11/27, 5:40pm
OCZ Vector SSD promises longer life, faster data transfers
Provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, OCZ Technology Group, today announced the availability of the new SATA III-based Vector SSD Series featuring the company’s next-generation Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller. OCZ’s worldwide technology hardware and firmware teams developed the new controller silicon and firmware completely in-house to enable full design control over the Vector SSD Series roadmap.
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09/18, 7:26pm
No reason given for departure, poor financial results suspected
SSD manufacturer OCZ Technology Group has accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Officer and founder Ryan Petersen. Filling in is Chief Marketing Officer Alex Mei. Mei will do double-duty at the company, retaining his current duties as marketing head and executive vice president until a permanent replacement is found. No reason for the executive's departure has been offered.
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09/10, 1:52pm
Industry-wide shortage could be iDevice driven
[Updated with correction] The CEO of OCZ Technology Group, a solid state drive manufacturer, announced last week that the company would not be able to produce enough of its products to meet industry demand. As EE Times reports, the shortage in NAND components -- the chips that allow for smartphones and mobile devices to have high-density, low-power internal memory -- is said to be industry-wide and an outgrowth of the increasing demand for NAND supplies. The company believes that the supply situation will resolve itself, but it is moving to reorganize its production processes to account for supply considerations.
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04/25, 1:35pm
Price drops aimed at forcing out small players
Solid state drives, a critical component in many thin, high storage-density mobile devices, could see dramatic price drops in the coming months due to a burgeoning price war among the major SSD suppliers. According to DigiTimes, industry sourcesin Taiwan are indicating that large suppliers are preparing to drop prices on SSDs precipitously.
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04/04, 11:05am
OCZ Vertex 4 gets Indilinx Everest 2 controller
Flash memory maker OCZ has unveiled the Vertex 4 SATA III SSD as its fastest to date. The 2.5-inch drive reaches sequential speeds of up to 535MBps through an Indilinx Everest 2 controller that reportedly helps it outperform predecessors by a factor of four. It's also much more durable, with cycle erase specs that are outside of the measurable range, according to the creator.
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11/04, 3:15pm
OCZ intros MLC-undercutting SSDs with TLC NAND
Storage media maker OCZ showed off a first in the commercial storage drive space with a teaser of its upcoming three-bit-per-cell (TLC) NAND drive. The technology improves the density per cell by 50 percent and should apply equally to home and pro buyers. The company is keen to do so as TLC NAND is significantly cheaper to produce compared to MLC NAND, with OCZ's numbers showing off a reduction of as much as 30 percent.
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09/01, 7:05pm
Hybrid storage hits $499 price point
OCZ has introduced its latest storage system, the RevoDrive Hybrid, which pairs an solid-state drive with a standard disk drive. The hybrid storage is geared for desktop computers, build upon a PCI Express card rather than utilizing typical drive connectors. Operating system files and applications can be stored on the 100GB SSD for faster speeds, while the HDD provides an additional 1TB of capacity for other content.
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08/10, 10:40am
Combines controller with Toshiba for next gen SSD
Sandforce has used the Flash Memory Summit, currently taking place in Santa Clara, to show off its SSD controller working with 24 nanometer multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash technology that will be used in SSD drives. For the demonstration, the company has combined its SSD-2000 controller with Toshiba's newest NAND flash to create what it sees as a a next generation storage solution.
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07/22, 12:55pm
Controller can be used for SSDs up to 1 Terabit
OCZ has unveiled a SATA III controller that can be used to build solid-state drives with up to 1TB of storage capacity. Taking advantage of OCZ's buyout of Indilinx, the Everest SATA 3.0 SSD platform incorporates a 6Gbps host interface and a dual-core controlling processor. OCZ claimed that the architecture will enable a boot time 50 percent quicker than possible with existing SSDs.
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05/10, 5:35pm
60GB - 240GB SSDs target value seekers
OCZ has announced two new series of SATA III 2.5-inch solid state drives targeting price and value conscious customers. The Agility 3 comes in three models from 60GB to 240GB. The Solid 3 is available in 60GB or 120GB versions. Both series incorporate SandForce's SF-2200 SSD processor to drive up the speed. The Agility 3 delivers up to 525MB per second reads and 500MB per second writes while the value-oriented Solid 3 still manages 500MB per second reads and 450MB per second writes.
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03/14, 9:40pm
Deal said to be worth $32 million
OCZ Technology has announced that it is set to acquire Indilinx, a South Korea-based company that specializes in SSD controllers. Indilinx controllers have been present in some of OCZ's SSD lineup since late in 2008, including the Z-Drive series of PCIe-based drives. OCZ suggests the buyout will help the company expand its reach into the embedded, hybrid storage and industrial markets.
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02/25, 3:10pm
Mac OS X Lion shows TRIM support for SSDs
A finding in the developer preview of Mac OS X Lion has confirmed that the OS will have much needed support for auto-tuning solid-state drives. System Profiler now automatically detects SSDs with the TRIM command, and the OS now presumably uses the technique to clean up the drive. The MacGeneration investigation found that Apple's Toshiba-sourced SSD for the MacBook Air was already recognized, but third-party drives weren't yet enabled.
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02/24, 6:55pm
100GB to 400GB variants
OCZ Technology has introduced two new Vertex-series SSDs claimed to take advantage of 6Gb/s transfer speeds supported by SATA III interfaces. Performance is said to be doubled from the previous generation, with a new SandForce processor that reaches 550MB/s read transfer rates, 500MB/s write rates, and up to 60,000 IOPS.
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01/13, 5:10pm
OCZ to quit making RAM at end of February
Memory and solid state drive maker OCZ this week announced it would no longer produce RAM modules after February, the end of its current fiscal year. Instead, the outfit will focus on its remaining solid state drive business. The decision was made after the company's memory revenue dropped by 71 percent, from $22 million to $6.2 million.
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10/26, 12:05pm
MacBook Air SSD faster than Sony VAIO Z in testing
A new showdown (video below) between the 11-inch MacBook Air and the Sony VAIO Z has landed an unusual victory for Apple. Despite the Z having dual SSDs in a RAID stripe and theoretically outperforming the single SSD of its rival, it took almost three times longer to start in the Laptop test, launching from a cold boot in about 40 seconds where the Mac took just 15 for the same task. Wake from hibernation was also about twice as slow on the Sony system at five to six seconds where the Mac can take just two to three.
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10/07, 12:40pm
SandForce SF-2000 controller to support 500MBps
SandForce will show off its new SF-2000 range of SSD processors at the Storage Networking World Exhibition next week. Meant for enterprise and other heavy-duty tasks, they sport a 6Gbps SATA interface and the industry's first sustained, sequential read and write performance of 500MB per second; most drives reach half this figure. The controller also has a unique 60,000 sustained random read/write IOPS rating.
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09/29, 5:00pm
OCZ intros 20Gbps HSDL interface for SSDs
Computer storage maker OCZ on Wednesday said it has developed a High-Speed Data Link (HSDL) interface to help speed up the transfer speeds of SSD drives. With the bus technology, OCZ hopes to eliminate I/O bottlenecks and enhance high-performance computing for its pro users.
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09/27, 4:20pm
OCZ shows mainstream Onyx 2 solid state drives
Storage products maker OCZ has showed off its latest solid state drive, the Onyx 2 Series. The 2.5-inch SSDs are said to be priced lower than competing products but still sport SandForce controllers. Their maximum read speeds are rated at 270MBps, while write speeds peak at 265MBps.
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06/18, 5:15pm
OCZ Onyx and Vertex 2 reach 1.8-inch size
OCZ finished its week with its first 1.8-inch solid-state drives. Together, the Onyx and Vertex 2 are built for upgrading ultraportables, netbooks and other computers that could use extra speed but won't fit a 2.5-inch SSD. Both attach through SATA or SATA II and often preserve the same performance as their earlier, bigger siblings.
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05/24, 2:30pm
OCZ boosts fast SSDs to 480GB
OCZ gave a rare treat to performance users today with upgrades to the capacities of both the Agility 2 and Vertex 2. Either now has options for 480GB of usable space; both go beyond the 400GB ceiling for most of OCZ's SSD line. Either is now considered large enough that it can be used as a full system drive rather than just a boot drive.
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05/05, 4:30pm
OCZ shows Enyo external SSDs with USB 3.0
Memory and storage media maker OCZ has revealed its latest external drive, the Enyo Portable SSD, with the new high-speed USB 3.0 interface. The device is deliberately much sleeker than the usual external drive and matches this with the faster USB 3.0 interface, which is rated at 5Gbps. The Enyo Portable SSD can reach up to 260MBps read speeds and 200MBps write speeds, according to OCZ.
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04/15, 10:10am
OCZ updates 1TB Colossus LT SSDs
OCZ has refreshed its Colossus desktop SSDs with the new Colossus LT 3.5-inch SSD range, which includes 120GB, 250GB, 500GB and 1TB capacities. The MLC NAND flash is meant for desktop users who want to reap the benefits of the faster performance, quiet operation and durability inherent in SSD drives coupled to capacities that more readily mirror traditional hard drives.
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04/08, 6:20pm
OCZ nears 300MB per second with Vertex 2
OCZ today added two extremely high-performance SSDs to its mix that set relative records. Both the Agility 2 and Vertex 2 use a new controller that is not only faster in absolute terms but consistently faster in both directions. Either can peak at 285MB per second in read speeds, but they can also write at up to 275MB per second.
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03/10, 6:45pm
32GB capacity to be available at launch
OCZ Technology on Wednesday introduced the Onyx SATA II 2.5-inch solid-state drive (SSD) series of storage components with a focus on low cost. The multi-level cell (MLC)-based SSDs feature 64MB of integrated cache and data transfer speeds of up to 125MB/s while reading, and up to 70MB/s during write operations.
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02/18, 10:20am
OCZ Vertex LE fastest in reads and writes
OCZ this morning launched an update to its Vertex line as fastest ever drive to use dense multi-level cell (MLC) memory. The Vertex Limited Edition uses a yet-again upgraded controller with read speeds as high as 270MB per second and much faster writes than usual at 250MB per second. Its speed potentially makes it the best option for those who need the fastest possible single drive.
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11/17, 11:05am
OCZ Colossus arrives with smaller options
OCZ today formally launched the Colossus, its first solid-state drive line aimed primarily at the desktop. The 3.5-inch SATA II disks are designed both to fit directly into desktops without a mounting kit but also to provide performance above even some notebook SSDs. OCZ has raised its speed claims beyond early estimates and now says that the fastest Colossus drives reach peak read and write speeds of 260MB per second and sustained write speeds of 220MB per second.
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08/27, 10:45am
OCZ Agility EX SSDs
OCZ has recently announced the upcoming release of its 2.5-inch Agility EX series of solid state drives, which it touts as the most affordable single-level cell (SLC) solid-state drive on the market. SLC flash drives are usually more expensive than denser multi-level cell (MLC) drives, but also outperform them in terms of speed their long-term lifespans.
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08/20, 5:00pm
OCZ intros Zee USB drive
Notebook, RAM and flash memory maker OCZ recently introduced its Zee USB 2.0 flash drive. OCZ, which makes solid state drive upgrade kits for notebook PCs, hasn't offered a simple USB thumb drive before. The drives are minimalist in their design, and OCZ is likewise being modest and isn't releasing their peformance specs, though does say the drives are capable of mainstream speeds.
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08/12, 12:20pm
OCZ Solid 2 SSD announced
OCZ has released its OCZ Solid 2 SATA II 2.5” Solid State Drive, using MLC-based NAND flash memory for a balance between performance and price. While MLC memory is slightly slower than SLC memory, the new drives deliver 100MB/sec write (120GB model) and 125MB/sec read speeds and a seek time of less than 0.1ms using the less expensive memory type. The drives carry a 64MB onboard cache and a three-year warranty, while mean time between failure is rated at 1.5 million hours.
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08/10, 11:10am
OCZ Anti Slowdown SSDs
OCZ and storage chipset maker Indilinx in the past few days have unveiled a new firmware technique for solid-state drives that could avert the chronic slowdown in write speeds on these disks. As any storage cell on an SSD needs to be completely re-written if any amount of data exists, many SSDs collect "garbage" data which is just enough to force a rewrite and slow down the regular data recording process. The new approach automatically scrubs data from these cells and effectively restores an SSD to a near-new state if left alone for enough time.
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08/03, 10:50am
OCZ 1TB SSD
OCZ has announced pricing information and a launch time-frame for its 1TB Colossus SSD introduced at Computex last month. The drive is relatively large, with a weight of 400g, although it is designed to fit in a standard 3.5-inch drive bay. The company claims read speeds of up to 250MB/s and write speeds of 200MB using a SATA II interface.
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07/08, 8:25am
OCZ Vertex Turbo SSDs
OCZ today aimed for the performance crown and launched its Vertex Turbo solid-state drives. The 2.5-inch drives build on the existing formula of the Vertex line by increasing the clock speed for both the host controller managing data as well as the 64MB of cache; OCZ estimates peak read speeds of up to 270MB per second (up from 250MB) and peak writes of 210MB per second (from 160MB). Adding the extra speed provides an extra edge for notebooks and, through a bay adapter, performance desktops.
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06/23, 4:15pm
OCZ Sabre gaming keyboard
OCZ on Tuesday released its Sabre OLED multimedia keyboard meant for gamers or CAD professionals. OCZ's first premium peripheral offering, the Sabre sports nine dedicated OLED keys (not unlike Art Lebedev Optimus keyboards) that can be customized and are capable of displaying key icons converted from digital images or text. The rest of the 103 keys are backlit with amber LEDs.
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06/05, 1:20pm
OCZ Agility SSD
OCZ has without fanfare added a new solid-state drive line to its mix that negotiates a balance between its fastest and cheapest options. The Agility series is based on multi-level cell (MLC) storage but is faster than the basic Solid series. Peak reading speeds top 235MB per second while writes finish at 135MB per second; sustained writing holds at 80MB per second.
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06/02, 12:50pm
OCZ Colossus SSD
OCZ at Computex today upgraded its solid-state drives with its first drive built from the start as a 3.5-inch SATA II desktop drive. The Colossus fills out the bay area by pairing two drives together in a RAID 0 stripe. OCZ isn't prepared to make performance claims but should deliver much faster performance through the Colossus than any of its 2.5-inch drives while doubling the maximum capacity.
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05/20, 8:05am
OCZ Summit Series SSDs
OCZ late yesterday added to its solid-state drive line with the Summit series. The new 2.5-inch SATA II design is considered a balance between speed and durability. Better-than-usual flash memory chips contribute to a mean time between failures of 1.5 million hours; a fast controller and 128MB of cache bring peak read speeds up to 220MB per second and sustained write speeds up to 200MB per second depending on the capacity.
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04/28, 5:35pm
Intel drops 2.5" SSD price
Intel will soon lower prices of its X25-M series of 2.5-inch solid state drives and boost production of its 1.8-inch SSDs, according to a Tuesday DailyTech report. The 160GB X25-M, which uses mulit-level cell flash memory, is now priced at $630 after launching for $945 last December, and is due to get another $100 price cut soon, while the 80GB version of that drive will fall to $270, down $50. Street prices are even lower, as retailers try to make the Intel drives appealing compared to OCZ's Vertex SSDs.
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04/24, 3:45pm
OCZ Z-Drive SSD
OCZ on Friday took its turn at the new class of RAID-striped solid-state drives and launched the Z-Drive. Like offerings from Fusion-io, the Z-Drive ties together four SSDs to a central RAID controller and plugs into a PCI Express slot, eliminating the bottlenecks of SATA and transferring data twice as fast or more than single SSDs. OCZ claims peak read speeds of 510MB per second and peak writes of 480MB per second for its top-end drive.
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04/21, 9:30am
OCZ Vertex EX SSD
OCZ has dipped into the very high end of solid-state drives this week by launching the Vertex EX series. The line is one of OCZ's first recent storage options based on single-level cell (SLC) flash storage and is aimed at servers, workstations and other computers where longevity and performance matter more than a low price: in addition to taking longer to wear out than multi-level cell (MLC) drives, speeds peak at a high 260MB per second for reads and 210MB per second for writes.
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04/08, 9:35am
OCZ Vertex SSD Mac Edition
OCZ has swung its attention towards Macs by launching storage and memory specifically geared towards iMacs, MacBooks and Mac minis. The Vertex Series Mac Edition is specifically validated in Apple's testing centers to work in the MacBook and MacBook Pro and provides much faster speeds than the stock rotating hard disks, reading data at 240MB per second and writing it at up to 170MB per second (100MB sustained). OCZ vows not only faster load times but also the improved battery life and impact resistance inherent to most SSDs.
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03/31, 12:25pm
OCZ outs Neutrino netbook
OCZ has officially announced its 10.1-inch Neutrino netbook, first shown during CeBIT at the beginning of March. Part of the company's Do-It-Yourself (DIY) line-up, the computer can be upgraded by users without voiding the warranty. The Neutrino weighs just under 2.9lbs, and by default sports a 1024x600, LED-backlit screen, though it can be upgraded to a 1600x1200 display. Processing power comes from a 1.6GHz Atom CPU.
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03/24, 10:20am
OCZ intros two gaming mice
OCZ on Monday unveiled two new laser mice meant for gamers with the Behemoth and Eclipse. Either can be customized by each user, with four programmable profiles that can be switched between on the fly, while five removable metal weights that add up to 0.8oz (23g) can be removed or added for a personalized feel to the way the mouse feels in a user's hand. The USB 2.0 mice are plug-and-play and don't require users to install any software.
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03/05, 5:05pm
OCZ outs netbook, 1TB SSD
Memory maker OCZ has jumped into the netbook business with its Neutrino portable PC, which it demonstrated at the CeBIT show in Germany on Wednesday. The Neutrino sports a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU sitting on Intel's 945GSE mainboard and sports a 10-inch LED-backlit screen with 1024x600 resolution. Up to 2GB of RAM will be supported; 2.5-inch hard drives with up to 250GB are optional, including OCZ's own 250GB SSD drive. More interestingly, the netbook will be part of OCZ's DIY program, meaning owners can upgrade its memory or hard drive without voiding the warranty.
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02/19, 1:25pm
OCZ Illuminati keyboard
OCZ on Wednesday introduced its newest product, the Alchemy Illuminati Keyboard that features backlit keys in a choice of blue or red colors with adjustable brightness. The multimedia keyboard connects with Windows XP and Vista PCs without the need to download drivers and uses rubber-coated keys to improve its grip. A jog wheel is built in to speed up scrolling.
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01/15, 8:10am
OCZ Apex SSDs
OCZ is rebalancing its solid-state lineup with the new launch of the Apex Series. The new 2.5-inch examples slot in between the economy Solid models and the faster Vertex line and are meant to give nearly the full speed of flash-based storage while keeping prices under control. Although based on denser but slower multi-level cell storage, the SATA II-based SSDs use an internal RAID stripe and a new controller to pump read speeds up to 230MB per second and writes up to 160MB per second.
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12/18, 4:25pm
OCZ intros Flex EX memory
Computer memory maker OCZ on Tuesday announced the upcoming release of its Flex EX memory modules, available in DDR2 and DDR3 speeds. Initially, OCZ will offer 4GB bundles of the memory modules, with a pair of 2GB sticks in 800MHz, 1,200MHz, 1,600MHz and 2,000MHz speeds. The modules are meant for hardcore gamers and their overclocked systems where high temperatures become an issue, as they integrate a liquid injection system.
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12/15, 4:15pm
OCZ intros 150x SDHC cards
Flash memory maker OCZ on Friday announced the upcoming release of its Gold Series SDHC cards designed to offer videographers and photographers with fast, Class 6, 150X or 6MBps, write speeds. Available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities, the cards are meant for use in DSLR cameras with high megapixel count sensors and HD video camcorders where data transfer rates are still important.
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12/11, 7:55am
OCZ Vertex SSDs
OCZ has continued on a string of solid-state drive introductions with the Vertex Series. Although it uses lower-cost multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory, the SATA II-based Vertex uses a new memory controller that gives performance closer to faster single-level cell SSDs; OCZ estimates peak read speeds of 200MB per second and nearly as quick write speeds at 160MB per second. The drives likewise have as much as 64MB of onboard cache to smooth out the few performance issues left with flash technology.
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12/09, 10:35am
OCZ intros ExpressCards
Computer memory maker OCZ late on Monday introduced the Slate Series ExpressCard, which offers up to 32GB of storage for modern notebooks with EC/34 slots. Compared to more conventional memory expansion or backup methods such as flash or external drives, the ExpressCards are said not only to be physically safer by sitting inside the slot but also more power-efficient at the same time. Available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities, the Slate Series of ExpressCards can be connected to computers like an external drive thanks to an integrated mini-USB port.
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12/05, 7:50am
OCZ Throttle eSATA Drive
OCZ has opted for a unique alternative to traditional USB jump drives and launched the Throttle eSATA Drive. Although it includes a mini USB fallback option, the flash stick can use the extra bandwidth of eSATA through either a native port or add-in card to transfer at speeds more closely resembling hard drives: it can read at 90MB per second and write at 30MB per second. Users can store HD videos or other very speed-dependent content and play it back directly from the drive, OCZ says.
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