Zalman's newest line of solid state drives, the F1-series, started selling in Japan. These drives are slated for launch tomorrow. These drives are a typical implementation of the SandForce SF-2281 controller, backed by MLC NAND flash memory. The F1-series is available in three sizes, 60 GB, 120 GB, and 240 GB; priced at 11,980 JPY (US $153), 19,800 JPY ($254), and 39,980 JPY ($513), respectively. The drives take advantage of the SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and are built in the 2.5-inch form-factor. The drives offer read speeds of up to 560 MB/s, and up to 530 MB/s writes. The 60 GB and 120 GB models offer 4K random write performance of 30,000 IOPS, while the 240 GB one offers 45,000 IOPS.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND flash storage solutions, today announced the Storage POD Mini, a portable SSD that will change how you think about external storage.

External hard disk drives have made it easy to back-up important data and move data from one machine to another but its performance was limited and always slower than an internal hard drive. Thanks to USB 3.0 and SSD technologies, it is now possible to create a USB storage solution that is smaller, lighter and more rugged than a traditional HDD. A blue anodized, all-aluminum enclosure enables this drive to be both lightweight and rugged yet measure a mere 110 x 68 x 10 mm (roughly the same size as an internal 2.5" HDD; without the enclosure) It fits easily in your pocket and requires no power adapter. It's the perfect travelling companion.

Monster and SDJ Technologies have recently teased the very first solid state drives coming out under the Monster Digital brand, the 'Le Mans' Series. These drives feature a 2.5-inch form factor, a SandForce SF-2200 controller, Toshiba-made synchronous MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, and deliver read and write speeds of up to 550 MB/s and 515 MB/s, respectively.

The Le Mans family of SSDs will ship in Q1 2012 and will include 80 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB and 400 GB models. The drives' prices were not announced but such info should be made available early next month at CES 2012.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND Flash storage solutions, today announces their fastest 2.5" SSD to date, the SATA3 TeraNova. Targeted at the Pro/Enthusiast seeking extreme performance, the TeraNova is the fastest 2.5" SSD that SuperTalent has released to date. Featuring the SATA3 Interface and SandForce 2200 processor with optimized firmware, the SuperTalent TeraNova was built for speed.

By optimizing the transfer rate at various queue depths, the TeraNova delivers excellent performance in a variety of different conditions. Sure the TeraNova boots quickly and posts outstanding benchmark scores (over 500 MB/s for both read and write), but the TeraNova also excels in general responsiveness. Industry standard applications like Photoshop, Premier, Maya and 3DS Max, load, render and perform much faster when compared to countless other SSDs available on the market. The TeraNova also includes new features that enhance reliability as well. In the event of a sudden power loss, the TeraNova reacts, protecting valuable data from corruption before it powers off.

Although Intel has its SSD 510 series to target the high-end client market segment, it's available in very few capacities, and is facing tough competition from "SandForce-Driven" SSDs (SSDs that use SandForce-made controllers). In 2012, Intel will give its SSD lineup a large-scale revamp, which includes the gradual replacement of SSD 510 series with new SSD 520 "Cherryville" series. Targeting the same high-end client segment, SSD 520 will be available in a wider variety of capacities that includes 60 GB, 120 GB, 180 GB, 240 GB, and 480 GB.

We are now getting to learn through a fresh report by TheSSDReview, the idea behind SSD 520: that Intel wants to use SandForce SSD processors. The new drives feature transfer rates of up to 550 MB/s reads, 520 MB/s writes, 70,000 IOPS 4K random write throughput, and overprovisioned capacities consistent with most SandForce-driven SATA 6 Gb/s SSDs in the market. SSD 520 should hence provide the best of both worlds: the trust Intel brand brings to the table with a possible secret-sauce firmware; and the high-performance of SandForce controllers. Intel's SSD 510 uses a Marvell-made controller, many of its previous generation SSDs have used its in-house SSD controllers. TheSSDReview reports that the launch of these drives is imminent.

Anandtech posted the first set of performance figures of OCZ Octane. The enthusiast community is looking at the outcome of OCZ Octane eagerly, because it is based on OCZ's own newest high-performance SATA 6 Gb/s SSD processor, the Indilink Everest, the first major Indilinx controller after OCZ's acquisition of the company. It adds to the options available to enthusiasts, between SandForce SF-228x based SSDs, and Marvell 88SS9174.

The [p]reviewer put the 512 GB 6 Gb/s variant of this drive though the site's "Heavy Workload 2011" test suite, in which it edged past Intel SSD 510 250 GB, but fell behind OCZ Vertex 3 MaxIOPS 240 GB and Kingston HyperX 240 GB, both driven by SandForce SF-2281 processors. So far the performance yield looks encouraging, considering that OCZ has managed such performance on a drive with relatively higher capacity. Apart from the Indilinx Everest, OCZ Octane features 512 MB of cache and Intel 25 nm Sync MLC NAND flash memory. OCZ will also introduce a value variant that uses the SATA 3 Gb/s interface and Async MLC NAND flash. Complete reviews of this drive will surface in the coming days.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage, and enthusiast computer products, today announces their new Mac Series XT SSDs and SODIMM lines. Optimized for the latest and popular Mac products, these premium offerings are geared for power users demanding the latest storage and memory technology to increase productivity and performance.

"Patriot Memory's Mac Series XT SSDs will provide users with a great alternative to traditional mechanical hard drives", says William Lai, Patriot Memory's Product Manager. "Offering an easy solid state and memory upgrade, Mac users will be able to maximize their computing experience almost instantly."

LSI Corporation today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SandForce, Inc., the leading provider of flash storage processors for enterprise and client flash solutions and solid state drives (SSDs). Under the agreement, LSI will pay approximately $322 million in cash, net of cash assumed, and assume approximately $48 million of unvested stock options and restricted shares held by SandForce employees.

SandForce's award-winning products include flash storage processors at the heart of PCIe flash adapters and SSDs. Flash storage processors provide the intelligence required to deliver the performance and low-latency benefits of flash storage in enterprise and client applications. With market-proven, differentiated DuraClass technology, SandForce flash storage processors improve the reliability, endurance and power efficiency of flash-based storage solutions.

Finally a fix for the BSOD/disconnect bug that has been plaguing users for months is available for SF-2200 based SSDs. OCZ uses these, has been testing this new firmware for several weeks and now believes that it's fit for release. The new firmware is at version 2.15 for OCZ drives and 3.3.2 for drives that SandForce's standard numbering system. As with any firmware update, it should be used cautiously, all data backed up and perhaps used on a non-mission critical Windows install for a while, for confidence. Note that there may be more unresolved issues and new ones introduced.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage, and enthusiast computer products, today expanded their Pyro brand of SATA III solid-state drives with the launch of its new Pyro SE. Powered by SandForce's SF-2281 SSD processor, the Patriot Memory Pyro SE brings the added performance of synchronous NAND to the brand while offering a very aggressive price per performance ratio.

To ensure rock-solid performance, the Patriot Memory Pyro SE utilizes TRIM, DuraClass, and DuraWrite technologies. Offering read/write speeds of 500+ MB/s, the Pyro SE will chew through large file transfers and make even the most demanding applications a smooth experience. The Pyro SE series will feature a standard 2.5-inch form factor for flexible compatibility with both notebooks and desktops.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced worldwide retail availability of the 480 GB Force Series GT SSD and 180GB and 480GB Force Series 3 SSDs.

As solid-state drives reach wider adoption rates, Corsair's new SSD models address growing market demand for fast, high-capacity drives. The 180GB Force Series 3 targets consumers and IT professionals who want an affordable step up from 120GB, and the 480GB models are ideal for high-performance notebook PC users who require massive SSD storage capacity in a single drive. The top of the line 480GB Force Series GT SSD is designed for video editing, competitive gaming, and other applications for which extraordinary performance is required.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash application products, today announced the release of the S510 Solid State Drive (SSD), a mid-range version of the company's flagship S511. Implementing the SATA III (6Gb/sec) specification, the S510 is aimed at the growing pool of users who recognize the cost and performance advantages of solid state drive upgrades for both desktop and portable computers.

The performance advantages of the SATA III transfer specification are becoming well-known among consumers, and the S510 capitalizes on this trend with native support through adoption of the SandForce SF-2200 series chip. Its read and write speeds are twice that of SSDs using the older SATA II specification, and in real world test simulations reached 550/510MB read and write speeds respectively, with 4K random write speeds as high as 85,000 IOPS.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the industry's first 6G SSD upgrade for the 2011 Apple MacBook Air 11.1" and 13.3"models. The new OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSDs combine award-winning SandForce technologies and Tier 1/Grade A Toggle Synchronous NAND to deliver data rates that are more than 3x faster and capacities that are up to 4x greater than factory available SSD options. Currently available in two sizes--120GB and 240GB--the new 6Gb/s SATA 3.0 Revision models continue OWC's position as the only alternative to factory SSD options for the 2010-2011 MacBook Air. 3G speed models from OWC are also available in capacities of up to 480GB.

The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G offers 2011 MacBook Air owners a cost-effective SSD upgrade path that delivers higher performance, functionality, and reliability over the factory installed SSD. Because the Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD is SATA Revision 3.0 (6Gb/s) compatible, it can take advantage of the 2011 MacBook Air's built-in 6Gb/s SATA data bus to deliver peak, sustained data rates over 500MB/s, versus the factory installed SSDs, which are limited by SATA Revision 2.0 (3Gb/s) capability.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping the SSDNow KC100, the company's first SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s) business-equipped SSD. KC100 utilizes the latest award-winning SandForce controller. This powerhouse SSD delivers exceptional performance and instantly boosts the productivity of any client system.

KC100 is backed by a five-year warranty to match the industry average for product refresh cycles in the enterprise. Utilizing SandForce's DuraClass technology, KC100 delivers world-class data integrity protection. Corporations can rest assured their data is safe as the drive offers advanced wear leveling and garbage collection to maintain optimal endurance and performance. Data integrity protection runs transparently in the background so it never disrupts daily business.

OCZ is an established SSD vendor with SSDs of all shapes and sizes, from SATA to PCIe, and even USB 3.0. It's natural that the company would pick up on mSATA, a form-factor that finds relevence in ultra-portable notebooks, and recently, motherboards with SSD caching technologies such as Intel Smart Response. OCZ has two mSATA SSD lines, Strata and Nocti. Strata is driven by OCZ's own Indilinx controller, while Nocti is SandForce-driven.Specifications are tabled below:

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced worldwide retail availability of 180GB and 240GB Force Series GT SSDs. The new high-capacity 180GB and 240GB models join the 60GB and 120GB Force Series GT models already on the market.

Force Series GT is designed for enthusiasts who demand the fastest performance available. It uses the SandForce SF-2280 SSD Processor, with native support for SATA 6Gb/s (SATA 3), combined with ONFI synchronous flash memory. Force Series GT SSD upgrades deliver outstanding read/write performance and significantly faster system response, boot times, and application load times than SATA 2 solid-state drives, with out-of-box performance of up to 85K Random Write IOPS, read speeds of up to 555 MB/s, and write speeds of up to 525 MB/s. The use of synchronous flash memory makes the Force GT Series particularly adept at reading and writing non-compressible data, such as video and music files.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, today announced the $129.99 MSRP 60GB capacity model to its award-winning, built in the USA OWC Mercury Electra 6G Solid State Drive line. Offering a lower starting price point to one of the industry's fastest 6G SSD lines, the new SandForce Driven 6Gb/s 60GB capacity OWC Mercury Electra 6G SSD utilizes the highest quality components available, including Tier 1/Grade A NAND, to deliver 556MB/s read and 523MB/s write sustained data rates for over 7X faster performance than a standard factory hard drive found in Mac and PC computers.

In order to satisfy the new generation's need for extreme speed, the world's leading memory storage product brand Team Group Inc. released the first generation 2.5 inch SATA III SSD to firmly display their ambition to grab market share. SSD S3 uses the high standard SATA3 6Gb/s interface, and is equipped the enthusiast level SandForce controller as the core helmsman; when compared to the previous generation SATA 2, not only does it maintain Team Group's consistent high standard product stability and security, it also comprehensively increases the reading and writing speed, leading SSD's super efficiency towards a new revolutionary realm.

Once a PC enthusiast-centric company, OCZ is taking the solid state drive business seriously, across all market segments, consumer-thru-enterprise. The company now has SSDs in nearly all form-factors, making use of nearly all industry standard interfaces, it even has its own high-bandwidth interface modelled. Some of its highest performance SSDs are in the PCI-Express addon card form-factor, that include SSDs with transfer rates well within the gigabyte per second range.

OCZ CEO Ryan Petersen will be holding a conference call with the press later today, in which he will be talking about the company's enterprise SSD business, and unveil a new PCI-Express SSD, called Z-Drive R4. Z-Drive is OCZ's enterprise PCI-E SSD targeted at systems in which throughput is everything. The Z-Drive R4 was spotted at this year's Computex event, it is essentially a PCI-Express 2.0 x8 addon card that has an 8-port SATA 6 Gb/s controller, driving eight, yes, eight SSD subunits in RAID 0. Each subunit consists of a SandForce SF-2281 controller with its own NAND flash memory. As with all compound SSDs, the RAID 0 volume is completely abstract to the host machine.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping the HyperX SSD, its first SATA Rev. 3.0 6Gb/s solid-state drive. The Kingston HyperX SSD features the latest SandForce controller and is designed for enthusiasts, gamers and performance users.

Leading memory storage brand, SP/Silicon Power today announces the launch of its first SATA III Solid State Drive (SSD), the Velox Series V30. Continuing the efficiency and stability of the V20, the V30 employs the highest spec SATA 6 Gbps interface on the market, while remaining backwards compatible with the SATA II Gbps interface. Running at over double the efficiency of the SATA 3 Gbps interface, the V30 is a top level product that can meet the needs of computer gamers and professional computer users alike.

The SP/Silicon Power V30 SSD uses a SandForce controller chip, enabling it to reach a top read speed of 550 MB/s, and top write speed of 500 MB/s. It also supports TRIM command and Garbage Collection technology, resolving the issue of decreased efficiency in SSDs used for long periods of time.

Patriot Memory announced its latest high-performance solid state drive for the client platform, the Patriot Pyro. The new SSD comes in the 2.5-inch SATA form-factor, uses SATA 6 Gbps interface, and is driven by SandForce SF-2281 controller. It will be availabile in capacities of 60 GB, 120 GB, and 240 GB. The 120 and 240 GB variants will offer transfer-rates of up to 550 MB/s read, 520 MB/s write; while the 60 GB variant gives 515 MB/s read, 490 MB/s write. Similarly, the 120 and 240 GB variants offer 85,000 IOPS 4K random write performance, while the 60 GB one offers 80,000 IOPS. Backed by three-year warranties, all three variants will release in markets soon. Pricing is not known.

ZOTAC entered the motherboard scene as yet another vendor of reference NVIDIA nForce motherboards, which the like of EVGA, XFX, and BFG also sold. After the fall of nForce, ZOTAC attempted a LGA1366 motherboard, and went dormant with motherboards. Later, it picked up interest in the mini-ITX form-factor as it gained popularity in Asian markets like China and India, manufacturing motherboards based on Intel Atom, Atom with NVIDIA ION, and eventually socketed mini-ITX motherboards as it became a 2-chip affair with Intel's Ibex Peak platform (LGA1156). It looks like Zotac is making a comeback into full-size ATX motherboards that target the very top tier of the market, to woo gamers, professional overclockers, and enthusiasts.

Seen here is what the Chinese press is referring to as "ZT-Z68 Crown Edition-U1DU3", we may have lost the correct name in translation, but let's call it ZT-Z68-U1DU3 for now. It is a full-size ATX motherboard that takes socket LGA1155 Intel Sandy Bridge and future Ivy Bridge processors, and is based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset. It combines a strong VRM to support extreme overclocking, with graphics expansion, adding 4-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX capabilities using an NVIDIA BR-03 bridge-chip that sits on the processor's PCI-E x16 link, to give out two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 links, which are then spread between four slots in x16/NC/x16/NC, x16/NC/x8/x8, or x8/x8/x8/x8 lane configurations.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced their new SATA III SSD, the TeraDrive CT3. Right on the heals of the TeraDrive PT3, SuperTalent now unveils their TeraDrive CT3. Designed to fill the gap between their TeraDrive PT3 and CT2 offerings, the CT3 emerges as a price/performance leader. By combining the new SATA III interface with standard 25nm NAND flash, the TeraDrive CT3 enables traditional NAND flash to offer some very untraditional performance.

As with the PT3, the CT3 features the new SandForce SF-2200 SSD processor and the SATA III interface. You can think of the new TeraDrive CT3 as the PT3 with asynchronous Flash or the as the CT2 with a SATA III interface; either way the CT3 is a perfect combination for price and performance.

Chinese memory enterprise flash memory expert RunCore released a trio of solid state drives (SSDs) in the mSATA form-factor, that includes the high end T50 with its 6 Gb/s interface, mid-range I50 and entry-level Lite series, both of which have 3 Gb/s interfaces. The T50 uses SandForce SF-2218 controller, and can provide transfer rates of up to 550 MB/s reads with 470 MB/s writes, with 4K random read and write performance of 60,000 and 35,000 IOPS, respectively. Despite its tiny form-factor, the RunCore T50 comes in capacities of 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB, and even 480 GB; priced at US $198, $358, respectively for the 60 GB and 120 GB variants, with the upper variants' price yet to be disclosed. This makes the RunCore T50 480 GB look like the ultimate mSATA SSD.

The I50, on the other hand, looks to be using SandForce SF-1200 controllers, with transfer rates of 280 MB/s read and 270 MB/s write, with 4K random read/write performance of 45,000 and 30,000 IOPS, respectively. The I50 is available in 60 GB and 120 GB capacities, priced at $178 and $380, respectively. The RunCore Lite runs on SandForce SF-2141, and and is a low-cost, low-capacity SSD for OEMs, which means that retail availability is uncertain. The 16 GB variant is priced at $28, and 32 GB one for $38. The mSATA form-factor is prevalent in embedded systems, ultra portable notebooks, certain media players, and even some consumer motherboards that support Intel's Smart Response technology.