SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced a high-performance solid state drive (SSD) for the retail channel. The SanDisk Extreme SSD is up to 10 times faster than a 7,200 RPM hard disk drive, enabling computer users to quickly boot and shut down their systems, launch applications faster and reduce wait times. The drive is also more durable and power efficient, delivering a reliable computing experience while maximizing battery life.

Extreme Performance

The SanDisk Extreme SSD can boot a PC in less than 16 seconds and quickly shut down the system, delivering a significantly improved user experience to desktop and notebook users. For gamers, the SanDisk Extreme SSD can launch applications in a fraction of the time and reduce in-game delays by generating environments faster during sequence transitions. This is particularly important during massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced the SanDisk X100 solid state drive (SSD) for client computing markets. The SanDisk X100 SSD is available in capacities up to 512 GB and utilizes multi-level cell (MLC) technology, a SATA 6 Gb/s high-performance interface, advanced multi-streaming features and tiered caching technology.

The drive offers up to 500/420 megabyte per second (MB/sec) sequential read/write speeds, and enables a user to copy a 4 GB high-definition movie in less than 10 seconds. In addition to the standard 2.5 inch form factor, the X100 SSD also comes in mSATA and customized thin form factors to address the emerging ultra-thin laptop market. SanDisk offers a wide variety of configuration options, including standalone and dual drive caching solutions.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced the Z-Drive R4 CloudServ PCI Express (PCIe) flash storage solution, designed to dramatically accelerate cloud computing applications and significantly reduce operating expenses in the data center. The new Z-Drive R4 CloudServ features monumental data throughput, and raises the bar in performance and capacity.

"The Z-Drive R4 CloudServ PCIe solid state drive delivers game-changing performance and enables clients to process massive data-sets with up to 16 TB of storage capacity on a single, easy-to-deploy card," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "With this new solution, system architects are able to design more efficient and dynamic cloud computing infrastructures while simultaneously reducing system complexity and the high maintenance costs associated with traditional infrastructures."

Following many of its rivals, Taiwanese memory module maker Golden Emperor International Ltd. (aka GeIL) has decided to expand into the solid state drive market. The company is currently finishing up its very first (2.5-inch) SSDs which are known as Zenith S2 (SATA 3.0 Gbps) and Zenith S3 (SATA 6.0 Gbps) and are set to become available as soon as next month.

The Zenith S2 will deliver read/write speeds of up to 280/270 MB/s while the S3 models, which are powered by SandForce SF-2000 Series controllers, will be capable of 500+ MB/s transfer speeds.

The Zenith S2 family will include 60 GB and 120 GB models whereas the Zenith S3 line will feature 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB drives. More details about GeIL's SSDs are expected in the coming weeks.

Affordable Ultrabooks, which strike a cost-benefit sweet-spot when priced in the US $599-699 range are unlikely to become a reality till 2013, sources among notebook vendors told DigiTimes. The same sources also note that pricing will be the key to driving demand for Ultrabooks. They attribute this to high production costs, which will likely persist till next year.

Components such as SSDs, which are key to keeping these devices ultra-slim, cost 10-times as much as HDDs, custom-design ultra-thin display panels, and aluminum unibody chassis are still quite expensive, even as major ODMs are ramping up infrastructure to mass-produce some of these components. Even with the most aggressive cost-cutting, the cheapest Ultrabooks available in 2012 will cost US $799.

Showcased at CES last month, the S1081 tablet PC/slate based around the Intel Cedar Trail platform has now found its way onto its maker's (Gigabyte) website for a full reveal of its specs. Seen below, the mobile device measures 270 (W) x 173 (D) x 14.94 (H) mm, it weights between 790 grams (when equipped with an SSD) and 850 grams (with a HDD), and features a 10.1-inch (1024 x 600) LED-backlit capacitive touchscreen, and a 1.86 GHz Atom N2800 processor.

The S1081 also packs 2/4 GB of RAM, up to a 500 GB HDD or up to a 256 GB SSD, an SD card reader, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, dual 1.5 W speakers, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFI, Bluetooth 3.0, optional 3.5G, one USB 3.0 ports, D-Sub and HDMI outputs, and a 4000 mAh battery. The slate's pricing and release date have yet to be announced.

A goof-up by Samsung's US website team saw the product page of an upcoming Intel Ivy Bridge-powered notebook getting published, and later redacted, leaving enough time for a Google cached copy to take shape. Carrying the model number NP700G7C, the notebook is a large-format 17.3-incher, which looks slim enough not to be labelled "desktop-replacement". The notebook is driven by Intel Core i7-3610QM quad-core processor, which is clocked at 2.30 GHz, and packs 6 MB of L3 cache. The processor is wired to four 4 GB DDR3 modules, totaling 16 GB.

The storage subsystem on this notebook consists of two 1 TB HDDs that are striped (RAID 0), backed a small 8 GB SSD that acts as a cache, temporarily holding hot-data of the volume. The optical-drive is a slot-in Blu-ray ROM. The 17.3-inch screen provides 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, which is driven by NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M graphics with 2 GB GDDR5 memory. Other features include wireless b/g/n with Intel WiDi support, gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, two USB 3.0 ports, and a USB 2.0 port. The top-mounted webcam features 2 MP resolution. The product page also went on to reveal a price, US $1,699.99.

Japanese PC maker FaithPC unveiled the GXT P170HBD-G580 TWIN-Drive SSR2, a 17.3-inch performance notebook that features three star attractions: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580M 2 GB graphics, two Intel SSD 520 Series 180 GB SSDs in RAID 0, and an Intel Core i7-2960XM Extreme Edition quad-core processor. The notebook packs 16 GB (2x 8 GB) DDR3-1333 MHz memory. The 17.3-inch display sports 1920x1080 pixels resolution.

Apart from the lightning fast storage, the notebook packs a Blu-ray writer drive. Connectivity includes wireless b/g/n, gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth. The keyboard is specifically designed for gaming, with heightened W,A,S,D keys. Measuring 412 x 276 x 32 ~ 49 mm (WxDxH), it measures about 3.9 kg. Windows 7 Home Premium x64 is the OS of choice. The GXT P170HBD-G580 TWIN-Drive SSR2 from FaithPC is priced at 299,800 JPY (US $3,857).

ATP Electronics, a leading flash memory manufacturer known for its high quality, durable flash and DRAM memory modules, announced the launch of its industrial grade SLC (Single Level Cell) Solid State Drive (SSD). The ATP Velocity SI Pro 2.5" SATA III SSD is ideal for Industrial PC and high end computing devices in which extreme performance and reliability are required. With a stable performance read speed of up to 500 MB/s, a write speed of up to 500 MB/s, and 4K random read IOPS of up to 60, 000, the Velocity SSD SI pro is also the ideal solution for enterprise and industrial grade applications.

Demonstrating its commitment to delivering leading-edge technologies and solutions for enterprise-class servers and storage systems, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced that its Ultrastar enterprise-class solid state drive (SSD) family is the industry's first to use 25-nanometer (nm) single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash.

The Ultrastar SSD400S.B family combines Hitachi's proven enterprise hard disk drive (HDD) expertise with Intel's extensive capabilities in developing high-endurance SLC NAND flash memory and advanced SSD technology. The drives also conform to the Trusted Computing Group's Enterprise A Security Subsystem Class encryption specification, helping customers protect sensitive data, and reduce the costs associated with drive retirement and reuse.

MAINGEAR, an award-winning PC system builder offering custom desktops, notebooks, and workstations, has updated the TITAN 17 high performance desktop replacement solution with all new aesthetic features while still maintaining top of the line performance for PC gamers who want to harness desktop-like power wherever they go and creative professionals that can work on site with no loss in productivity.

The TITAN 17 features support for both the latest Intel Core i7-3930K and the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition. With fast, intelligent multi-core technology that accelerates performance to match your workload, it delivers an incredible breakthrough in gaming performance. For both gamers and demanding users, the Titan 17 capitalizes on a dramatic leap forward in processing technology to provide all the power you need for even the most advanced games and applications.

In its CeBIT invitation circular, Patriot Memory unveiled names of three new client SSD product lines, which it will launch in Hanover. These include new high-performance client SSD lines, the Wildfire Pro, and Wildfire SE; and a new mainstream client SSD line called Magma. With no other details, we're left to only speculate. Patriot's flagship SandForce SF-2281 driven Wildfire series features among some of the highest performing SATA 6 Gb/s client SSDs. The Wildfire Pro and SE, in all probability, could be higher-performing parts, with higher sequential speeds, and random access performance. With Magma, Patriot could design a client SSD using a controller of another make than SandForce; probably Marvell, or even OCZ-Indilinx.

Verbatim Europe has now started delivering the SATA 6.0 Gbps solid state drives it announced last month. These SSDs have a 2.5-inch form factor, a SandForce SF-2281 controller, MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips, TRIM support, and deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 550 MB/s and 510 MB/s, respectively.

Verbatim's 120 GB and 240 GB SATA 6.0 Gbps drives are backed by a two-year warranty and cost 199 Euro and 399 Euro, respectively.

Major Japanese OEM Mouse Computer announced a trio of high-end desktop PCs that are built specifically around Intel's SSD 520 solid-state drives, launched a little earlier this week. These include the MDV-ASG8310B-SSD, the MDV-ASG8250B, and the MDV-AGG9320S-SSD. The MDV-ASG8310B-SSD and MDV-ASG8250B are both driven by Intel Core i7-2700K processor, based on Intel Z68 motherboard, with 8 GB (2x 4 GB) memory; while the former features NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics, the latter has GeForce GTX 560. The MDV-AGG9320S-SSD is driven by six-core Intel Core i7-3930K processor, with 16 GB (4x 4 GB) memory, and GeForce GTX 570 graphics.

All three are built into the same chassis, featuring the same 23-inch full-HD display and peripherals. All three feature Intel's newly-launched SSD 520 solid-state drive with 120 GB capacity, the SSD is configured to hold the OS and program files, while all three further feature a slower 1 TB hard drive that handles documents and storage. DVD-RW, gigabit Ethernet, and Windows 7 Home Premium x64 make for the rest of the commonalities. The MDV-ASG8310B-SSD is priced at 99,750 JPY (US $1,300); the MDV-ASG8250B at 109,830 JPY ($1,432); and the MDV-AGG9320S-SSD at 159,600 JPY ($2,081).

Intel Corporation announced today its fastest, most robust client/consumer solid-state drive (SSD) to date, the Intel Solid-State Drive 520 Series (Intel SSD 520), a 6 gigabit-per-second (gbps) SATA III SSD produced using Intel compute-quality 25-nanometer (nm) NAND memory process technology. Aimed at delivering world-class performance for even the most demanding PC enthusiasts, gamers, professionals or small-medium businesses (SMBs), the Intel SSD 520 has fast throughput performance, new security features and unmatched reliability to meet even the most intensive user requirements.

Any consumer application requiring high throughput and bandwidth, low latencies and accelerated speed will benefit from the Intel SSD 520. Software developers, architects, accountants, engineers, musicians, media creators and artists are just some of the professionals that will find that the Intel SSD 520's full package of features can make a dramatic impact on their productivity. With faster performance for graphic renderings, compiling, data transfers and system boot-ups, users can speed through multi-tasking or once-cumbersome application wait times with an Intel SSD 520 Series.

Memory industry major Kingston is working towards reducing prices of its products that are based on NAND flash memory. This includes a large chunk of Kingston's product portfolio, as the only products excluded would be DRAM. NAND flash-based products include memory cards, USB flash drives, and SSDs. Kingston will reportedly cut prices by as much as 15 percent. Responding to a DigiTimes report, Kingston said that it is adjusting its NAND flash product pricing to coordinate with the rest of the industry to shift towards more advanced processes, and that it wants to enhance its presence in the NAND flash market. In other words, Kingston is clearing its inventory to make way for newer, more advanced technology.

Chinese storage and peripherals major Orico unveiled the X-Gear modular storage system, which consists of three products: the XG-2501p, which is a 2.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD enclosure; the XG-3502i, which is a slot-in docking-station for the XG-2501p that fits into an exposed 3.5-inch drive bay; and the XG-2516s, which is a combo-package of these two products (an enclosure of your choice, and the slot-in dock).

The XG-2501p enclosure sports a brushed-aluminum exterior, and is available in a variety of colors. The XG-3502i has a slot-in tray for the enclosure, with a mechanical eject button for any inserted XG-2501p, and an activity indicator. The XG-2501p is priced at 28 RMB (US $5), the XG-3502i at 49 RMB ($7.8), and XG-2516s at 69 RMB ($11).

Optical disc drive major Lite-On opined that its SSD sales will see huge growth in 2012. The company is not new to SSDs, as it entered the SSD business about three years ago, yet it is not a major player. In 2011, the SSD business generated about NT$1 billion (US $33.9 million) in revenues for the company, which the company expects will jump 600~700% (NT$6-7 billion) in 2012. Tablets and Ultrabooks, according to Lite-On, will be the prime-movers of this growth.

RunCore, a leading manufacturer of high-performance and rugged solid state drives (SSDs) today announced the availability of its latest SATA 3 SSD.

"The new 2.5" SATA3, 6Gbs, drive is the nice addition to our existing portfolio of SSD products. The Pro-V MAX is based on the SF-2281 controller with the optimized firmware (the Golden FW). With Read and Write transfer rate at 560 MB/s and 520 MB/s, respectively, and the burst IOPS at 87K while sustained IOPS over 60K, has a super score of over 770 in AS SSD Benchmark, the drive is designed to deliver exceptional performance over the life of it with no performance degradation over time. The Pro-V MAX is ideal for use in gaming machines, HPC & datacenter servers," said Amy Wang, VP of Strategies and Business Product Development of RunCore.

Seagate started shipping its GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter accessory. The gadget lets you connect a SATA drive (HDD or SSD) to a host machine over 10 Gbps Thunderbolt interface, completely eliminating any bottleneck (USB 3.0 bottlenecks SATA 6 Gb/s). It works by simply sliding and locking in a SATA device to its industry-standard SATA power+data interface, and plugging the adapter to the host using a Thunderbolt cable. The Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter is priced at US $99.99.

Fresh news from the IT Partners event in France, PNY is preparing the release of a couple of new, speedy solid state drives, the enterprise-grade Optima Pro models which make use of SandForce's SF-2582 controller. These 2.5-inch drives also have a metal casing, MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips, and a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface.

The Optima Pro SSDs come in 120 GB and 240 GB capacities and should deliver sequential read/write speeds of over 500 MB/s. Unfortunately their prices are not yet known.

Former hard drive maker (it sold the HDD business to Toshiba in 2009) Fujitsu has finally decided to give SSDs (solid state drives) a try and so it developed and released such a storage solution. Codenamed HLACC2031A-G1, Fujitsu's SSD has a 2.5-inch form factor, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, a SandForce SF-2281 controller, MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory, and is capable of read/write speeds of up to 550/500 MB/s, and of a random read/write performance of 55,000/40,000 IOPS.

The HLACC2031A-G1 is first being shipped to APAC (Asia-Pacific) markets in two capacities - 120 GB (~ US$202) and 240 GB (~ US$427). Both models will come with a three-year warranty.

Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today announced the launch of its new next generation SSD720 SATA III 6Gb/s solid state drive (SSD) that delivers significantly improved computer performance over standard rotating hard drives. Designed with multitasking power users in mind, the productivity-enhancing SSD720 is the ideal solution for demanding system applications, such as specialized multimedia computing and advanced gaming.

Xilence Technology has now introduced the SSD-/HDD-Dock, an all-black device that fits into a 5.25-inch bay and offers space for two 2.5-inch SATA drives as well as two USB 3.0 ports (ports which can be connected to the motherboard via a 19-pin plug). This internal dock features Hot Swap capabilities and is shipping in Europe bearing a recommended price tag of 27.90 Euro.

Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH, the European subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., one of the leading developers and manufacturers of compact PC solutions such as the world-renowned XPC Mini-PC barebones, today announces its new top-of-the-range XPC Barebone model SZ68R5.

It is the first time a Shuttle Mini-PC integrates Intel's Z68 high-performance desktop chipset with Smart Response Technology (SSD caching). An SSD is used here to speed up the boot process and to ensure ultra-rapid application startup. Space-saving mSATA-SSDs can be fitted in the corresponding Mini-PCIe slot on the motherboard.