Samsung’s 860 QVO brings multi-terabyte SSDs down to Earth

To date, buying a multi-terabyte solid-state drive has usually meant paying through the nose. It hasn't been uncommon to spend $1,000 or more to get a drive with capacity matching hard disks costing far less. That gap hasn't completely closed yet,...

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

LaCie intros Porsche Design drive for Macs with SSD and USB 30, helps the speed match the name

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

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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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Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with faster random access

Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with 100,000IOPS, faster writes

It's difficult to thrive in the solid-state drive world. Unless you've got just the right controller and flash memory, most performance-minded PC users will rarely give you a second glance. Samsung muscled its way into that narrow view with the SSD 830 last year; it intends to lock our attention with the new SSD 840 and SSD 840 Pro. The Pro's 520MB/s and 450MB/s sequential read and write speeds are only modest bumps over the 830, but they don't tell the whole story of just how fast it gets. The upgraded MDX controller boosts the random read access to a nicely rounded 100,000IOPS, and random writes have more than doubled to 78,000IOPS or 90,000IOPS, depending on who you ask and what drive you use. The improved performance in either direction is a useful boost to on-the-ground performance, as both AnandTech and Storage Review will tell you. We're waiting on details of the ordinary triple level cell-based 840 model beyond its 120GB, 250GB and 500GB capacities, although there won't be an enormous premium for the multi-level cell 840 Pro over existing drives when it arrives in mid-October -- the flagship line should start at $100 for a basic 64GB drive, and peak at $600 for the ultimate 512GB version.

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Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with faster random access originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kingmax intros speedy, SandForce-packing SATA III Client Pro SSD

Kingmax intros speedy, SandForcepacking SATA III Client Pro SSD

Kingmax is known for pushing the limits now and then with its flash storage, so we're intrigued when it puts out a high-end solid-state drive for the mainstream. Its new SATA III Client Pro SSD lives up to that bill with the combination of a SandForce controller and faster flash memory that can reach some heady speeds for gamers and simple speed freaks alike. With the right drive and ideal conditions, we're looking at a brisk 550MB/s for sequential reads, 520MB/s for similarly ordered writes and a very capable 85,000 IOPS when writing at random. Kingmax isn't directly providing prices or release details, but it's offering capacities from 60GB to 480GB as well both laptop-focused (SMU32) and desktop-friendly (SMU35) kits. The Client Pro-inclined can find the full nuts-and-bolts details after the break.

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Kingmax intros speedy, SandForce-packing SATA III Client Pro SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 06:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IBM buys Texas Memory Systems to bring on speedy storage

IBM buys Texas Memory Systems to bring on speedy storage

IBM is becoming serious about enterprise-grade computing in more ways than one. It just struck a deal to acquire Texas Memory Systems, best known these days for its extra-quick RamSan SSD cards. As you'd anticipate, that fast yet lean storage is the focus -- IBM wants servers that aren't limited by their drives, or which just use less power than old-fashioned spinning hard disks and tape machines. Neither side is talking about how much the deal is worth, but TMS' product roster should stay on the market even as it's folded into IBM's Smarter Storage initiative. Expect that database at work to suddenly get faster sometime after the acquisition closes later this year.

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IBM buys Texas Memory Systems to bring on speedy storage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crucial outs v4 SSD for solid-state storage on a budget

Crucial outs v4 SSD for solidstate storage on a budget

Solid-state drives cost just a fraction of what they did a few years ago, but with prices that can still exceed $1,000, you could hardly label them as cheap. Crucial still aims to put solid-state storage within reach of those on a budget, however, releasing its 2.5-inch v4 drive with pricing that starts at $50. That entry-level model will net you just 32 gigs of storage -- hardly a lust-worthy sum -- but the series is also available in configurations of 64GB ($70), 128GB ($100) and 256GB ($190), offering read speeds of up to 230 MB/s and write speeds of up to 190 MB/s with SATA 2-capable desktops and laptops. The v4 joins Crucial's higher-end m4, which offers much speedier performance and Ultrabook-friendly configurations to boot. You'll find full details in the PR after the break.

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Crucial outs v4 SSD for solid-state storage on a budget originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Series 9 13-inch lands 1.9GHz Core i7, 256GB SSD edition for the power user set

Samsung Series 9 13-inch angle

When we looked at the 13-inch Samsung Series 9, we lamented that there was only one version on offer: if anyone wanted more than a Core i5 and a 128GB drive, their dreams were crushed. Samsung must feel that there's hope for us yet, as there's now a higher-end spec that slots in a 1.9GHz Core i7 and doubles the storage to 256GB. That's good news to us, even if the 4GB RAM ceiling will still have some avid Ultrabook fans turning elsewhere. Springing for the new flagship will set shoppers back by about $300 more than the previous top of the line, or $1,700 -- still pricey relative to the competition, but much more palatable you're searching for a premium Windows 7 ultraportable and aren't willing to budge on screen size.

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Samsung Series 9 13-inch lands 1.9GHz Core i7, 256GB SSD edition for the power user set originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crucial ships mSATA-based m4 SSD upgrade, your Ultrabook never felt better

Crucial ships out mSATAbased m4 SSD upgrade, your Ultrabook never felt betterCrucial has already managed to stuff its m4 SSD into Ultrabook sizes, but the 7mm thick design may still be too portly for the thinner laptops in the pack. With that in mind, the flash memory guru has just started shipping the m4 mSATA, a barebones card that sits cozily next to the motherboard either as a cache for a rotating disk or as a main drive. It's still as speedy as many of its bigger cousins, with read speeds of up to 500MB/s per second. We suspect most buyers will be lured in by the low prices: at just $53 for a cache-friendly 32GB SSD and no more than $226 for a 256GB example, it's entirely feasible to give that spinning-drive Ultrabook a shot in the arm.

Continue reading Crucial ships mSATA-based m4 SSD upgrade, your Ultrabook never felt better

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Crucial ships mSATA-based m4 SSD upgrade, your Ultrabook never felt better originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 15:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel pumps SSD 330 capacity up to 240GB, trims other drives’ prices to match

Intel SSD 330

If you haven't already dropped a solid-state drive into your computer, Intel just gave you a not-so-subtle nudge in that direction. Its entry-level SSD 320 has jumped in capacity from 180GB to 240GB, saving a few diñeiros for anyone who would rather not leap to the SSD 520 just to land a primary system drive. Either end of the price spectrum is also becoming a little more reasonable: the official reseller pricing has been slashed on the 320, 330 and 520 lines, even if Intel hasn't said by how much just yet. Intel's changes should be in immediate effect for those among us who just can't endure spinning storage one moment longer.

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Intel pumps SSD 330 capacity up to 240GB, trims other drives' prices to match originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jul 2012 02:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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