I know technically that Solid State includes Flash or NAND type memory, but do these devices use Flash, or SDRAM ? Normally, at least around here, we do not call Flash drives "SSD'.
These are not the SDRAM variety, they are flash. SSD drives (even the ones based on volatile memory) often use flash and the term is pretty much interchangeable. I mean they're all "solid state disks" yes?
Technically, yes, they are all solid state. However SDRAM drives offer better performance, and don't suffer from the "10,000 writes, and you're out syndrome". The only real drawback, is that if the drive ever loses power, the data would be lost forever. I think we all could figure out work arounds for this (such as RAID1 accross a SDRAM device, to a real HDD, etc), so for most of us casual users (and perhaps some in enterprise solutions), this isnt really an issue.
Not only that. MLC has much lower duty cycle (erase cycle) before die. I have seen data on MLC life and SanDisk/Toshiba can get about 1000-2000 cycles erase, while Samsung can only do 500-1000 right now. I am not sure if I want a drive that can write only 500 cycles, even with wear leveling, on a 32gb drive, for windows.
The price difference is due to the lower end drives using MLC NAND instead of SLC NAND Flash. We do not recommend using MLC NAND Flash drives as a desktop/laptop replacement due to the performance differences in write speeds. We will be comparing the two formats once the sample drives arrive in a few weeks.
it seemed not so long ago that the psu was one of the most mundane and long living components of a pc. now it is becoming more like any other component with stray standards appearing from nowhere for no reason other than profits.
i suspect cases are to follow suit. i'm not sure how they can pull it off but i'm sure we can rely on case makers to think of something.
If it's true that the BDC-202 drive will be only $400, this is great news. I was OK with the $1000+ starting prices of the first drives, but was expecting them to fall faster. Some models quickly fell to $700-800, but then got stuck and not changed much by now. These $400 devices sound much more like something I could afford, here's to hoping that LG's BD/HDDVD hybrid drive will also be in this price point.
Just realised this drive is a reader only, can hardly believe this crap.
And to think how happy and enthusiastic I was for a minute in my delusion, only to be ruthlessly brought back into the cruel cold real world...
Reader only, IMO, is fine... I mean, seriously, I just want to use my PC to watch Blu-ray and HDDVD, and most drives that are out (not many of them), are all writers and expensive relative a normal DVD burner.
Why splurge on stuff you don't need right away. Bluray and HDDVD reader for the movies is probably what a lot of people are looking for right now.
We are waiting on a firmware update for the PQI drive. ;) The majority of current SSD drives have the IDE interface since they were designed for the industrial market place. The controller technology was also limited until recently which is a major reason why their performance has not been equal to most hard drives. The new controller technology has allowed the move to the SATA interface at a reasonable cost while increasing overall drive performance substantially when using SLC NAND Flash.
I know it says that the SSD drives could break 128GB by year end, but what about currently? There doesnt seem to be any mention of its current capacity. It has '5000' in the name, but that seems rather puny if its only 5GB, although still functional as a boot drive.
In addition to being very useful in the laptop market (lower power consumption/compact size and presumably less sensitive to shocks in transit), I can really see SSD drives challenge the performance desktop market currently held by the Raptor in the future.
Yea, no kidding. I have a 74 giger raptor and I love it, but SSD is the future. Nothing moving around, less watts, no noise, compact. Perfect. I'm just waiting for the prices to drop. Since the release of 16/32 gig SSD drives by samsung a while back, laptops in Japan already use them. You can buy a jap import laptop with a 32 gig SSD drive, and it does boot faster than regular ATA100 hard drive.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
25 Comments
Back to Article
yyrkoon - Saturday, January 13, 2007 - link
I know technically that Solid State includes Flash or NAND type memory, but do these devices use Flash, or SDRAM ? Normally, at least around here, we do not call Flash drives "SSD'.mlambert890 - Saturday, January 13, 2007 - link
These are not the SDRAM variety, they are flash. SSD drives (even the ones based on volatile memory) often use flash and the term is pretty much interchangeable. I mean they're all "solid state disks" yes?yyrkoon - Tuesday, January 16, 2007 - link
Technically, yes, they are all solid state. However SDRAM drives offer better performance, and don't suffer from the "10,000 writes, and you're out syndrome". The only real drawback, is that if the drive ever loses power, the data would be lost forever. I think we all could figure out work arounds for this (such as RAID1 accross a SDRAM device, to a real HDD, etc), so for most of us casual users (and perhaps some in enterprise solutions), this isnt really an issue.chucky2 - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
Thanks!Chuck
DigitalFreak - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
You guys @ Anandtech think you could get a hold of one of the new Ritek SSD drives mentioned http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/riteks-16gb-and...">here for your test?Prices seem to be quite a bit cheaper than the Sandisk, so I'm wondering what the "catch" is.
PandaBear - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
Not only that. MLC has much lower duty cycle (erase cycle) before die. I have seen data on MLC life and SanDisk/Toshiba can get about 1000-2000 cycles erase, while Samsung can only do 500-1000 right now. I am not sure if I want a drive that can write only 500 cycles, even with wear leveling, on a 32gb drive, for windows.michal1980 - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
heres hoping to smart drivers/o.s. with a hybrid drives.everyfile that just needs to be read, and very rarely modified should go on the flash porition for fast reading.
everytemp file/ swap file on a harddrive.
my concern would still be writes from stupid things. a file gets access the access data gets modified for example.
Gary Key - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
The price difference is due to the lower end drives using MLC NAND instead of SLC NAND Flash. We do not recommend using MLC NAND Flash drives as a desktop/laptop replacement due to the performance differences in write speeds. We will be comparing the two formats once the sample drives arrive in a few weeks.michal1980 - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
seems like every other year the psu needs a new cable. and now its for video cards.Bhhaaa. Why why, why why.
semo - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
it seemed not so long ago that the psu was one of the most mundane and long living components of a pc. now it is becoming more like any other component with stray standards appearing from nowhere for no reason other than profits.i suspect cases are to follow suit. i'm not sure how they can pull it off but i'm sure we can rely on case makers to think of something.
Visual - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
If it's true that the BDC-202 drive will be only $400, this is great news. I was OK with the $1000+ starting prices of the first drives, but was expecting them to fall faster. Some models quickly fell to $700-800, but then got stuck and not changed much by now. These $400 devices sound much more like something I could afford, here's to hoping that LG's BD/HDDVD hybrid drive will also be in this price point.Visual - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
Just realised this drive is a reader only, can hardly believe this crap.And to think how happy and enthusiastic I was for a minute in my delusion, only to be ruthlessly brought back into the cruel cold real world...
bnme - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
Reader only, IMO, is fine... I mean, seriously, I just want to use my PC to watch Blu-ray and HDDVD, and most drives that are out (not many of them), are all writers and expensive relative a normal DVD burner.Why splurge on stuff you don't need right away. Bluray and HDDVD reader for the movies is probably what a lot of people are looking for right now.
DigitalFreak - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
You can already get a Blu-ray burner (lite-on, I believe) at Newegg for $569.jnmunsey - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
The English in the Sandisk article has to be some of the worst I have ever read, and "Gary Key" doesn't sound like an ESL name..Hypernova - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
Page 2:"Both units are designed for 24/7 operation at up to 40c with an 8285% power efficiency rating at 20~100% load."
This thing generates 80 times more power then it uses?!
goinginstyle - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
The text appears to be corrected now to 82~85%.KHysiek - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
I don't get this. Such drive would be usable even in Win XP, as cache, pagefile placement or other caching purpose.Zoomer - Sunday, January 21, 2007 - link
I would rather use ram (ram drive) to store these useless files. The point of using nvram is to have it retain data even if powered down.DigitalFreak - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/11/pqis-64gb-ssd-w...">There is one - hereGary Key - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
We are waiting on a firmware update for the PQI drive. ;) The majority of current SSD drives have the IDE interface since they were designed for the industrial market place. The controller technology was also limited until recently which is a major reason why their performance has not been equal to most hard drives. The new controller technology has allowed the move to the SATA interface at a reasonable cost while increasing overall drive performance substantially when using SLC NAND Flash.Cygni - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
I know it says that the SSD drives could break 128GB by year end, but what about currently? There doesnt seem to be any mention of its current capacity. It has '5000' in the name, but that seems rather puny if its only 5GB, although still functional as a boot drive.DigitalFreak - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
http://www.sandisk.com/Oem/Default.aspx?CatID=1478">32GBAxbattler - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
In addition to being very useful in the laptop market (lower power consumption/compact size and presumably less sensitive to shocks in transit), I can really see SSD drives challenge the performance desktop market currently held by the Raptor in the future.feelingshorter - Friday, January 12, 2007 - link
Yea, no kidding. I have a 74 giger raptor and I love it, but SSD is the future. Nothing moving around, less watts, no noise, compact. Perfect. I'm just waiting for the prices to drop. Since the release of 16/32 gig SSD drives by samsung a while back, laptops in Japan already use them. You can buy a jap import laptop with a 32 gig SSD drive, and it does boot faster than regular ATA100 hard drive.