PLDS, Corsair and OCZ Technology showcased their latest
solid-state drives (SSD) last week at Computex show in
Taipei.
Corsair
Corsair showacsed its new the Neutron Series
solid-state drives, the first consumer SSDs to feature
the LM87800 6Gb/s SSD controller from Link_A_Media
Devices (LAMD).
Also available in an extreme performance Neutron GTX
model, an SSD based on MLC NAND flash memory
manufactured by Toshiba, which promises to bring
professional-grade performance and reliability to PC
enthusiasts.
Available in capacities of 120GB, 240GB and 480GB,
Neutron Series GTX SSDs are designed with toggle NAND
flash memory to deliver up to a super-high 90,000 random
read and write IOPs (input/output operations per
second). These drives also provide superior sequential
speeds of up to 555 MB/s read and 500 MB/s write. The
standard Neutron Series models, available in 120GB and
240GB capacities, provide up to 90,000 random read IOPs
and 85,000 random write IOPs with sequential speeds of
up to 555 MB/s read and 370 MB/s write.
All Neutron Series models incorporate LAMD's on-the-fly
error correction and NAND management technologies which
improve the endurance of onboard flash memory. The
Neutron Series GTX drives also include adaptive DSP
technology which maintains performance throughout the
lifetime of the SSD. Neutron Series and Neutron Series
GTX models are backed with a 5 year warranty.
Neutron Series SSDs promise to provide high read and
write speeds with both compressed and non-compressible
data regardless of file type.
The new SSDs bring broad compatibility for desktop and
notebook PCs thanks to their standard 2.5" form factor
and slender 7mm height. The thin design fits most
standard notebooks as well as the latest generation of
slim notebook designs. The drives also come with a 3.5"
adapter to allow mounting in desktop PC drive bays.
Neutron Series also support the SATA 6Gb/s and SATA
3Gb/s standards as well as the TRIM command s.
Neutron Series SSDs are expected to be available in
July.
OCZ Technology
For business, server, and OEM clients, OCZ showcased PCI
Express (PCIe) SAN acceleration and replacement
solutions, and unveilled the impending Intrepid 3 SATA
III SSD Series based on the Everest 2 architecture.
Live demos included both the current Z-Drive R4
CloudServ PCIe SSD that delivers over one million IOPS,
and the Z-Drive R5 Series based on the co-developed
OCZ-Marvell Kilimanjaro platform.
The Z-Drive R5 features the jointly developed
"Kilimanjaro" OCZ and Marvell native PCIe to NAND flash
controller platform (88NV9145-OCZ), allowing for
completely scalable performance and redundancy while
eliminating the need for a separate storage controller.
The native PCIe Z-Drive R5 ahs been designed to
accelerate database, enterprise, and virtualization
applications.
It is equipped with eight controllers and will be using
SLC, MLC or eMLC mempry type, offering a total capacity
of up to 12TB. It is also the first SSD to implement a
PCI Express Gen3 interface.
Performance figures are impressive: 3GB/sec maximum
sequential read / write, up to 775,000 IOPS for 4K
random write. OCZ has not clarified when this drive
will reach the market.
OCZ also showcased the VXL Storage Accelerator software
that enables large scale deployment of a virtualized
environment for businesses to eliminate the need for
SANs in a wide range of enterprise IT infrastructures.
For client storage, OCZ showcased the flagship Vertex 4
SATA III SSD, along with the upcoming 'Lightfoot'
portable SSD designed with the Intel Thunderbolt
platform.
The new Agility 4 SSD series is based on asynchronous
MLC NAD and promise to deliver a balance of 6Gbps SATA
III interface speed, high input/output operations per
second (IOPS) performance, and enterprise-grade
endurance and reliability. Utilizing OCZ?s Indilinx
Everest 2 controller platform (first introduced in the
flagship Vertex 4 SSD series), Agility 4 SSDs offer a
cost-effective alternative to other SATA III SSD
solutions.
The Agility 4 has been optimized to perform fast in
real-world compressible and incompressible workload
performance. The series promises to deliver transfer
rates of up to 400MB/s, and up to 85,000 random write
IOPS. Available in a boot-drive sized 64GB model, up to
512GB capacity for mass storage, Agility 4 SSD solutions
are backed by a 3-year warranty.
The portable Lightfoot series of SSDs adopt the
Kilimanjaro platform also adopted at the company's
Z-Drive R5, offering fast speeds in RAID 0 and RAID 2
configurations. Its sequential read / write speeds are
up to 750MB/sec, while random IOPS will reach 100,000
IOPS. It will be available capacity 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
and of course, it will offer a Thunderbolt connection.
It's price and release date has not yet been decided by
OCZ.
OCZ has also on display the "Vertex 3 Low Profile" SSDs,
drives based on the Vertex 3 platform coming with a 7mm
profile in order to fit into ultrabooks. They will be
available this summer.
The new "Vertex Plus R2" series includes entry-level
SSDs based on the Indilinx controller. The SSDs use
asynchrnous MLC NAND flash memory and come with a SATA
3Gbps interface. Performance figures provided by OCZ
include up to 255MB/sec for transfer rate, up to 22,000
IOPS for random read of small files (up to 4KB,) and a
12,000 IOPS for 4K random write.
PLDS
(Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions (PLDS) has
exhibited the "M5S" SSD under the Plextor brand. The
new series uses Marvell's "88SS9174" controller and MLC
NAND flash memory manufactured by Micron Technology.
The M5S will offer a sequential read speed of up to
520MB/sec, 380MB/sec for sequential write, up to 70,000
IOPS for random writes and up to 73,000 IOPS for random
read.
The mainstream SSD series is backed by a 5-year warranty
and will be available in late June at 64GB, 128GB and
256GB versions.