But why do we make such a big deal about SSDs [Solid State Drives] in the first place?

There are two simple reasons: performance and energy efficiency. While traditional hard drives do not directly accelerate processing performance for CPU-intensive tasks or graphics performance, they have a very noticeable impact whenever the operating system, applications or application data are launched or terminated. Once software can be executed or data can be accessed from within the system’s main memory, the core components can show their potential.

Until this is the case, data has to be loaded or stored from or to the hard drive, which is why we still have to wait seconds or even minutes for Windows or applications to start. Flash SSDs can significantly reduce user idle time by providing a good mix of quicker data access and good throughput.

Lastly, flash memory devices can be more energy-efficient than conventional hard drives. However, an SSD’s energy power consumption depends on the number of flash components the device has for its capacity.


More . . .

I would like to ask few of questions to some of our computer and linux gurus:

With SSD's coming down in price to where normal humans can afford them, would this be a reasonable option for a second HD for a dual boot?



Transcend TS8GSSD25S-S 2.5" 8GB SATA Internal Solid state disk (SSD) - $108.00


I realize that going the SDD route isn 't really cost effective, but I think this would be interesting technology to test.

I am minimally literate in Linux, and had no problems runing Kubuntu 7.04 with a 4 Gig HD. . . would 8Gigs be adequate to run a 64 bit version of Linux for a BOINC only quad?

. . . can you recommend a 64bit Linux that runs well on a quad?

most BOINC-projects are not dependig on fast disk-I/O. if you wan't to save energy without spending loads of money, go for an 2.5 or 1.8 inch notebook-drive with an adaptor.



i'm not running any linuxes for some years, but i know that may people are running it on memory-sticks..

the other alternative are SSD-cards - they can be used as fixed-disks with adapters too.

frank.

Frank:

THX.


Are there any Linux gurus out there?

First off, I'm not a guru

But the main question is: Will you run it commandline only, without unnecessary packages? Then it should easily live on 8 Gigs. 64-bit linux, doesnt take up more space than 32-bit anyway.

But Ubuntu is a fine distro, so is Fedora for example. It's about preferences really...

But to be honest, I'm not impressed by the read and write speeds of that drive. 30 MB/s tops.

Intel High-Performance SATA SSD at Baja500 Motorcycle Race


Watch an Intel SSD get 'torture-tested' in the 2008 Baja 500, the most grueling off-road motorcycle race in the world.

Intel Executives Talk About Solid-State Drives


Pat Gelsinger, Senior VP, General Manager, Digital Enterprise Group and Dadi Perlmutter, Executive VP, General Manager, Mobility Group, talk about Intel's new high-performance SATA solid-state drive solutions.

Lenovo, HP and Sun re: Intel SSDs


Executives from Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard and Sun talk about their impressions of Intel's new high-performance SATA solid-state drives on their company's client and server platforms.

HHD, or hybrid hard drive, disk storage is a technology that will generally give way to the simpler, more efficient SSD, or solid-state drive, form factor. Want proof? Seagate Technology, Western Digital, Samsung, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Micron Technology, SanDisk and LSI Logic are well into flash development as the next generation of processors begins to take shape.

Some companies are working on advanced solid-state technologies such as Spansion and Virident Systems' EcoRAM. NAND flash memory forms the core of the removable USB storage devices known as USB flash drives and the Apple iPod and Apple iPhone.

EMC, Dell and Sun Microsystems are among the first systems vendors to come out with optional solid-state drives for servers and storage arrays. Here's why SSD storage will kill HHD storage.



More . . .

Computing Without a Whirring Drive

This shift in storage technology is now possible because of the growth in flash chip usage. They are now ubiquitous in hand-held devices like digital cameras and MP3 players. The other reason the shift is happening now is that these solid-state drives (so called because, unlike magnetic-disk drives, they have no moving parts) are being designed to fit in the same space in laptops currently used by the industry-standard 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch disks used in hard drives.

There are many benefits to this newer technology. Information can be stored permanently in flash chips even when power is turned off, and the chips can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. They make no noise, give off little heat and consume far less power, while transferring data on average many times faster than rotating hard disks.

Of course, there are caveats. While solid-state drives can read information more quickly than hard drives, some models write information more slowly. That means that, on average, performance comparisons may depend on a particular manufacturer’s design or running a specific application or style of computing. There are also big differences in quality within the solid-state market, and there can be extreme differences among drives in the number of times that 1s and 0s can be stored and erased. Because individual transistors can fail over time, flash chips come with extra transistors that can be turned on automatically in the event of failure.


More . . .

Toshiba crowns itself king of the hill with a 512 GB SSD


Toshiba is firing the next salvo in the Solid State War with a drive that's an impressive 512 GB large. As it pretty much always is in the wild world of tech, that's double the size of the last SSD we got all gaga about.

Toshiba will have SSDs ranging in sizes from 64 GB, 128 GB to 256 GB to show off at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, as well as its big 512 gigger — the last of which should go into full production later next year.

Even if you don't want to shell out the cash for a 512 GB solid state drive, the never-ceasing march of companies like Toshiba and Intel to create bigger and faster drives mean that the lesser-sized drives left in the wake will hit the shelves cheaper, and that's always a good thing.


More . . .

MacBook SSD Performance


MBA MacBook 13" aluminum, standard 2GB RAM, 2GB Intel Core 2 Due, internal harddisk upgraded to Solidata K6 128GB, available at USD 380 at www.solidata.hk online shop.

This MacBook has installed over 50 software, including memory hungry ones, e.g. PhotoShop, Illustrator, Premier, etc. Apple's own software like iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, also improve performance tremendously.

K5 SSD boot up Windows XP in 14 seconds

Intel's Solid State Drives - "Throw the SSD against door" test


Intel's Solid State Drive takes flight in this short video. Check out how rugged this new technology is as it works after being tossed against a conference room door. Solid.

Intel Solid State Drives


In this video, Intel IT explains the benefits we've seen from using Intel Solid State Drives in our environment, including gains in productivity and reliability, and savings in energy costs. We also show a demo comparison between a laptop with a SSD and a conventional hard drive. For more information on this subject, read the white paper "Improving the Mobile Experience with Solid State Drives".

Intel Solid-State Drives - Drop Test


Check out what happens when you drop two laptops, one with a conventional hard drive and the other with Intel's Solid-State drive. We drop both onto a very hard table. Guess which one continues to run. (hint: SOLID)

Samsung SSD Awesomeness


We took 24 256GB Samsung MLC SSD's and put them in RAID to make this awesome computer! See how we did it, and what the results were!

For more information on these drives, check out http://www.samsungssd.com

Patriot SSDs Offer 10-Year Warranty





Patriot Memory announced today that its new Torqx M28 Series SSDs are now available for purchase in two capacities: 128 GB and 256 GB. The company is also backing the new drives with a huge 10-year warranty, apparently the first of its kind in the industry. Originally, the company offered two-year warranties on its SSDs, however Patriot's Director of Sales said that the new extended warranty applies to all consumer purchases prior to today's announcement, meaning anything previously bought from the company is now covered under the extended plan.

In addition to the warranty, Patriot has increased the DRAM cache size in its new SSDs from 64 MB to 128 MB of cache "in conjunction with its current NAND flash technology." This upgrade will provide faster transfer rates between the controller and the host device. It's probably a given that the SSDs will provide lower power consumption and faster access times, however the Torqx series should offer better stability than hard drives found on the market today. Patriot has even thrown in an SSD bracket that will make the SSDs universal across all platforms, whether its a mobile device or a desktop.


More . . .

I would really like to use those EFDs (Enterprise Flash Drives) if they wouldn't be so pricey: 30.000 € for 200 GB




Just installed 16 of them in the company a couple months ago. The performance is quite impressive.

Intel Solid State Drive introduction

Introduction video to the Intel Solid State Drive technology. Intel's SSD is a break through in traditional storage technology with improvements in transfer rate, reliability, power consumption, and durability. Intel's SSD supported on desktop, server, and mobile applications Intel SSDs: SOLID!

Patriot TorqX 128GB SSD tested Written by Slobodan Simic 20 July 2009


Solid State Drives are no longer reserved for the highly privileged part of the market that is willing to spend over €500 for a 32GB SSD. Prices have gone down dramatically, and although SSDs are still far from being competitive with traditional HDDs in capacity/price segment, they excel in speed/price department.

Another good side of the SSD is its lack of moving parts, so you end up with noiseless operation, higher shock resistance and improved reliability. These features make an SSD a perfect candidate for any notebook. The write and read speeds are something that you must not overlook as SSD easily beats an HDD, especially a 2.5-inch laptop HDD.

With its Warp series, Patriot became a very serious player on the SSD market and it is clear that Patriot is intending to stay and become the one to look at if you are shopping for an SSD. The TorqX line is no exception either, as 64MB of DRAM cache and rated speeds of up to 260MB/s for read and up to 180MB/s write for 128 and 256GB versions and 220MB/s and 135MB/s for a 64GB version, are a proof that Patriot is definitely here to impress.



More . . .

Kingston SSDNow V Series SNV125 128 GB SSD Solid State Disk Review


Elric Phares from Motherboards.org reviews the new Kingston V series 128 GB SSD drive. This video features some very cool tests including boot time, iTunes launch, Mozilla Firefox launch, and a 1GB file duplicate. You will see actual footage comparison between the Kingston SSD and the old 5400 RPM stock toshiba drive.

Intel confirms data corruption bug in new SSDs, halts shipments

Opening 50 Programs Running on 12 Kingston SSDNow! drives in RAID!


At the 2009 Intel Developer Forum the Kingston PR team was showing off a display that had not one, but 12 SSDs running at once. They then ran a batch file that opened 50 programs

Verbatim's 32GB Portable SSD Has USB, eSATA Connections




Is it a USB flash driveor its it a miniature, portable SSD? That's the question with Verbatim's new eSATA/USB combo SSD based on the device's appearance. Closely resembling SanDisk's Cruiser flash drives, Verbatim's SSD measures just over 3-inches long and less than an inch wide. There's also a sliding mechanism for storing and extracting both the eSATA and USB connectors (one at each end).

According to the specs, the Combo SSD delivers read speeds of up to 60 MB/sec. and write speeds of up to 25 MB/sec. in eSATA mode. When plugged in as a USB 2.0 device, the drive provides read speeds up to 26 MB/sec. and write speeds up to 15 MB/sec. The drive offers 32 GB of space, and is compatible with Windows
, Mac OS, and Linux. the drive even provides software to encrypt the stored data.


More . . .