CDRLabs.com - SanDisk Extreme 240GB Solid State Drive

Page 1 of 5

Model: SanDisk Extreme 240GB Solid State Drive
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Provided By: SanDisk

SanDisk has been a leader in the storage industry for more than 20 years. Founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari, the company has grown from a three-person Silicon Valley startup to the world's largest provider of flash memory storage solutions. The company offers a wide range of products including memory cards, USB flash drives, SSDs and its popular line of Sansa music and video players.

While not yet a major player in the SSD market, SanDisk is very optimistic about its success in this area. The company expects 2012 to be a big year for SSDs and is expanding its presence in the OEM, enterprise and retail channels. To tap into the growing consumer SSD market, SanDisk recently launched the Extreme. Designed with enthusiasts and gamers in mind, this high-performance SSD is powered by LSI's SandForce SF-2281 processor and features a SATA 6GB/s interface, native TRIM support and DuraClass technology. The Extreme also uses a custom firmware and SanDisk's own 24nm MLC Toggle Mode NAND flash to deliver up to 555MB/s read and 520MB/s write speeds for fast boot times and application launches.

The Extreme is available in 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities. For this review, SanDisk sent us the 240GB version of the drive which is capable of delivering up to 555 MB/s sequential read and 520 MB/s sequential write speeds as well as up to 39,000 random read and 83,000 random write IOPS.

SanDisk Extreme 240GB Solid State Drive

General Specifications

Part Number	SDSSDX-240G-G25
Capacity	240GB
Flash Type	24nm MLC Toggle Mode NAND
Controller	SandForce SF-2281
Form Factor	2.5-inch
Interface	SATA III 6Gb/s

Performance

Sequential Read	550 MB/s Max
Sequential Write	520 MB/s Max
Random Read	39,000 IOPS Max
Random Write	83,000 IOPS Max

Reliability

MTBF	2 million hours

Power Consumption

Active	0.5 W
Max Operating	1.9 W
Idle	0.5 W
Slumber	0.3 W

Environmental

Temperature (Operating)	0 ºC to 70 ºC
Temperature (Non-Operating)	-55 ºC to 95 ºC
Humidity	5% to 95%
Shock	1500G @ 0.5 msec
Vibration (Operating)	2.17 gRMS, 5- 700Hz
Vibration (Non-Operating)	3.13 gRMS, 5-800Hz

Dimensions and Weight

Dimensions	9.5 mm x 69.85 mm x 100.5 mm
Weight	78 g

Other Features

Improved noise reduction for quiet drive operation
Low power consumption for cooler operation and extended battery life
Designed to withstand shocks and vibration for high durability
Three year warranty

With store shelves already full of "SandForce Driven" SSDs with similar specs and features, the Extreme is up against some stiff competition. To give you an idea of what to expect, we'll take a closer look at SanDisk's new SSD and then put it through its paces to see how it performs. Does the Extreme have what it takes? Can it deliver the performance we've come to expect from SanDisk? Keep reading as we find out.