Super Talent Will Release First PCI Express RAIDDrive SSDs in Early October
Posted 09/17/09 at 12:15:25 PM by Paul Lilly
Comments
Print
Email
TGDaily has found out that Super Talent plans to start shipping its first PCI Express RAIDDrive SSDs in early October, so you may want to hang on for a few more weeks if you're currently planning a dream machine build. Why is that? Because these purportedly stupid-fast drives are being designed to thrash the throughput bottleneck in your PC's storage subsystem and leave the SATA bus bandwidth limitation in the dust.
"The PCIe Gen. 2.0 x8 interface used by RAIDDrive SSDs supports 4GB/s bandwidth, more than ten times that of the SATA-II 3Gbps bus, and five times greater than the not yet available SATA-III bus," a Super Talent spokesperson told TGDaily. "Currently, there is no other way to achieve the same performance, except via Fusio-IO - but that costs approximately $10,000 for equivalent speeds."
Super Talent, meanwhile, is targeting a price point below $1,000 in hopes of appealing to both gamers and enterprise users, the spokesperson added. Three versions will be made available, including:
- RAIDDrive GS: Aimed at power users and gamers, supports RAID 0 or 5, uses MLC flash, and available in capacities up to 2TB
- RAIDDrive ES: For enterprise servers, supports RAID 0 or 5, fits in a 3U rack mount chassis, uses SLC flash, and available in capacities up to 1TB
- RAIDDrive WS: Geared towards workstation users, supports RAID 0 or 5, uses SLC flash, available in capacities up to 1TB
Assuming it lives up to the hype, would you drop upwards of $1,000 for a super-speedy SSD configuration?
Image Credit: Super Talent via HotHardware.com
Price of admission
Submitted by mesiah on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 7:54pm
As usual, the price of admission for a new technology like this is just too much for the average person. You are paying a premium to be able to be the first person on your block to own it. Personally, I wouldn't spend 1k on this, and I am sure most people would not. But I don't think anyone can doubt the increased performance possible from using the pci-e bus for a storage interface. If this takes off, and I think it will, We will start seeing motherboards with a lot more than just 2 or 3 pci-e X16 slots (asus already offers a few) and I for one welcome that.
Submitted by kiaghi7 on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 1:50pm
This device is NOT being marketed to the main-stream user here folks, let's get that striaght from the first sentence...
I am not in the category for one of these either, I simply don't -need- it... However if one found its way to my door I would give it a home :D lol
This device is going to be the "first" mass produced and specifically developed device of its kind with the PCI-E interface specifically. While the first of its kind is clearly quite expensive, it's no more outrageous than the first 1x DVD-ROM drives, or the first 1x CD-ROM drives, or even the first SSD drives. But they were also the first of their kind, and at release were also NOT intended for the mainstream for quite some time.
Any new technology like this is going to take a couple of years, and additional competitors, to see great change in capacity, speed, capability, compatibility, and of course PRICE.
If you read the $1,000 price tag with disgust, then YOU are not the intended audience, neither am I, as well as the vast majority of users, they are (as the article noted mind you) focused only on the most ardent power-users and businesses that HAVE TO HAVE such capability to do what they do, and the price of admission is considered an expense worth contending with in order to reap the abilities there-of.
I agree with you. If we
Submitted by jwalch.hawk on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 4:25pm
I agree with you.
If we imagine that how much I could afford is not a limiting factor, I can see 1k being a fair price for this.
The issue is that what I'm willing to pay is being heavily influenced by how much I feel like I can afford to spend.
So would I buy one of these? No. Is it worth the $1000? Potentially yes.
Submitted by relaxed911 on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 10:40am
Yes, if you can boot from it. Having a drive that fast will save a considerable amount of time waiting on I/O processes. If I can save 90% of wait time on my machine, that's easily worth 1k.
Submitted by mattman059 on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 1:04pm
I call bullshit...anyone? anyone?
Submitted by rruscio on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 10:40am
My Core2Duo E6750 with 4GB and an Intel 80GB 'mainstream' SSD is already pretty quick. $1000 goes to P55 based 4 monitor setup.
Submitted by MeTo on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 10:23am
Ah No! Not even if it were $100 My next PC will be $500 with a monitor.
Submitted by LGA1156 on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 9:25am
good, I hope they drop their SX line in price, I've been eyeing them
Submitted by smashingpumpin on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 9:12am
hell no, id rather upgrade the big three with that amount of money.
_______________________________________________
he's pwning with a trackpad? oh really? oh reheheheeally?
Would you drop $1,000 for a super-speedy SSD configuration?
Submitted by StonedMagician99 on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 8:58am
No. It's simply not worth it.
Must Read Articles
Feature
Review
Feature
Feature
Feature
Most Popular Articles
This Month's Issue
FEATURE How to Get FREE Programs, Services, Software & MoreFEATURE Digital Photo Printer RoundupHOW TOBuild a 3D CameraFEATUREDIY Arcade PCWHITE PAPERHow TRIM Works
Technology News
Computer Cooling Fans
Computer Cases
PC Game Controllers
PC Games
Computer Hardware
Headphones
MP3 Players
Stream Video
Computer Mouse
Monitors
Motherboards
NAS Storage
Networking
Laptop Computers
DVD Burner
Digital Cameras
Portable Storage
Computer Accessories
Smartphone
Antivirus Software
Sound Cards
Speakers
Computer Systems
Thumb Drives
Video Cameras
Video Card Reviews
Water Cooling
Gadgets
- Keyboards
© 2009 Future US, Inc. All Rights Reserved.