Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung’s experiment with a Ghost Recon SSD bundle must have been a hit with gamers, since it’s coming back for a second round the very same year. The upgrade-minded buying 128GB, 256GB or 512GB versions of the SSD 840 Pro can get a free downloadable copy of Assassin’s Creed III for a “limited time” to take advantage of those 540MB/s peak read speeds while they skew the fate of the American Revolutionary War. The bundle comes not-so-coincidentally as Samsung has shipped and priced the wider SSD 840 line itself: while we knew the Pro line’s impact on our wallets, the regular models are now ready to sell at prices between $140 for a 120GB drive to $700 for a 500GB model. That’s a $50 to $190 savings over the Pro models, but we’ll leave it to you to decide whether faster write speeds, slightly more capacity and Connor’s secret fight with the Templars are worth the premium.

Continue reading Samsung bundles Assassin’s Creed III with SSD 840 Pro to spark a sales revolution, ships the 840 line

Filed under: Gaming, Storage, Samsung

Samsung bundles Assassin’s Creed III with SSD 840 Pro to spark a sales revolution, ships the 840 line originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel has announced a new high-performance SSD aimed at next-generation data centers. The drive is called the SSD DC S3700 series solid-state drive. Intel is aiming the new SSDs at big data centers, HPCs, and cloud-computing applications.

The SSD line promises low latencies and consistent performance along with strong data protection and high endurance. The SSD line will be offered in 100 GB, 200 GB, 400 GB, and 800 GB capacities. The performance of the drive is rated at up to 75,000 IOPS for 4 kB random read performance and up to 36,000 IOPS for random write 4 kB performance. Intel promises that typical sequential write latency is 65 µs.

Intel also promises that Quality of Service latency is under 500 µs 99.9% of the time. The SSD uses accelerated storage performance to provide parallel multithreaded computing allowing the drive to keep multiple core CPUs more active. That feature helps the drive reduce lapses in response time for a smoother computing experience to the end user.

The drive also features 256-bit AES encryption, and the drive has an array of surplus flash memory used for data redundancy to minimize any potential data loss. The SSD uses 6 W of power when active and 650 mW when at idle. Pricing for the SSD line ranges from $235 up to $1880 in 1000 unit quantities.

Intel unveils new SSD DC S3700 series solid-state storage drives is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Other World Computing has announced the first SSD drive for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which Apple recently unveiled. The Aura Pro is a 480GB high-performance solid state drive for those brave enough to crack open their MacBook and do a bit of tinkering. Additional capacities will be announced next month.

The Retina MacBook Pro comes with 128GB of storage space, which isn’t enough for many users. OWC has stepped in with a solution, which it says offers $220 in savings over comparable 512GB drives. One of its biggest features is allowing users to keep the original flash module, which it says is often not the case with other solutions.

OWN is releasing a portable enclosure for the original factory flash module in December, which will let users utilize the drive via USB. According to the press release, several reviews have indicated that the Aura Pro drive reaches speeds of approximately 500MB/s. The original drive can reach speeds of approximately 460MB/s.

According to the announcement, one review stated that “the Aura Pro SSD outperforms the Apple SSD in nearly every way. For rMBP owners (or soon-to-be-owners) who ordered a model with the stock SSD, the upgrade to the Aura Pro is a no brainer if you need more capacity, speed, or both.” The SSD is currently available, and costs $579.99.

OWC unveils Mercury Aura Pro SSD for 13-inch Retina Macbook Pro is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Intel has announced the launch of a new series of SSDs called the 335 Series. Intel says that the new 335 Series SSDs use industry-leading 20 nm NAND flash memory process. The 335 Series are the first Intel SSDs to ship using that particular flash memory process.

The drive supports 6 Gb/s SATA connectivity and comes in up to 240 GB capacity. The drive promises to be fast with 4 kB reads at up to 42,000 IOPS and writes at up to 52,000 IOPS. The new SSD series uses the smallest and most efficient MLC NAND flash on the market today.

The 240 GB capacity 335 SSD promises sequential reads at 500 MB per second and sequential writes a 450 MB per second. Intel says that the 29 nm 64Gb NAND uses a planar cell structure, which is an industry first. That special structure allows the SSD to overcome difficulties that accompany advanced process technology and enable performance and reliability on par with 25nm technology.

This SSD line is available in a 2.5-inch form factor with a 9.5 mm thick case. The SSD series is designed to replace conventional hard drives and is backed by a three year limited warranty from Intel. The Intel SSD 335 Series is available around the globe starting today. Pricing information is unknown at this time.

Intel unveils new SSD 335 Series solid-state storage devices is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we’ll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You’ll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won’t stick around long.

Suffering from an awful case of the Mondays? Don’t fret. We’re sure a handful of gadget deals will put a little more pep in your step. Two more Canon bundles top the list this time out while a 65-inch Panasonic VIERA 3D Plasma HDTV gets a sizable discount as well. Jump down past the break to peek at the goods. As always, keep a close watch on those coupon codes and the requisite rebate forms.

Continue reading Slickdeals’ best in tech October 29th: Digital camera bundles and a 65-inch Panasonic VIERA 3D HDTV

Filed under: Cameras, Home Entertainment, Storage

Slickdeals’ best in tech October 29th: Digital camera bundles and a 65-inch Panasonic VIERA 3D HDTV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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