October 8th, 2010 by Dustin Sklavos
Patriot Inferno Review (120GB)
SandForce solid state drives seem to be the hotness in the market right now, and why wouldn't they be? The SandForce controllers are popular pieces of technology for a reason: their design allows for dispensing with drive cache, and they perform awfully fast. It's no surprise many manufacturers have produced drives based on SandForce hardware, and today we have the 120GB Patriot Inferno SSD (PI120GS25SSDR) on the bench.
September 14th, 2010 by Brian Beeler
Crucial RealSSD C300 64GB Review
Crucial currently wears the fastest consumer SSD crown, as seen in our recent review of the 256GB C300. Thanks to the SATA 6Gb/s interface and Marvell controller, Crucial's SSDs manage spectacular speeds. 256GB SSDs aren't for everyone though, Crucial has wisely expanded their capacity offerings to include 128GB and 64GB versions of the C300. In this review we dive into the 64GB model (CTFDDAC064MAG-1G1), highlighting the differences to the 256GB patriarch of the RealSSD C300 family.
September 10th, 2010 by Brian Beeler
Intel X25-M and X25-V RAID 0 Review
With the price of SSDs being driven lower and lower, one question keeps coming up; how well will two SSDs perform in RAID 0? After reviewing both the 160GB Intel X25-M and 40GB X25-V a few months ago, we decided to see how well they performed in RAID 0. On one side we try to find out if two 40GB SSDs can be as fast as the single 160GB X25-M and on the other we see just how fast a high performance Intel SSD array can get.
August 13th, 2010 by Brian Beeler
Corsair Force F40 Review (40GB)
The Force series SSD line from Corsair represents their fastest and highest performing SSD models, and Force F40 SSD represents one of the capacity extensions (40GB, 80GB and 160GB) announced in July. Equipped with the latest controllers from SandForce, these models are the crème de la crème of the consumer flash storage world. In this mini review we take a look at the 40GB Corsair F40 and see how it performs against competing SSDs.
August 9th, 2010 by Brian Beeler
OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD Review (120GB)
The OWC Mercury Extreme Pro series of SSDs leverage the SandForce SF-1200 controller and are firmly entrenched in the performance SSD category. Aside from blazing 285MB/s read speeds in capacities up to 480GB, the Mercury Extreme Pro features a nifty all-metal blue-painted case and a claim of reduced power consumption (compared to other leading SSDs) that's sure to excite notebook users.
July 30th, 2010 by Brian Beeler
Crucial RealSSD C300 Review (256GB)
Crucial recently launched the RealSSD C300; their highest performing SSD. Available in capacities up to 256GB, this SSD is highlighted by the latest SATA 6.0Gbps interface yielding advertised read speeds of up to 355MB/s and writes of 215MB/s, which Crucial calls the, "fastest SSD read and write speeds available to end consumers." With so many high performing drives on the market, including the newest SandForce-equipped models and the tried-and-true Intel X25-M, should buyers pay attention to this new model?
July 20th, 2010 by Brian Beeler
Corsair Force F120 SSD Review
The Force series SSD line from Corsair represents their fastest and highest performing SSD models. Equipped with the latest controllers from SandForce, these models are the crème de la crème of the consumer flash storage world. In this review we take an in-depth look at the 120GB Corsair F120 and see how it performs against competing models from Intel, OWC, and OCZ.
July 8th, 2010 by Brian Beeler
OCZ Vertex 2 Review (120GB)
SandForce rocked the SSD world with the debut of their SF-1200 processor a few months ago. While the Intel X25-M SSD held its own for a long time against the SSDs from most mainstream competitors, SandForce-enabled drives were able to catch up overnight. In this review we take a look at the 120GB OCZ Vertex 2 powered by the SandForce SF-1200 controller.
June 7th, 2010 by David Rasnake
Kingston SSDNow V Review (SNV425-S2)
The Kingston SSDNow V Series drive (SNV425-S2) represents the manufacturer's entry-level consumer solid state drive. Built in three capacities (30, 64, and 128GB), the V Series drives are designed as an upgrade option for those seeking the performance of an SSD, but at a lower price point than the current crop of enthusiast- and enterprise-centric solid state drives.
May 11th, 2010 by Brian Beeler
Intel X25-V SSD Review (40GB)
The 40GB X25-V is part of Intel’s new Value SSD line which aims to merge both performance and value for consumers who are starting to think about upgrading to a SSD, or want to use an SSD as a boot drive. Right now this new SSD has a retail price of $125, making it the cheapest Intel SSD, and half as much as the 80GB X25-M model. While advertised performance stats of 170MB/s read and 35MB/s write don’t exactly turn a lot of heads, should you consider picking one of these up? Read our review to find out.
