Corsair expands Force SSD family with three new models
Corsair is expanding its recently introduced Force range of solid-state drives today to include the F60, F120, and F240 models, sporting 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB capacities respectively. Just like their 100GB and 200GB siblings, the three new drives come in a 2.5-inch form factor using MLC NAND Flash memory chips, have a SATA 3.0 Gbps interface, offer TRIM support and are powered by the SandForce SF-1200 controller.
According to the numbers the company is quoting, performance doesn't vary based on the capacity of the drive. This means the entire range can reach a maximum read speed of 285 MB/s and write speeds of up to 275 MB/s. If Corsair can keep the price around $200 for the 60GB model it certainly could be a popular choice among users looking to jump in the SSD bandwagon with a fast drive for their operating system and applications.
The new additions to the Force family are expected to become available in June and will be offered with a two-year warranty. Unfortunately, no pricing information has been disclosed at this point.
Website: http://www.corsair.com
Seagate whipping up 3TB Constellation ES hard drive
Seagate product manager Barbara Craig today confirmed rumors that the storage company is readying a 3TB hard drive for release later this year. Dubbed Constellation ES, the drive – and presumably others like it – may stimulate an industry-wide overhaul that could see the end of DOS-era BIOS.
Craig notes that most existing systems cannot handle capacities greater than 2.1TB because of the original logical block addressing (LBA) standard developed by IBM and Microsoft 20 years ago. "Nobody expected back in 1980 when they set the standard that we'd ever address over 2.1TB."
To get around this limitation, Craig says that Long LBA is necessary to increase the number of bytes used to define an LBA address in the command descriptor block. Fortunately, 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Vista are compatible with Long LBA, though, users of older versions are out of luck.
Although 32-bit builds of XP will see 3TB drives, in-house tests show that as little as 990MB is available while the remaining bytes are inaccessible. Craig also says that current master boot record partitions are limited to 2.1TB, so a GPT partition table would be necessary to use a 3TB HDD as a boot drive.
GPT and a larger LBA addressing scheme are part of Intel's Extensible Firmware Interface, a BIOS replacement that has yet to become standard and is only present in a handful of motherboards. Along with UEFI-compliant motherboards and 64-bit operating systems, new RAID controllers and drivers will also be required.
Website: http://www.seagate.com
Mushkin ships 60GB, 120GB, 240GB Callisto SSDs
Mushkin has announced the availability of its Callisto solid-state drives, which come in three iterations that vary only in capacity and price. All models make use of the new SandForce SF-1200 controller and boast peak read speeds of 285MB/s, while write speeds top out at 275MB/s. The Callisto drives have a MTBF of two million hours, and are backed by a three-year warranty.
So, what's the damage you ask? The 60GB model has a list price of $240.49, the 120GB version is $406.99, and the 240GB version is $733.49. Mushkin also provides an alternative "web price" of $218.49, $369.99 and $666.49, respectively, which is more along the lines of what you can expect to see when shopping for a Callisto. In fact, the company's own store sells them at that price.
Website: http://www.mushkin.com
Corsair outs 2533MHz Dominator GTX4 RAM
It took a few months, but Corsair has outdone itself again with the launch of its new 2GB Dominator GTX4 DDR3 memory. In January, the company introduced DDR3 RAM rated for up to 2400MHz, and that topped its 2000MHz sticks, but its latest offering promises to operate at 2,533MHz with timings of 9-11-10-30 and 1.65V -- perfect for P55-based machines.
Just like the 2,400MHz GTX1, GTX4 modules are individually tested by hand at Corsair's Freemont, California lab. The RAM ships with a lifetime warranty for the very special introductory price of only $325. While you're at it, you might as well go the full mile and get the company's Airflow 2 GTL fan, which is recommended for optimal performance.
Website: http://www.corsair.com
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