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PLX Technology, Inc., the global leader in PCI Express (PCIe) silicon and software connectivity solutions, today announced the industry’s first USB-to-PCI Express solution to bridge the external connectivity gap laptop computers face when using PCIe-based solid-state drives (SSDs). The recently completed reference design platform, based on PLX PCIe 2.0-to-USB 3.0 SuperSpeed controller technology and housed in an external dongle enclosure, empowers laptop and storage vendors to leverage both USB 3.0’s 5 gigabits/second (Gbps) speeds and PCIe 2.0’s 5 Gbps performance. By combining two of the industry’s most powerful and widely used interconnect technologies into a unified solution, end users don’t face the connectivity limitations they’ve had to with their internal SSDs.
With this new platform, OEMs are able to create solutions that leverage laptops’ USB 3.0 ports and connect effortlessly to PCIe-based, small-form-factor SSDs in external enclosures. Additionally, embedded system makers can design the PLX controller technology directly into systems in which PCIe isn’t already native, creating direct PCIe-to-USB 3.0 connectivity to achieve a similarly powerful external-SSD connection.
Using the USB Mass Storage Class Specification, these solutions wouldn’t require any drivers and therefore save time and development costs. Additionally, due to the PLX controller technology’s low-power architecture, they could draw power as low as 500mW. Furthermore, the devices’ support of the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) standard provides for maximum interoperability among legacy storage and system elements.
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Silicon Motion Technology Corporation (Silicon Motion), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices, today announced that its SM2246EN SATA (6Gb/s) client SSD controller now supports Micron’s 16nm 128 gigabit (Gb) MLC NAND flash, ideal for high performance, high capacity SSD solutions up to 1 Terabyte.
SM2246EN offers the best performance and power combination of four channel SATA 6Gb/s client SSD controller in the market, delivering even better performance than most 8-channel SSD controllers with substantially lower power consumption. Using Micron’s 128Gb 16nm MLC NAND, the SM2246EN delivers up to 538MB/s sequential read performance and 450MB/s sequential write, as well as up to 67,000 random read IOPS and 65,000 random write IOPS. In addition, with Micron 128Gb 16nm MLC NAND, the SM2246EN delivers ultra-low power consumption, equating to about 30% lower than the average power consumption of other SSD controllers.
“We are pleased to announce that we have delivered and qualified the SM2246EN’s firmware and reference design for Micron’s 128Gb 16nm MLC NAND to many of our customers.” said Nelson Duann, Vice President of Product Marketing of Silicon Motion. “SM2246EN currently is in high volume production supporting multiple MLC and SLC NAND from major NAND suppliers. By supporting Micron’s 16nm 128Gb MLC NAND, our customers have more flexibility for their high density, high performance and power efficient SSD solutions.”
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Crucial, a leading global brand of memory and storage upgrades, announced today the new Crucial MX100 solid state drive (SSD). Available in 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB capacities with respective MSRPs of $79.99, $109.99, and $224.99, the new Crucial MX100 offers powerful speeds and advanced features at a low cost per gigabyte.
The Crucial MX100 256 GB and 512 GB drives utilize Micron's new 16 nanometer (nm) 128 Gb NAND, in addition to a SATA 6 Gb/s controller and custom firmware, to deliver up to 90,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS). With true 550/500 MB/s sequential read/write speeds on both compressible and incompressible data, the Crucial MX100 allows users to boot up almost instantly, load programs in seconds, and accelerate demanding applications. Furthermore, at up to 89 percent more efficient than a hard drive, the new MX100 SSD allows users to run systems longer, using less power.
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SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today announced the availability of its new SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD—a drive designed for gamers, PC enthusiasts and media professionals who demand the highest possible consistent, real-world performance. With sequential read speeds of 550 megabytes/second (MB/S) and write speeds of up to 520 MB/s, the SanDisk Extreme PRO loads and runs graphics-intensive applications and game levels in a heartbeat. Additionally, by offering up to 1TB-Class of capacity, the SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD provides the space needed to store even the biggest programs, games or files, and load them blazingly fast—transforming any PC or console into a serious gaming machine.
“Building off the success of our award-winning SanDisk Extreme II, the new SanDisk Extreme PRO leverages the latest developments in our innovative nCache Pro Technology to enable 24x7, real-world drive performance and responsiveness,” said Kevin Conley, senior vice president and general manager, Client Storage Solutions at SanDisk. “With its ability to deliver consistently fast computing backed by the industry’s first 10-year limited warranty**, the Extreme PRO SSD delivers the performance, trusted reliability and value that enthusiasts and professionals expect from SanDisk.”
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Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory products, today expanded its Professional Workflow line to include 512GB and 256GB USB 3.0 storage drives. Designed for use with the Lexar Professional Workflow Hub, the new Professional Workflow DD512 and DD256 storage drives give photographers and videographers the power to back up images and video files from multiple memory cards at once.
The Professional Workflow DD512 and DD256 offer read transfer speeds up to 450MB per second and write speeds up to 245MB per second. Additionally, the drives include an LED capacity meter that allows users to see available storage space at a glance. Designed to enable fast transfer and back up of RAW images, high-res photos, and HD, 3D, and 4K video, the drives can also be removed from the hub and used individually.
