Packaging

We only received the bare drive from Toshiba, and whether there will be any fancy retail packaging for this drive which really doesn't target end-users is yet unknown.

The Drive

The drive conforms to the dimensions set forth by the 2.5" form factor. It is made of metal to improve its durability and is only 7 mm thick, which makes it compatible with Intel's Ultrabook specification.


Like most recent SSDs, the Toshiba HK3R2 uses the SATA 6 Gbps interface. It is compatible with any older SATA standard, but will, in such a case, work at reduced performance.


You will find the SSD controller and eight flash chips on the PCB. A DRAM chip is also present; it provides the SSD controller with RAM. You can also see the two large shiny capacitors that provide just enough power in case of a power loss for the controller to write its data to flash.


Toshiba uses their own TC358790XBG controller. It is an updated version of the one within the HG5d series of SSDs.


The eight MLC flash chips, produced by Toshiba, are built on a 19 nanometer process.