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These days, it’s fairly easy to find a PCI Express-based SSD to transform one’s desktop — Angelbird, Fusion-io, Micron and ASUS will sell you one, just to name a few. That said, the last of those three has just revealed a new entrant that will certainly catch the eye of many, as the RAIDR Express claims to be the first PCI-e SSD to be compatible with both legacy and UEFI BIOS. The so-called DuoMode feature is joined by 240GB of storage space, sequential 830MB/s read and 810MB/s write speeds and a reported 620,000 hours mean time between failure (MTBF).

You’ll also find the latest LSI SandForce controller, Toshiba-built 19nm MLC flash, and 100,000 4K read/write input/output operations per second (IOPS). The bundled RAMDisk utility allows users to dedicate up to 80 percent of a computer’s available RAM for use as a high-speed virtual drive, and if you needed any further proof that it’s fast, look no further than in the video after the break. Curiously, ASUS isn’t talking pricing just yet, but it should start shipping in the very near future.

Filed under: Gaming, Storage, ASUS

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Via: PC Perspective, Engadget Japanese

Source: ASUS

SanDisk has announced that its portfolio of SSDs is being expanded with three new drives, among them and most notable being the SanDisk Extreme II SSD. As with many of the other devices and hardware we’ve heard about this evening, SanDisk will be showing off the Extreme II and the other two drives, both of which are OEM offerings, at Computex this week.

SanDisk says that all the SSDs are built with 19 nanometer technology, and all feature the company’s flash memory architecture. Zeroing in on the Extreme II SSD, the company hails it as a faster devices that “significantly” speeds up data rates and makes both start up and shutdown faster. SanDisk aims it at gamers, too, saying it makes game loading faster and improves game play.

The Extreme II SSD offers a maximum read rate of 550MB/second and a maximum write speed of 510MB/second, making it faster than the original Extreme SSD. There’s also up to 95,000 in random read IOPS, and 78,000 in random write IOPS. This particular unit falls in SanDisk’s fourth-generation SSD retail lineup, something that provides a foundation of reliability to customers, says the announcement.

The Extreme II SSD has a lifetime write of 80 terabytes, and is shipped with a 5-year limited warranty when purchased new. The SSD has already been launched and can be nabbed now, with the 120GB version being priced at $129.99, the 240GB version at $229.99, and the 480GB version at $439.99.

Said SanDisk’s Kevin Conley: “Today, we again raised the bar by bringing our latest technology innovations to a new generation of SSDs that address the most demanding computing needs. The SanDisk Extreme II SSD, our fastest and most responsive SATA III SSD to date, is a great option for gamers, PC enthusiasts or any consumers who want to get the most from their computing experience. And, we’ve enhanced two of our most popular OEM SSDs to enable PC makers to push the boundaries of computing even further.”

SOURCE: SanDisk

SanDisk expands portfolio with Extreme II SSD is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you’re in the market for a new iMac and want it to be as fast as possible, naturally a solid state drive is the way to go, and Apple seems to agree with that. The Cupertino-based company has added 256GB and 512GB solid state options in the online Apple Store, allowing customers to boost the speed of their new rig if they don’t need a lot of storage space.

These new options are tacked on to the 1TB drives that Apple initially only offered (either a traditional 5400rpm drive, or a “Fusion” drive). Of course, not everyone needs 1TB of storage, so offering lower space but with faster speeds is always welcome. However, it’ll cost you a pretty penny, as the 256GB option costs $300 extra, while the 512GB version costs $600 more.

Apple has offered solid state options with the 27-inch iMac, but only offering 768GB of solid state storage for a $900 upgrade price. The company also gave the option of either 1TB or 3TB hard drives, with Fusion drive options available as well. However, this is the first time that the 21.5-inch iMac is getting the choice of flash storage.

Apple’s Fusion drive includes a mixture between flash storage and hard drive storage, meaning that packed in there with a traditional 1TB hard drive is a 128GB flash drive to keep things fast, while still providing a lot of storage space to play around with. Hybrid drives like this have been a go-to choice for users who want SSD-type speeds without paying a fortune for it.

[via MacRumors]

Apple tacks on 256GB and 512GB SSD to iMac storage options is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve certainly seen 1TB flash drives before, but today at CES, Kingston unveiled the world’s highest-capacity USB 3.0 flash drive, the HyperX Predator, with a capacity of 1TB — 1,024 large, sweet gigabytes. While the high capacity usually gets priority over speed in most flash drives, Kingston’s Predator doesn’t skimp on that, promising read/write speeds of up to 240MB/s and 160MB/s, respectively.

It’s certainly not as fast as most of the SSDs that ship in many of today’s laptops, but it’s definitely plenty fast for a storage device that fits in your pocket, and we’re assuming that most people won’t expect SSD-type speeds anyway, considering it’s just a flash drive and nothing more.

The HyperX Predator comes in at a size of 2.84″ x 1.06″ x 0.82″ without the attached keyring, and it jumps to 3.49″ long with it on. It’s a pretty average size for a flash drive, so don’t expect anything spectacular in that respect once you get your hands on it. Either way, it’s still plenty portable to take with wherever you go, and the zinc metal alloy casing keeps it safe from the elements.

The 1TB HyperX Predator will be available later in Q1, and while the price hasn’t been disclosed yet, the 512GB version of the same flash drive model is available now for a staggering $1,750, so we’re guessing the 1TB version will be at least double that. The company is also releasing 32GB and 64GB versions for those who don’t quite want to spend that much dough.

Kingston announces HyperX Predator 1TB USB 3.0 flash drive is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Porsche Design may not be directly involved in building German supercars, but there are certain expectations to be met, aren’t there? LaCie is rolling out a new version of its Porsche Design hard drive skewed towards Mac owners that should offer more of the performance you’d associate with the automotive brand. The P’9223 Slim SSD is a third thinner than its ancestor but carries the option of a 120GB SSD that makes the most of the USB 3.0 port. If all runs well, nearly any Mac launched in 2012 can shuttle data along at a brisk 400MB per second. Demanding Mac fans will need to pay $150 for the flash-based edition to have the P’9223 feel truly Porsche-like; others only have to spend $100 if they’re content with the Volkswagen pace of a 500GB spinning drive.

Continue reading LaCie intros Porsche Design drive for Macs with SSD and USB 3.0, helps the speed match the name

Filed under: Storage

LaCie intros Porsche Design drive for Macs with SSD and USB 3.0, helps the speed match the name originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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