Samsung intros fast SSDs for mini PCs, handhelds
updated 08:00 am EDT, Wed August 27, 2008
Samsung Mini SSDs
Samsung this morning backed up its SATA II SSDs with a new variety specifically designed for handhelds, netbooks, and other very small and low-cost devices. The technology uses the same multi-level cell storage that keeps the cost for storage down in a larger 128GB drive but is just 30 percent of the size of a 2.5-inch disk while simultaneously outperforming the normally slow drives in the category: a top-spec 32GB drive reportedly rivals desktop hard drives with 90MB per second sequential reads and writing at 70MB per second.
Smaller 8GB and 16GB drives also perform more quickly than others in their class and only lose write speed in exchange for their smaller capacity, writing sequentially at 45MB per second in the case of the 16GB drive and 25MB per second for the 8GB capacity. A four-channel data traffic system with 32MB of cache keeps the drives moving quickly regardless of their storage level.
The company primarily intends the new SSDs for device builders and so doesn't provide pricing. However, sampling has already started for Samsung's customers and should switch to mass production in September. No companies have been named as clients, though this class of drive is typically used in UMPCs and mobile Internet devices (MIDs) as well as mini computers like ASUS' Eee PCs or Acer's Aspire one.
