Super Talent ships third-gen SSDs
updated 03:50 pm EDT, Tue September 16, 2008
Super Talent OX and PX SSD
Super Talent today saw fit to roll out its third-generation solid-state drives, including new models that push prices down without sacrificing much speed. The MasterDrive OX relies on multi-level cell (MLC) storage, which has traditionally been inexpensive but slower, and improves the performance through both flash improvements and a new SATA II controller. The storage producer claims transfer speeds well beyond notebook hard drives and claims that all drives can peak at 150MB per second in reading speeds but still net 100MB per second in historically slower writes.
Cost will be the driving factor for the OX SSDs, which slot into the standard 2.5-inch bays of most notebooks. An entry 32GB drive sells for $149 and is followed by 64GB and 128GB models at $259 and $419 respectively.
The company is also revising its single-level cell (SLC) drives with the release of the MasterDrive PX lineup. These eliminate some of the weaknesses of MLC and write data much more quickly, at 130MB per second, while also reading slightly faster at 170MB per second. The higher-grade technology raises the price to $499 for a 32GB drive and leaves room for just one higher-capacity model, a 64GB edition that sells for $849.
Super Talent hasn't announced deals with notebook makers but will make its SSDs available as retail kits towards the end of the week.
