an issue with SATA ports 2-5 that may result in these SATA ports experiencing a functional issue over time.

ECS USA, along with all motherboard manufacturers, is working closely with Intel (who has identified the problem) on containing the distribution of the B2 Stepping of this product on its motherboards. ECS USA takes pride in its products' quality and is passionate about offering the best possible customer experience. ECS USA stands by its products and is committed to its customers by offering the following:

Plextor have expanded their high-performance optical storage portfolio with the addition of the PX-LB950UE - their first external Blu-ray Writer. The PX-LB950UE boasts a combination of an incredibly fast 12x writing speed with USB 3.0 technology, advanced software applications and a stylish external chassis designed to offer reliability, accuracy and low noise.

Every facet of the PX-B950UE has been designed to provide home and business users with a high performance, easy to use and versatile solution for backing-up large quantities of data or enjoying their favourite Blu-ray movies. The PX-LB950UE is available across the UK and Europe from February at an RRP of approximately £179.

MSI has been informed by Intel about the design issues in the Intel 6 series chipsets. According to Intel the performance of some of the Intel SATA ports on Intel 6 series products can degrade over time. MSI takes the quality of our products very serious, so at this moment we are investigating product batches that may be affected and, meanwhile, have stopped all shipments to our distributors and resellers. Additionally, we asked resellers to hold sales of the Intel 6 series based MSI products to customers until the issue can be resolved.

As of the 31st of January MSI informed all our distributors, retails and reseller to stop directly the sales of Intel 6 series based products of MSI and to hold any products pending shipments to customers. No need to worry in the case that you purchased an Intel 6 series based product form MSI after the 31st of January because we will take care for you. Consumers can check the section "How to get serviced".

Apacer Technology, a global innovator in memory module, takes advantage of its technical superiority again to step up the SSD read and write speed as well as its durability. The memory giant debuts today the Turbo II AS602 SSD series, which features top-of-the-line and high-speed SandForce SF-1222 controller that helps optimize sequential read/write performance to a blazing fast of 285/275MB and delivers more IOPS (30,000 input/ 13,000 output per second). Apacer also improves SSD's capability to transfer data involving small files and increases overall transfer rate. Plus, the built-in Duraclass technology delivers best-in-class reliability tantamount to enterprise-level SLC drives and edges over previous generations

"With its technical superiority in consumer and enterprise SSD as well as the use of SandForce SF-1222 controller, Apacer has managed to create the nearly impeccable AS602 SSD," said Apacer. "Compared with its SSD counterparts, Apacer's AS602 SSD has not only the fastest sequential transfer speed but fastest random read and write speed as well. It features incredible reliability and makes up all the SSD shortcomings so as to address the speed needs for users," Apacer added.

Intel on January 31, 2011 announced the detection of a design error in the new Sandy Bridge-based Intel 6 Series support chip, also known as Cougar Point. The shipment of existing Sandy Bridge products has been suspended by Intel, and the production of an updated support chip has commenced. The design error affects only the support chip, and not 2nd generation Intel Core processors such as the i5 and i7.

Acting on our philosophy and promise of inspiring innovation and persistent perfection, we've created a comprehensive response to this development to safeguard the best interest of ASUS customers around the world. We will provide total warranty services to maximize computing and usability, as each ASUS product is delivered with an uncompromising quality pledge. This includes the hassle-free return and/or replacement of all affected ASUS products. We're doing all this effective immediately - and as a first step, shipments of current ASUS Sandy Bridge-based products have been halted. The suspension covers all distribution and retail channels - ASUS only sells quality-assured products, at all times and across all product segments.

HighPoint Technologies, Inc. launches its Smart Hybrid HBA's product line. These ground-breaking PCI-E 2.0, SATA 6Gb/s HBA's combine solid state disks (SSD) with hard disk drives (HDD), into single, high-speed storage solutions, optimized for performance hungry workstations and applications. Smart Hybrid HBA's allow users to take advantage of the gigabyte-unit cost savings of a HDD's combined with the performance of SSD, without sacrificing capacity.

HighPoint's RocketHybrid HBA's are powered by Marvell's cutting-edge SATA 6Gb/s 88SE9130 IC and revolutionary HyperDuo technology. This technology was designed to aid SSD's acceptance into the mass-market by addressing the cost and capacity issues associated current SSD storage. Current hybrid approaches of combining SSD's and HDD's for use as boot drives, do not provide the consistent, high-speed file access required by high-performance applications, such as gaming or media editing.

As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel's latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the support chip which will resolve the issue. The Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.

StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has announced the availability of two new 4-Drive External Hard Drive Docking Stations, both offering USB and eSATA host connections, with support for 2.5" and/or 3.5" Serial ATA hard drives or Solid State Drives (SSDs).

Adding to StarTech.com's extensive line of Hard Drive Docking Stations, the SATDOCK4U3E SuperSpeed single connection dock and SATDOCK4U2E high speed single/multi-PC drive docking stations are the first in the market to support four SATA hard drives or solid state drives simultaneously, offering users a practical way to maximize their external storage capacity.

Active Media Products, a leading manufacturer of DOMs, small form factor SSDs and USB drives, today announced the world's first 64GB SATA DOM (Disk on Module) drives, which are ideal for servers and embedded computing applications where high reliability is paramount. These DOMs are built with MLC flash to provide outstanding resistance to extreme dust, temperature, shock and vibration. These 64GB DOMs are also less than half the size and a fraction the weight of a 2.5" SATA HDD or SSD, measuring only 2.2 x 1.3 inches (55 x 33 mm).

"These 64GB DOMs demonstate AMP's commitment to developing cutting edge storage solutions," said Active Media Products VP of Sales, Jerry Thomson. "Active Media Products has by far the widest selection of DOM types and the highest capacity DOMs available, and these 64GB offerings extend our leadership even further."

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, announces the latest Z-Drive R3 PCI-Express SSD solution for enterprise and OEM clients. Showcased for the first time at CES 2011, the Z-Drive R3 updates the existing lineup with greater performance, reliability, and design flexibility with a new compact footprint for server applications, and is the first SSD to officially deploy OCZ's proprietary Virtualized Controller Architecture (VCA) technology.

Creating a 'virtual super controller,' OCZ's VCA (Virtualized Controller Architecture) pools the resources of two or more NAND flash controller interfaces, MCPs, storage processors, and a physical interface complete with customizable features and interface options that eliminates the need to re-spin expensive silicon. VCA is able to address NAND flash in an innovative way through the use of a massively parallel array, eliminating bottlenecks by increasing both read and write speeds up to the theoretical interface limit while keeping access latencies to a minimum. With VCA, IT Architects can now take advantage of enterprise-rich features that are not available when utilizing traditional raid cards with an array of SSDs in their servers. With the Z-Drive R3, which makes use of VCA technology, clients can now overcome this obstacle and deploy a single solid state drive that not only delivers exceptional bandwidth but also beneficial enterprise features including TRIM, SMART monitoring, native command queuing (NCQ), tagged command queuing (TCQ), power fail management, and wear-leveling.

Gigabyte made an addition to its peripherals lineup, with the Pure Rock series of portable hard drives. Pure Rock carries the model number GZ-PMPRxxxU-BR/ WR (where xxx is capacity in GB, and BR/WR refer to black/white), and features a durable anti-vibration mechanism. It also sports a compact (128 x 82 x 15 mm, weighing 172 g), and subjectively elegant design. Internally, it uses 2.5" SATA hard drives, but connects to the system over USB 2.0. It also draws power from the same USB connection. It is available in capacities of 320 GB, 500 GB, 640 GB, and 750 GB. The internal drives have spindle-speeds of 5400 rpm, with 8 MB caches. A carry-pouch is bundled, the drive is covered by a 3-year warranty. Gigabyte did not give out pricing.

Committed to the growing market for cost-effective, capacity-optimized drives, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today introduced its new enterprise-class, 3.5-inch, 3TB Ultrastar 7K3000 drive family - the world's first and only 7,200 RPM drive family rated at 2.0 million hours MTBF and backed by a five-year limited warranty. The new Ultrastar 7K3000 drive family represents the fifth-generation of Hitachi's five-platter mechanical design, which has been stringently designed, tested and field proven for quality and reliability by global server and storage OEMs, as well as the most well known Internet giants worldwide.

With millions of five-platter Ultrastar drives shipped over the last three years, Hitachi's field reliability data shows an unprecedented AFR below 0.40 percent, exceeding customer and industry AFR quality specifications for a 7,200 RPM drive. By increasing the MTBF specification to 2.0 million hours, with an AFR 40 percent lower than drives rated 1.2 million hours MTBF, Hitachi enables data center managers to expect reduced failures, improved up-time and lowered TCO when using a large population of Ultrastar 7K3000 hard drives over a period of time.

Synology Inc. today launched the DiskStation DS411slim, a palm-sized 4-bay NAS server, which boasts a read speed of over 100MB/sec and is tailored for home and small office users who look for a green and quiet file sharing and backup solution, along with multimedia enrichment.

With a small and lightweight construction, the DS411slim measures 120x105x142 mm, nearly a quarter of the size of a conventional 3.5-inch 4-bay NAS server, and weighs 0.66 kg only. However, its compact design does not sacrifice its high performance, which reaches 106.9 MB/sec reading and 48.6 MB/sec writing speeds under RAID 5 configuration in a Windows environment.

Extending its innovation in the 1.8" hard disk drive (HDD) category, Toshiba Storage Device Division announces the industry's first 1.8" drives with low-insertion force (LIF) SATA (Serial ATA) connectors, enabling a 10% smaller footprint compared to standard 1.8" drives using microSATA connectors. Developed for use in multiple devices, including tablets, consumer electronics devices and external HDDs, the new MKxx39GSL series offers three models, at 160GB (MK1639GSL), 200GB (MK2039GSL) and 220GB (MK2239GSL) capacities. The MK2239GSL features the largest capacity 1.8" single-platter HDD (5mmH) available. The MK2239GSL, MK2039GSL, and the MK1639GSL are designed for the most demanding mobile computing applications, surpassing 2.5" HDDs in terms of vibration robustness, low power consumption, and quiet operation. Samples will be available for customer qualification in February.

PSU OEM Super Flower became the first to market an 80 Plus Platinum certified modular power supply unit (PSU), the SF-550P14PE. An 80 Plus Platinum certified PSU delivers power with 92% of typical efficiency. Further, its fan controller is programmed to run the fan only if the internal temperatures cross 65~70°C. If temperatures are below that, the fan stays off. The company displayed a 550W model, a 650W model (SF-650P14PE) is also in the works.

The PSU makes use of a single 12V rail design, with a single 45.5A rail. The PSU is ATX v2.3 & EPS12V v2.92 compliant, and features modular cabling. The 24-pin ATX, 4+4 pin EPS, and two PCI-E (6 pin and 8 pin) are fixed, two additional PCI-E power connectors (6 pin and 8 pin) can be connected, apart from a number of SATA, Molex, and Floppy connectors. Key connectors such as PCI-E have REMI-cores to reduce EMI. The company has just started marketing these in Eastern markets, it remains to be seen when and if these will make it to Europe and US.

Flash memory and DRAM major Kingston Technology is reportedly seeking a stake in JMicron, a company that specializes in serial ATA connectivity products such as SATA host controllers and SSD NAND flash controllers. JMicron has been supplying Kingston with controller chips for its entry-level SSDs. JMicron will host a special investors meeting tomorrow to pass the company's proposal to raise new funds through a private placement.

In a segment seeing domination with companies such as Marvell and SandForce, JMicron has seen success in 2010 with its entry-level SSD controllers. Industry sources estimated that JMicron's SSD controller shipments for 2010 totaled more than one million units. Kingston accounted for over 30% to the output, the sources said. Kingston's partnership indicates that we will get to see more of Kingston's products feature JMicron controllers.