We review the Corsair Force GS 240GB SSD. Corsair introduces the Force GS series, and they are equipped with the 2281 series SandForce controller. Paired with SanDisk Toggle Toggle NAND flash ICs that will increase read and write performance to 555MB/s and 525 MB/s respectively which makes the Force GS the fastest SSDs they have ever brought to market.

With 4K random write performance estimated at 90,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second) the product is definitely in the right performance bracket we like to see Corsair in. But have a peek at the review.

If you are looking for a new ultra-portable USB 3.0 flash drive, then check out the Patriot Memory Supersonic Rage XT. Available in 32GB and 64GB of storage capacities, the Supersonic Rage XT offers read and write speeds of up to 180MB/s and 50MB/s, respectively. The storage device features a custom retractable USB housing and a high quality NAND/IC controller. The Patriot Supersonic Rage XT USB 3.0 drive also provides plug-and-play compatibility with Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems.

Add SSD performance to an existing hard drive at an economical price with the new Mushkin Catalyst Cache SSD. This simple upgrade combines the capacity of an existing hard drive with the speed of a Solid State Drive. The addition of a Mushkin Catalyst Cache SSD will accelerate boot times, application launches, and general system performance

Dataplex Cache software makes the innovative combination of a hard drive and an SSD possible. Frequently accessed data and applications are cached to the SSD automatically. Less frequently used data stays on the hard drive. Further boosting performance - Mushkin's caching policy includes both reads and writes. Supercharged performance is the result.

The Mushkin Catalyst Cache SSD is available in 50 GB and 100 GB capacities and works with any SATA interface. A SATA 6 Gb/s system can yield up to 550 MB/s read/ 515 MB/s write - blazing speed at a fraction of the cost of a traditional SSD.

"The Catalyst Cache SSD really is the best of both worlds. Users will experience amazing speed while maintaining large amounts of data on their computer. The best part, it's an upgrade that wont break the bank." - Brian Flood, Mushkin director of product development.

The Mushkin Catalyst SSD is available now from authorized Mushkin resellers and distributors.

Specifications of MSI's upcoming Reflex solid state disk lineup appeared on the web. This 2.5" SATA 6Gbps SSD series is based on the SandForce SF-2281 controller.

MSI Reflex drives will be available in 60GB, 120GB and 240GB capacities at a 2.5-inch form factor with bundled 3.5-inch mounting bracket. Speeds differ according to storage volume which is similar to any brand as more NAND means more usable channels: the RX-60 comes at a 525MB/s read and 495MB/s write speed with 85,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS); the RX-120 ups the performance to 550MB/s read and 515MB/s write with 90,000 IOPS; the RX-240 tops the range at 560MB/s read, 525MB/s write and again 90,000 IOPS.

The MSI SSDs will be sold in selective markets at customer request. We will not sell any MSI SSD

This is a new external HDD case from Century Japan, the Simple NAS BOX PLUS 2BAY. This aluminum case is equipped with a USB 3.0 connection interface, two LAN ports, two built-in 40mm cooling fans and can house a total of two 3.5-inch SATA HDDs. The Simple NAS BOX PLUS 2BAY will go on sale from early August for around 12,800 Yen (about $163). [Century]

Silicon Power announced a new line of SSDs, the Velox V70. Coming in 60GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities, these 2.5-inch SSDs feature a brushed aluminum metal body in metallic gold finish, Toggle/Synchronous NAND Flash memory chips, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, a SandForce SF-2281 controller, TRIM support and can deliver read and write speeds of up to 557MB/s and 507MB/s, respectively. Prices unannounced yet.

Intel has just added a new storage capacity to its SSD 330 Series by launching the 240GB model. Just like the 60GB, 120GB and 180GB models, the 240GB model is also equipped with 25nm MLC NAND Flash memory chips, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, a SandForce SF-2281 controller and capable of delivering read and write speeds of up to 500MB/s and 450MB/s, respectively. Pricing info is still unknown at the moment. [Intel]

OCZ stated it taped out the Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller, the chip is in production and solid state disks powered by the new chip will be out in August or September. The company announced the Barefoot 3 controller will offer significantly better performance than the current lineup, and that it will cut the company's costs.

"We have recently gave out our next generation Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller [to production] and expect to receive sample silicon back from our foundry partner TSMC in coming weeks. We expect to begin sampling SSDs on this controller in the August to September timeframe. We expect to have SSD sales related to Barefoot 3 in the third fiscal quarter," said Ryan Petersen, chief executive officer of OCZ, during a conference call with financial analysts.

The OCZ/Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller utilizes internally designed - the first time for OCZ - Aragon 400MHz 32-bit processor. The Aragon core supports an SSD specific RISC instruction set, allowing most instructions and branches to be executed in a single cycle, OCZ claims. The chip is set to be made using 65nm process technology at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. OCZ believes that the new Barefoot 3 SoC will significantly boost performance of its SSDs.

We retest the OCZ Vertex 4 SSD yet now with 1.5 firmware update. , again bringing more performance towards the Vertex 4 series of SSDs. And albeit the difference is not as big as the 1.4 release was, it certainly makes a difference as this article will show you. Read the article here.

 OCZ CEO Ryan Petersen stated during an earnings call with financial analysts that pricing of 20/25nm class MLC NAND flash memory has bottomoted, and that in order to further boost capacities and/or reduce SSD pricing, new types of NAND such as TLC and smaller process nodes will be needed. Xbitlabs:

Demand for OCZ's solid-state drives increased by 54% year-over-year during the quarter. In fact, the company shipped over 100 thousand of Indilinx Everest 2-based products, including Vertex 4 and Agility 4, in the first quarter of its fiscal 2013. With the evident success of its SSDs in hard disk drive form-factors, OCZ now claims that solid-state storage has already become strong competitor for traditional hard drives despite of lower capacities.

"It has always been our belief that SSD prices do not need to match those of hard disk drives on a per gigabyte basis in order to drive large scale adoption of SSDs. As such, it is becoming evident that SSDs are increasingly competing with hard disk drives in cost conscious market segment, a trend that is clearly positive for the SSD industry," stated Mr. Petersen.

OCZ believes that by now the pricing of multi-level cell (MLC or 2bpc) NAND flash memory produced using 25nm/20nm-class process technologies has bottomed. As a result, OCZ claims that in order to further boost capacities of SSDs and/or reduce their pricing, new types of NAND flash memory, such as 2bpc/MLC and/or 3bpc/TLC made using thinner technologies, will need to be used for solid-state storage devices.

"Given that, we believe that pricing on 25nm NAND flash has reached its bottom and in order to drive continued price decreases on a per gigabyte basis, SSD companies need to continue to introduce support for new NAND flash nodes and new technologies, such as the upcoming 20nm and 19nm nodes and TLC," stated Mr. Petersen.

Intel is planning to cut prices of its SSD 320, SSD 330 and SSD 520 series in August. The chip giant will cut prices by up to 37 percent, but pricing of some models like the SSD 320 series' lower-capacity models remain untouched.

The OEM price (in multi-unit quantity) of the SSD 320 300 GB is slated to go down from US $499 to $444, a 11% cut. The retail package (off-shelf) of the drive is expected to go down from $519 to $464. The SSD 320 600 GB, on the other hand, will see its OEM price drop from $1,039 to $859; and retail price from $1,059 down to $879.

The business end of these price cuts focus on SSD 520 series, the performance-segment consumer SSD family from Intel. Most popular capacity variants, such as 60 GB, 180 GB, 240 GB, and 480 GB, are slated for price-cuts:

• SSD 520 60 GB: OEM price down from $99 to $89; Reseller pack down from $109 to $99 (9% cut)
• SSD 520 120 GB: OEM price down from $179 to $129; Reseller pack down from $189 to $139 (26.4% cut)
• SSD 520 180 GB: OEM price down from $269 to $189; Reseller pack down from $279 to $199 (28.6% cut)
• SSD 520 240 GB: OEM price down from $339 to $249; Reseller pack down from $349 to $259 (25.8% cut)
• SSD 520 480 GB: OEM price down from $799 to $494; Reseller pack down from $809 to $594 (37.7% cut)

Prices of Intel's newest mainstream SSD line, the SSD 330 series, are also boud for cuts. In fact the most interesting pack of cuts target this series:

• SSD 330 60 GB: Reseller pack price down from $94 to $69 (26.5% cut)
• SSD 330 120 GB: Reseller pack price down from $149 to $104 (30.2% cut)
• SSD 330 180 GB: Reseller pack price down from $234 to $154 (34.1% cut)
  

Toshiba is about to release new 10K RPM 2.5" HDDs. The new generation Enterprise series of hard disk drives from Toshiba, AL13SEB, has been developed according to the highest reliability and performance requirements for HDD applications in the server environment.

With the AL13SEBxxx, Toshiba Storage Products Division delivers 900GB of capacity in a high-speed drive especially designed for business-critical data. The series operates at 10,500 RPM and distinguishes itself from 3.5.inch form factor competition through superior technical and power consumption specifications.

The 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) enterprise line of HDDs offers a 6GB/s SAS interface and is made for demanding, power-conscious and data-intensive storage applications and allows critical data to be accessed whenever necessary, 24/7.

By utilizing an improved head-disk interface proximity sensor, the AL13SEB series boasts a 25 per cent increase in operating reliability rate of two million power-on hours. The series also features increased power efficiency compared to traditional 3.5-inch enterprise storage counterparts.
This new series is also available in a 3.5-inch mounting frame. This SlimFITT version (AL13SEL) is ideal for system architectures accustomed to holding traditionally large form factor enterprise devices.

Plextor introduces the M5S solid state disk series:
Plextor, a leading developer of high-performance digital storage equipment, announces the launch of its newest Solid State Drive (SSD), the M5S Series, featuring an enhanced and sustained read/write speed up to 73,000/70,000 IOPS. The M5S Series performs faster than its award-winning predecessors with overall enhanced performance. With its exclusive firmware technology, Plextor is proud to offer a consistent high quality and high-performance SSDs that will ensure the sustained optimal read/write speed after long periods of time and continued to excel in performances.

Plextor

While I doubt if very much DigiTimes Research predicts solid state disks may replace HDDs in mainstream storage applications three to five years from now.

The large earthquake in northeastern Japan in March 2011 and flooding in Thailand in October 2011 resulted in short supply of hard disk drives (HDDs) and therefore pushed up prices for a while, according to Digitimes Research. In contrast, the average price of solid-state drives slipped 50% in the first half of 2012, making SSDs more competitive in price against HDDs. While average storage costs for HDDs stayed at US$0.09/GB, SSDs dropped to US$0.80/GB.

In addition, growth in total storage capacity for HDDs has been decreasing, while demand for SSDs has kept increasing due to fast growing use of smartphones, tablet PCs and ultra-thin notebooks.

Corsair delivers the Force GS solid state disks:
Corsair

Global sales of smartphones, tablet PCs and ultrabooks are expected to grow in the second half of 2012, thereby increasing demand for NAND flash used in SSDs and eMMC, the sources indicated. In addition, Intel's Ivy Bridge platform is expected to increase global penetration of USB 3.0 flash drives, especially 16GB models, and in turn demand for large-capacity NAND flash chips, the sources noted. The global penetration of USB 3.0 flash drives will reach an estimated 20% at the end of 2012, the sources estimated.

Links International will launch a new line of SSDs from Plextor called the M5S. Available in 128GB and 256GB sizes, these 2.5-inch SSDs are packed with 25nm MLC NAND Flash memory chips, a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, a Marvell 88SS9174 controller, a MTBF of 1.5 million hours, TRIM support and capable of delivering read/write speeds of up to 520/200 MB/s (128GB Model) and 520/390 MB/s (256GB Model), respectively.

The 128GB and 256GB models will become available from July 6th for 11,480 Yen (about $144) and 19,980 Yen (about $251), respectively. [Product Page]

Icy Dock shows off the MB080U3S-1SB Blizzard, a new tool-free USB 3.0 and eSATA external 3.5" SATA HDD enclosure with a 80mm fan for cooling.
External enclosures are a great way to have high capacity data storage on the go. Data can also be a critical factor for users in the media business or who work with data centers. Some of the top tier hard drive companies have made their own all in one enclosure with hard drive included. However, one of the known major causes of hard drive failure is due to excessive heat buildup caused by a lack of a proper cooling system. Also, a majority of hard drive manufactures only allow a 1 year warranty on their all in one external hard drives. This can be fatal for someone who has just lost their data and has to spend a significant amount of money in order to recover their data. There are other external enclosures in the market that provide a cooling system to help prevent this, but the physical placement of the cooling system does not always allow for the optimal airflow to cool the hard drive. Going above and beyond, the MB080U3S-1SB Blizzard is the next generation of external enclosures dedicated for maximum performance in cooling.

Elegantly Designed Hardware
The Blizzard has a uniquely designed front panel integrated with a massive 80mm fan for an elegant and nonintrusive design for the best ventilation, all in a single 3.5" hard drive that is installed into the front of the enclosure. There are two important reasons for the particular fan placement and design. First, the MB080U3S-1SB will be able to cool all sides of the hard drive and create only one direction of airflow from the front to the back, where the air then exits. This extends the life of the cooling fan as it only intakes cool cold air and increases the overall cooling efficiency of the hard drive, in comparison to other enclosure cooling designs. Second, the 80mm fan is integrated into the detachable front panel which allows to easily swap your hard drive without any screws or tools to worry about. On the sides, includes two slightly concealed button ejectors that when pressed, will eject the front panel enabling the user to swap the hard drive as needed, similar to popular hard drive docking stations.

Smarter Cooling Functionality
The rear panel comprises of a multitude of defining features coming all together from only the best ideas of our previous external enclosure models. The enclosure has a single LED brightness dial to effortlessly adjust the ambient LED brightness to your preferred liking. To increase the level of functionality, the Blizzard's LED color will turn red when the hard drive temperature is over 50

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash storage application products, today announced the launch of the XPG SX910 solid state drive, a significant broadening of the popular and powerful XPG line of storage products. The SX910 features a 7% capacity increase over common SSDs that use a SandForce controller, delivering a powerful combination of capacity and high performance with a five-year warranty.

The XPG SX910 uses new optimized firmware to maximize utilization of the NAND Flash components, allowing for full use of the available storage capacity. This zero percent over-provisioning in the design and engineering of the SX910 is implemented with no loss to performance- Maximum 4k random read/write speeds are 50,000 and 85,000 IOPS respectively, with sequential read and write speeds reaching 550 and 530 MB/sec, respectively.

• 128GB: US$189.99
• 256GB: US$379.99
• 512GB: US$749.99

In addition, the SX910 undergoes an improved screening process for the Flash IC chip selection. This results in improved stability and performance, that is demonstrated by the five-year warranty that comes as standard for this SSD. With capacities of 128, 256 & 512 gigabytes, the SX910 is positioned to meet the rigorous standards of the world

Following the acquisition of Link_A_Media by SK Hynix, the latter firm debuts its first consumer solid state disk.
SK Hynix (