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.

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.

Transcend Information, Inc., a global leader in storage and multimedia products, today announced the launch of its upgraded 2.5" solid state drives (SSDs). Built on a faster and newer controller, the revamped SSDs provide random read speeds of up to 40MB/s, resulting in significantly faster system boot up and application launch performance.

The newly released SSDs are available in 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities. Thanks to their use of the new advanced controller chip and 64MB of built-in DDR2 DRAM cache memory, the new SSDs feature sequential read and write speeds up to 260MB/s and 240MB/s, and random read/write speeds of 40MB/s and 27MB/s. This dramatically improved performance not only reduces average system boot times, but also offers stutter-free response and stability for netbooks, notebooks, high-end gaming PCs and industrial computers. Users can also take advantage of their cool, noiseless operation to enjoy the perks of silent and practical computing.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced that it has developed a range of performance components that fully exploit the potential of the new Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor family, including the new LGA1155 Core i5 and Core i7 processors.

These components include the previously announced Corsair Vengeance DDR3 memory modules, which operate with a low VDIMM voltage of 1.5V, and include XMP-certified performance profiles for Core i5 and Core i7 processors. In addition, Corsair is also announcing the next-generation Performance 3 Series, a new range of solid-state drives, based on the Marvell 9174 controller and designed to take full advantage of the SATA 6Gbps (SATA Revision 3.0) support native to the new Intel chipsets.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today its new Mercury Aura Pro MBA Solid State Drive (SSD) line, the first high performance SandForce processor based SSD available for all 2008-2009 Apple MacBook Air models. Announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, this new product introduction establishes OWC as the most comprehensive U.S. manufacturer of industry leading SandForce processor based SSDs, with OWC Mercury Pro brand SSD models available for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade. OWC will be demonstrating the new Mercury Aura Pro MBA and other first-to-market OWC Mercury Pro SSDs at CES Booth #3935, LVCC, North Hall.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today its new Mercury Legacy Pro Solid State Drive (SSD) line as the first and fastest SandForce processor based SSD available for pre-Intel PowerPC based Mac notebooks, PCs, and other notebook/laptop computers that utilize an internal 2.5" sized IDE/ATA drive. This announcement establishes OWC as the most comprehensive U.S. manufacturer of industry leading SandForce processor based SSDs available today with OWC Mercury Pro brand SSD models available for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade. OWC will be demonstrating the new Mercury Legacy Pro and other first-to-market OWC Mercury Pro SSDs in booth #3935, LVCC North Hall, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which begins tomorrow in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Graphics card specialist Galaxy Tech is venturing into other kinds of gaming PC hardware. The company is ready with its first line of solid-state drives. The Galaxy SATA line of SSDs come in the 2.5" SATA 3 Gb/s form-factor, in capacities of 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. The SSD controller supports the TRIM garbage collection feature. Typically, these drives give read/write speeds of 240 MB/s (read) and 210 MB/s (write). The company did not give out any further information, but we hope to hear more at CES.

Super Talent introduced its newest line of solid state drives (SSDs), under the UltraDrive MT series. The 2.5-inch form-factor SSDs make use of SATA 3 Gb/s interface, and are driven by an optimized Indilinx Barefoot controller. The drives make use of either SLC or MLC NAND flash chips. The read/write speeds on the UltraDrive MT is rated at 255 MB/s reads and 250 MB/s writes. The latest version of the Barefoot controller which is used in these drives support the TRIM garbage-collection feature that maintains write performance over time. UltraDrive MT should be available in typical capacities from 32 GB to 256 GB. The pricing, however, is not known.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced two additions to its award-winning Force Series SSD family. The new models include the F90 and F180 Force Series SSDs, with densities of 90GB and 180GB respectively.

These latest additions to the Corsair Force Series are built using the Sandforce SF-1200 SSD Processor, which provides exceptional performance, including read speeds of up to 285 MB/sec and write speeds of up to 275 MB/sec, with a 4K random write throughput of up to 50,000 IOPs. This is the same level of performance as that of enterprise-level SSDs, and results in unmatched system responsiveness.

Leading flash memory manufacturer, Silicon Power today unleashes their new 2.5" SATA solid state drive (SSD) ~ E20, a new prospect in computer storage! The new E20 challenges SSD limitations with uniquely developed technology to boost read speeds up to 250MB/s and write speeds up to 230MB/s, both data transfer rates surpass the major SSD on the market today. In addition, E20 also supports TRIM Command. It is specifically for Windows 7 users, allowing for swift tens of seconds OS startup time and instant application and software use. For users using other OS, E20 provides Garbage Collection Technology. It enhances SSD's already strong performances and prevents poor computer responses from long hours of continuous use. It is the ingredient to achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Super Talent expanded its high performance solid state drive (SSD) lineup by releasing to market a 480 GB variant of its UltraDrive MX series. The UltraDrive MX 480 GB is a 2.5-inch SATA 3 Gb/s SSD, driven by JMicron JMF616 controller, making use of MLC NAND flash memory chips. The drive can also serve as an external SSD using USB 2.0 interface. The drive provides transfer rates of 250 MB/s read and 180 MB/s write. The JMF616 controller makes use of a 64 MB cache, and supports the TRIM garbage-collection feature that helps sustain write performance over time. It is priced at around US $1,160.

Intel may be not very far away from releasing its third generation of solid state drives (SSDs), but that doesn't stop the company from updating its current "Postville" (Gen. 2) X25-M series of SSDs. The company recently listed a new 120 GB model, carrying the part number SSDSA2MH120G2K5. The drive comes in the 2.5" SATA form factor, and uses a SATA 3 Gb/s interface. It makes use of 34 nm MLC NAND flash chips, and offers read/write speeds of 250 MB/s and 70 MB/s, respectively. The TRIM command is supported. The X25-M G2 120 GB is priced at around €210.

Zalman made its entry into the solid state drive (SSD) business by unveiling two lines of SATA SSDs in the 2.5 inch form factor. It includes the value-oriented S-series, and the performance-oriented N-series. Available in 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB, the S-series models make use of a JMicron controller with up to 260 MB/s of read speeds, and 60 MB/s writes for the 32 GB model, 120 MB/s writes for the 64 GB one, and 210 MB/s for the 128 GB one. The Zalman S-series 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB SSDs are expected to be priced at US $99, $149, and $249, respectively. These drives do support the TRIM function.

The N-series SSDs make use of a SandForce SF-12xx controller, with sequential read speeds of up to 280 MB/s and 270 MB/s writes, consistent for both the 64 GB and 128 GB models. The N-series 64 GB model is priced at $169, and 128 GB model at $289.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the launch of its next generation SSDNow V+ solid-state drive (SSD), the Kingston SSDNow V+100. The new V+100 provides corporations with a viable solution to extend the life of currently installed client systems while meeting user performance expectations.

The new drive features enhanced garbage collection that is not OS dependent, making it a solid upgrade path to extend the life cycle of older client systems. The V+100's drive performance has also been increased by 25 percent, enabling more efficient data transfer over the previous generation. In addition, a new 96GB capacity has been added to the family offering a broader range of choices to enterprise customers.

Walton Chaintech Corporation, manufacturer of memory modules and computer components and accessories, today announces three brand-new APOGΣΣ SSD series to demonstrate its capability in fulfilling consumers' requirement in high-speed and large storage equipments. The APOGΣΣ A-series, C-series and L-series all incorporate the mainstream SATA II interface, and yet, each offers unique features and targets at different segment of gamers, price-sensitive and entry-level consumers, respectively.

The APOGΣΣ A-series SSD offers unsurpassed solid performance without sacrificing its cool, quiet and energy efficient operation conditions. Built with SATA II interface, it can be easily integrated into today's mobile and desktop platforms.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash and computer technology, today announced the immediate availability of the Torqx TRB series of solid-state-drives (SSDs). The Torqx TRB series of SSD offer improved system responsiveness with quicker boot times and shorter application loading times over traditional hard disk drive storage solutions.

Patriot's Torqx TRB series, available in 32GB and 64GB capacities, is designed around the latest generation controller from JMicron: JMF616. With a controller level cache of 64MB DDR2, the Torqx TRB series provide stutter-free performance and offer speeds of up to 260MB/s Read and up to 115MB/s Write. To maintain performance integrity over the life of the drive, the Torqx TRB series SSDs include native support for the TRIM command in Microsoft Windows 7.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, has unveiled the OCZ Onyx 2 Series, a 2.5 inch SSD with superior affordability designed for mainstream desktops and mobile systems. Offering a faster and more durable alternative to traditional hard drives in a cost-efficient solution, the Onyx 2 delivers excellent performance with lower price per gigabyte than that of other comparable drives on the market.

"While we are constantly looking to push the envelope in solid state drive performance, we are also dedicated to making the technology more affordable to consumers," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. "The new Onyx 2 Series SSDs give customers the very best of both worlds when it comes to performance and value, and they are an ideal solution for mobile and desktop users that want to take advantage of all the benefits that SSDs offer over traditional rotational based drives."

Kingston expanded its SSD product lineup for Europe with the new SSDNow V+ 180 series. These drives come in the 1.8-inch SATA form factor, and are suited for both enterprise (servers) and consumer (notebooks). Kingston started off its SSD lineup with Intel's expertise, and this seems to be similar. Making use of MLC NAND flash chips, the SSDNow V+ provides read/write speeds of upto 230 MB/s (read), 180 MB/s (write). The controller has its dedicated 128 MB of DDR3 memory, and uses the SATA 3 Gb/s interface, it supports the TRIM function in supported OSes. The MTBF of 1 million hours seems to add to its prospects of making it to enterprises. It is available in capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB; priced at €180, €312, €737, respectively.

Transcend Information, Inc, a global leader in storage and multimedia products, today announced a radical upgrade of its 2.5" solid state drives (SSD). The new SSDs boast transfer speeds reaching 260 MB/s and storage capacities up to 512 GB, offering performance-minded enthusiasts a perfect combination of speed, high-capacity storage and long-term reliability.

To boost overall performance, Transcend's new 2.5-inch SATA SSDs feature an upgraded controller chip that supports a maximum sequential transfer speed of 260 MB/s read and 200 MB/s write. This dramatically improved performance translates into significantly faster system boot up and application launch speed, while offering the lag-free responsiveness and stability necessary for storage-intensive computing and high-end gaming systems.

Samsung's newest line of consumer solid state drives (SSDs) in the 2.5" SATA form-factor have made a quiet entry into European markets. Samsung, which is known more in the SSD industry for its NAND flash chips than an SSD line under its own banner, designed the new Samsung 470 series SSDs to pack the latest technologies, offer high IOPS and throughput for PCs and notebooks. In these, Samsung is using its a homegrown "multi-core" SSD controller that works to give high data rates without provisioning a portion of the NAND flash memory for controller operations. The drives use Samsung's 30 nanometer-class MLC NAND flash memory chips.

The Samsung 470 series SSDs come in capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB; offering data rates of 250 MB/s (read) and 220 MB/s (write), with up to 31,000 IOPS for reads, 21,000 IOPS for random writes. The 64 GB variant, however, writes at up to 170 MB/s. The drives use the newer SATA 6 Gb/s interface, though are backwards compatible with older versions of SATA. The TRIM feature is also present, it keeps the drives' write performance from deteriorating over time. Samsung advertises a mean time before failure (MTBF) or 1.5 million hours, and backs these drives with a three-year warranty. The drives are designed to withstand mechanical shocks of up to 1,500 G. The 64, 128 and 256 GB variants are each priced at €152.39, €294.46 and €558.57, respectively.

Other World Computing (OWC), a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today a new 40GB model to its award-winning OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD line as the most affordable high performance SandForce Processor based Solid State Drive on the market. Designed and made in the U.S. from imported parts, the new OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 40GB SSD's special introductory pricing of $99.99 makes it the lowest priced SSD on the market to offer three key high performance features:

• Industry leading sustained Read AND Write speeds over 260MB/s (with peak speeds up to 285MB/s).
• Best in class error correction (ECC) and SandForce RAISE redundancy with 7% over provisioning.
• SandForce DuraClass technology with ultra-efficient Block Management & Wear Leveling for long term durability.

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market, today announced three new capacities in its highly-acclaimed Force Series solid-state-drives, adding 40GB, 80GB, and 160 GB models to the current lineup of 60 GB, 100 GB, 120 GB, 200 GB and 240 GB SSDs.

Corsair Force Series solid-state drives are based on the SandForce SF-1200 SSD Processor, and includes their DuraWrite technology for incredible read and write speeds. Unlike most other current generation solid-state drives, the unique architecture of the SF-1200 SSD Processor allows lower capacity drives to perform with nearly the same performance as larger capacity SSDs. All three Force Series models support the TRIM command, so write performance is maintained over time.

ADATA Technology Co., Ltd., the worldwide leader in DRAM memory and Flash application products, today introduced S596 Turbo, the first Solid State Drive (SSD) using JMicron JMF616 controller. Not only has the speed of S596 promoted, the stability has also strengthened. The ADATA S596 Turbo leads the SSD industry into a whole new era.

In terms of the interface, the ADATA S596 Turbo equips SATA II and mini-USB dual interface, providing greater convenience and flexibility. The SSD can be used either as an external portable storage, or as an installed disk in laptop. Furthermore, with a 3.5" converter, the S596 Turbo can be installed in desktop PC. The brushed aluminum chassis of the S596 Turbo is designed for fast heat dissipation, while bringing impressive elegant demeanor.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, launches 1.8 inch Solid State Drives (SSD) to offer a storage upgrade for the thin and light market. With a smaller footprint, OCZ 1.8 inch drives still deliver the reliability and performance demanded by high-end enthusiasts.

"Solid State Drives provide numerous benefits to mobile users including improved performance and reliability as well as lower power consumption versus traditional hard drives," said Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ Technology Group. "We are now introducing two new drives that are designed to cater to the entire range of mobile applications including the Vertex2 1.8" which delivers the same performance as our popular 2.5" version in a smaller form factor for customers looking to achieve maximum performance on the go, and the new Onyx 1.8" which is designed for consumers looking for a quality SSD that is aggressively priced and is ideal for Netbooks."

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, today introduced the first solid state drive (SSD) utilizing high-performance toggle-mode DDR NAND. The new 512 gigabyte (GB) SSD provides electronic data processing application designers with advanced performance and reliability for notebooks with premium value.

"The highly advanced features and characteristics of our new SSD were obtained as a direct result of an aggressive push for further development of our NAND flash technology, our SSD controller and our supportive SSD firmware," said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Electronics. "Early introduction of this state-of-the-art toggle DDR solution will enable Samsung to play a major role in securing faster market acceptance of the new wave of high-end SSD technology," he added.