While the PC enthusiast community at large welcomed news of SSD TRIM command being made possible in RAID 0 setups, provided Intel 7-series chipset RAID controllers are used, users of Sandy Bridge-E HEDT platform, running Intel X79 chipset, didn't. The feature was advertised to be initially available only to users of 7-series client chipset (such as Z77, H77), with Rapid Storage Technology (RST) driver version 11.0 and above. Intel made amends by announcing that users of Intel X79 chipset will be able to take advantage of TRIM command in RAID 0 setups, with a future version of RSTe (Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise) driver, without being specific about the version or its release date.

Said Intel in its note, "Current RSTe drivers specific to X79 do NOT support TRIM on RAID 0, but an updated RST driver version coming soon will add support for X79 based systems, including the TRIM on RAID 0 feature. Note that on client 7-series chipsets (non X79), RST driver version 11.0 and beyond supports TRIM on RAID 0."

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the OWC Mercury Aura Pro as the industry's first high-performance Solid State Drive upgrade for 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display (rMBP) computers. Available in 480 GB capacity, the 6G (6Gb/s) SandForce Driven Mercury Aura Pro offers rMBP owners 87.5 percent more capacity than the factory 256GB model. Additionally, customers buying the $579.99 MSRP Aura Pro direct from OWC until September 30, 2012, will later receive the OWC Envoy Pro USB 3.0 bus-powered portable enclosure (a $59.95 value) for re-tasking the rMBP's factory flash module as an external drive at no additional cost.

Intel made it possible for SSDs to utilize the TRIM command feature when striped in RAID 0, provided a few meaty requirements are met. The TRIM command feature works to minimize write performance degradation on SSDs, but thus far it has been impossible to enable the feature on any other host controller mode than standalone AHCI, due to the manner in which the feature works at a physical level.

According to a report, TRIM over RAID 0 will be made possible with Windows 8 operating system, provided the system is running an Intel 7-series chipset (such as Z77 Express), has RAID BIOS (Option ROM) version 11.5 or higher, and Rapid Storage Technology (RST) device driver version 11.5 or higher. While obtaining the required Windows and driver versions is relatively easy, the RAID Option ROM version is in the hands of motherboard manufacturers, who have to release motherboard BIOS updates that include the required RAID Option ROM updates.

SK Hynix announced its launch of client SSD (Solid State Drive). The SSD features faster speed and low power consumption than HDD (Hard Disk Drive) so it is expected to replace the HDD as another type of storage for PCs and other applications.

The first ever SK Hynix's client 2.5" SSD consists of ONFI synchronous NAND Flash memory using 20nm class process and densities of 128GB (Gigabyte) and 256GB are available. It significantly improves the speed and reliability by adopting SATA III interface with data transmissions at 6Gb/s (Gigabits per second). This high performance SSD generates sequential read speeds of 510MB/s (Megabytes per second) and sequential write speeds of 470MB/s. It is three or four times faster than the traditional HDD.

Korean memory giant SK Hynix is launching its own branded consumer and enterprise SSD lines, à la Samsung (the other Korean memory giant). It is starting off with high-performance consumer SSDs targeting Ultrabooks, built in the 2.5-inch 7 mm-thick SATA form-factor. The SH910 series SSDs combine Hynix' homegrown H27QDG8VEBIR-BCB MLC NAND flash chips built in the 25 nm fab process, with LSI-SandForce SF-2281 processor.

The drive will be initially available in two capacities, 128 GB and 256 GB (higher than usual capacities thanks to adjusted overprovisioning). Both drives offer sequential transfer speeds of up to 520 MB/s reads with 500 MB/s writes; up to 60,000 IOPS 4K random seek, 35,000 IOPS random write; and feature-set that includes 128-bit AES encryption, TRIM, NCQ, and SMART. A performance review can be found at the source.

Link_A_Media Devices (LAMD), a leader in the development of semiconductor SoC (System on Chip) solutions for the data storage market, today unveiled its flagship high-performance LM87800 SATA 6G SSD controller with proprietary eBoost technology. The highly-integrated device brings enterprise-class performance and endurance enhancement to the rapidly growing client SSD market.

Designed to deliver superior performance, the architecture deploys extensive hardware acceleration, dedicated host-side and NAND-side ARM microcontrollers and a 6 Gb/s SATA host interface, enabling the LM87800 to deliver industry-leading performance of 90K sustained random read/write IOPS and 550 MB/s sustained sequential read/write throughput. The LM87800 is fabricated on a low-power and low-leakage process technology and employs sophisticated power management techniques to achieve ultra-low power consumption.

Toshiba announced the first SSDs based on its swanky new 19 nm-class NAND flash memory. These include four models in the 2.5-inch 9.5 mm-thick form-factor (standard), another four models in the 2.5-inch 7 mm-thick form-factor (slim, for Ultrabooks); and three models in the super-compact mSATA form-factor. The 9.5 mm-thick and 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch models differ only with their thickness, and are otherwise identical, since SSDs are essentially just printed circuit boards with NAND flash memory, controllers, caches, and ancillary components soldered onto them.

The 9.5 mm-thick 2.5-inch models carry the model number scheme THNSNFxxxGBSS (xxx = number of GB capacity), while the 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch models use THNSNFxxxGCSS. Both lines are available in 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB capacities. The 128, 256, and 512 GB models offer transfer rates as high as 524 MB/s, while the 64 GB model offers up to 440 MB/s. Toshiba implemented a new controller that features next-generation Deterministic Zeroing TRIM (a feature exclusive with Windows 8 and future *nix kernels), Quadruple Swing-by Code (QSBC), a performance-optimized ECC-equivalent, and a read-only mode. The mSATA models (model number scheme THNSNFxxxGMCS) offer similar performance to their 2.5-inch cousins, but are available in only three capacity options, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. Toshiba will release its new line of SSDs in August.

RunCore, the leading manufacturer of high-performance and rugged solid state drives (SSDs), today introduced their latest consumer-grade SSD for ultrabooks and MacBook Air, the Rocket Air SSD.

As moderns laptops are designed ever thinner and lighter to be more energy-saving and easier to carry, demand for improved storage performance is also increasing at the same time. In order to deliver both these advantages, the RunCore Rocket Air SSD is ultra-thin in size, yet provides superb performance. With its internal MLC flash and consumer-grade operating temperature, the RunCore Rocket Air SSD is particularly targeting thin laptops like ultrabooks as well as MacBook Air.

Team Group Inc., one of the leading manufacturers of memory products in the world, is expanding the SSD market this year. We are constantly working to improve ourselves in R&D capability. In addition to surpassing ourselves technically, Team Group is now rolling out the new generation power-saving SSD SATA II A1 to cut the power bills and watch out for the pockets of consumers who are suffering the increase of fuel and electricity prices. This is one new serious product with a high C/P value!

SSD SATA II A1 features high-speed NAND Flash as the data storage. The built-in 128MB DDR Cache memory combined with S.M.A.R.T, ECC automatic error correction protection, the supports for WIN7 TRIM Command and the PHISON 3105 controller allows writing/reading speed up to 270MB/s and 210MB/s, respectively, and random writing/reading up to 15000/6000 IOPS. It is a perfect evolution of data transmission speed and completeness. The zero-noise and lower power consumption design gives longer operation time and improved working efficiency for laptop users, making SSD SATA II A1.

Kingmax' high-capacity SMU25 Client Pro SSD variant was spotted by market scouts in Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district. The KM01TBSMI25 SSD by Kingmax packs 1 TB of unformatted capacity, but that is traded off for performance. Built in the 2.5-inch SATA form-factor, the KM01TBSMI25 only takes advantage of SATA 3 Gb/s interface, and provides sequential transfer rates of 250 MB/s reads, with 200 MB/s writes. The drive supports all modern SSD features, including Global Wear Leveling, TRIM, NCQ, 40-bit BCH ECC, and 1.2 million hours MTBF. It is sold for a wallet-scorching 120,000 JPY (US $1,500).

OCZ introduced a new high capacity variant of its Octane consumer SSD series, the OCT1-25SAT3-1T. Built in the 2.5-inch form-factor with SATA 6 Gb/s interface, the new Octane variant provides 1 TB of unformatted capacity. Based on the Indilinx Everest processor, the drive packs 25 nm MLC NAND flash, and utilizes 512 MB of DRAM cache. It is rated to provide sequential transfer speeds of up to 460 MB/s (reads), 330 MB/s (writes), with 4K read/write random access performance of up to 24,000 IOPS and 32,000 IOPS, respectively. All modern consumer SSD features are present, including TRIM, NCQ, ECC, and 256-bit AES data-encryption. Slated for mid-May, the Octane 1 TB by OCZ won't exactly be cheap.

Silicon Power (SP), the world's leading provider of memory storage solutions today unveiled Velox V60, a 2.5" consumer solid state disk that combines aesthetic and performance. V60 features a sleek metal body with SATA III interface delivering personal style, speed and quality, taking computing experience to a new level.

Unlike a traditional SSD that is rigid and bulky, SP V60 offers a stylish brushed aluminum enclosure in metallic gray. It features a hairline finished cover with a silver embossed diamond cut logo and a body with curved edges. Its minimalist design speaks quality and character; adding style to functionality so consumers will never need to compromise aesthetic for performance.

Intel's upcoming mainstream consumer SSD line, the SSD 330 series, could have attractive pricing, which could catalyze further proliferation of SSD technology, according to a LaptopReviews report, citing tease-listings by online retailers and other sources. The new lineup will embrace SATA rev. 3.0 (6 Gb/s) standard, and offer performance that takes advantage of it. The 120 GB variant of the SSD 330, for example, was listed for US $149, on MacMall.com, the listing is removed. This gives it a price/GB on par with other 120 GB SATA 6 Gb/s SSDs in the market, which underwent several rounds of price-adjustments to get there.

The SSD 330 series from Intel, will be available in three capacities, 60 GB, 120 GB, and 180 GB. The 120 GB and 180 GB variants offer sequential transfer-rates of up to 500 MB/s (read) and 450 MB/s (write); the 60 GB variant offers 500 MB/s (read), and 400 MB/s (write). These drives use IMFlash Technologies-made 25 nm MLC NAND flash, and offer standard feature-set that includes support for TRIM, NCQ, 256-bit AES data-encryption, and limited SMART attributes.

Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, is proud to showcase the extraordinary performance capabilities and new higher capacity of the next generation SATA III 6Gb/s SSD720 solid state drive (SSD). Built with industry-leading 24nm toggle-mode MLC NAND flash chips and now available in extra-large capacities up to 512GB, an SSD720-equipped computer boots-up faster, games run more smoothly, and overall system responsiveness is improved.

Taking full advantage of the latest SATA III 6Gb/s specification and driven by a powerful SandForce controller, the SSD720 boasts impressive sequential read/write transfer speeds of up to 560MB/540MB per second and lightning-fast 4k random file writes up to 86,000 IOPS. This exceptional performance translates into ultra low response times, launching heavy graphics applications, such as Adobe Photoshop and Premiere CS5, and AutoCAD 2011, in under three seconds. Completing file operations at least three times faster and providing ultra-low access latencies by avoiding platter seek time, the SSD720 is the ideal drop-in replacement for standard rotating hard drives (HDDs).

Japanese company Green House introduced the GH-SSDxS-1MA series (where "x" = capacity in GB). Built in the 1.8" SATA form-factor, the drives are available in capacities of 32 GB (GH-SSD32GS-1MA), 64 GB (SSD64GS-1MA), and 128 GB (GH-SSD128GS-1MA). The drives use MLC NAND flash, and an unknown controller with 64 MB DDR cache. Features such as TRIM, NCQ, and ECC (48bit/2KB) come standard.

Sequential speeds are up to 230 MB/s (read) and 190 MB/s (write) for the 64 GB and 128 GB models; and 220 MB/s (read) with 100 MB/s (write) for the 32 GB model. Backed by 1 million hours MTBF and 1,500G/0.5 ms shock-resistance, the 32, 64, and 128 GB models are priced at 10,500 JPY (US $129), 16,800 JPY (US $206), and 25,200 JPY (US $310), respectively. They are slated for mid-March.

German memory and storage supplier takeMS has this week revealed its own line of solid state drives based on SandForce's SF-2281 controller. Dubbed UTX-2200, takeMS' SSDs feature a 2.5-inch form factor, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash memory, TRIM and NCQ support, and a MTBF of 2 million hours.

The UTX-2200 drives are capable of read/write speeds of up to 550/500 MB/s (up to 70,000 IOPS) and will ship (soon) in 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB capacities. Each model will be backed by a two-year warranty and will be bundled with a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch adapter.

To anyone who's familiar with SSDs, "SandForce" is equally familiar, as it makes the brains of some of the fastest client SSDs in the business. Buyers have also come to know of SandForce-driven SSDs as being characterized by unique capacity amounts caused by allocating a certain amount of the physical NAND flash capacity for some special low-level tasks by the controller, resulting in capacities such as 60 GB, 120 GB, 240 GB, for drives with physical NAND flash capacities of 64, 128, and 256 GB, respectively. This allocation is called "over-provisioning". An impression was built that this ~7% loss in capacity is some sort of a trade-off for higher performance. It appears like that's not quite the case.

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.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, confirmed at Macworld today its OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express 6G SSD is now available in a 480GB model size for the latest Apple MacBook Air 11.1" and 13.3" models which incorporate 6G (6Gb/s) data rate capabilities. The new Mercury Aura Pro Express 480GB model combines award-winning SandForce technologies and Tier 1/Grade A Toggle Synchronous NAND to deliver data rates up to 3x faster than factory 3G (3Gb/s) options and up to 8x the storage capacity of the factory's base 64GB SSD model. The new, built-in-the-USA Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD and other OWC Mercury SSDs will be shown in Other World Computing's booth #513, Moscone Centerl, at Macworld held in San Francisco this week.

Now that the Octane models are out and about, the OCZ Technology Group is preparing the launch of a second line of solid state drives based on the Indilinx Everest platform, the more value-minded Petrol series. Like the Octane SSDs, the Petrol drives feature a 2.5-inch form factor, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, and make use of the NDurance technology technology which increases the life span of NAND flash memory by as much as 2 times.

The Petrol models also have 2xnm asynchronous MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory (the Octane line uses synchronous MLC NAND), a MTBF of 1.25 million hours, TRIM support, and are backed by a three-year warranty.

The TRIM command feature has become an industry standard for internal garbage collection on SSDs. Unlike with magnetic storage devices such as hard drives, in NAND flash storage devices, new data can't simply be overwritten on existing deleted data (like overwriting on cassette tapes), instead NAND flash cells are first put through erase cycles, and then fresh data is written on them. This leads to degradation of performance in SSDs, as all deleted data will be put through erase cycles. The TRIM command allows the drive to tag freshly deleted data for disposal, and then erase flash memory occupied by that data when idling, and dynamically allocating erased cells for fresh data. This dramatically reduces write performance degradation of SSDs. Unfortunately, issuing TRIM commands to SSDs that are part of a RAID volume is so far not possible, because the RAID volume acts as a sort of an abstraction layer between the OS and physical disks. Some low-level data about member disks can still be read by diagnostic tools, but that's about it.

If the Release Notes document of Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) driver 11.5.0.1109 Alpha (read here) is to be believed, Intel plans to bring TRIM support to RAID 0 volumes with a future version of RST. Snooping through the document, one can find the following line:

2. This release will not enable the TRIM on RAID0 feature, but it will be added in the next RST 11.5 release. Contact your RST AE representative with questions.

Over the weekend, OCZ's newest consumer SSD line, Octane, quietly crept up shelves. It was released in late October. Octane is a significant product for OCZ despite having successful SandForce-driven lines such as Vertex 3 and Agility 3, because it's the first fruition of its acquisition of Indilinx, a company behind SSD controllers. Octane is available in a wider range of capacities than the other SATA 6 Gb/s 2.5" SSDs in OCZ's stable: 128, 256, 512 GB and 1 TB. It does away with targeting the sub $150 market using 80 GB or 64 GB variants, and starts right with 128 GB, priced at $199.99 (an increasingly popular price-point for those building $1500-ish gaming PCs), the 256 GB model goes for $369.99 (a decent price compared to 240 GB SandForce and Marvell based SSDs), 512 GB for $879.99, and we're yet to get pricing on the 1 TB model, it will be released to the market a little later.

Indilinx' latest SSD controller, with the most up-to-date feature-set, the Indilinx Everest, is at the heart of these drives. This is what makes the OCZ Octane a litmus test for OCZ's move to acquire Indilinx at a time when there's no dearth for high-performance SSD controllers such as the SF-228x. Indilinx Everest features a dual-core ARM ASIC, with up to 512 MB of cache (notice there's no overprovisioning by default), advertised speeds of up to 560 MB/s (read), up to 400 MB/s (writes), lowest latencies in the industry, 8 NAND flash channels with 16-way interleaving, and proprietary NDurance Technology that increases NAND life up to 2X of the rated P/E cycles, apart from industry standards such as SMART, NCQ, and TRIM.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced the Performance Pro Series SSDs.

The Performance Pro Series, designed with the Marvell SATA 6 Gb/s SSD controller, delivers an impressive ATTO Max performance of up to 515MB/s Sequential Read and 440 MB/s Sequential Write, and can sustain very similar performance when reading and writing compressed and non-compressible data, such as audio, images, and video files. Additionally, the Performance Pro Series has built-in advanced background garbage collection to allow for consistently strong performance even with operating systems that do not support the TRIM command. This integral performance optimization makes Performance Pro SSDs an ideal solution for RAID configurations, which typically do not support TRIM.

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."

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs), today launched the Indilinx Everest-based Octane SATA 3.0 and SATA 2.0 SSD series, striking the ideal balance between capacity, physical size, and speed. In addition to being the world's first SSD to achieve up to a 1TB capacity in a compact 2.5 inch format, OCZ's Octane SSD series combines high-speed data transfer rates with record-breaking access times to provide a superior user experience and improved application performance.

"OCZ has reached an important milestone in the development of its own controller technology," said James E. Bagley, Senior Analyst with Storage Strategies NOW. "The high sustained performance, even with compressed files, the rapid boot feature and high access speeds using SATA 3.0 protocol puts their controller technology in the major league."
"Until now SSDs have been tailored for specific applications, forcing users into a product which maximizes performance for a narrow band of applications, but is significantly lacking in others," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "The Octane Series solves this problem by providing the highest level of performance across varied workloads including mixed file sizes and mixed compressible and uncompressible data, all while nearly doubling NAND flash endurance."