Corsair Releases 256 GB SSD
Yesterday afternoon Corsair announced the 256 GB edition of its Storage Solutions SSDs. Entitled the P256, Corsair has implemented Samsung's multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory and Controller IC technologies in addition to 128 MB of cache memory and Native Command Queuing (NCQ) support. As a result, the overall package is capable of read speeds up to 200 MB/sec, and write speeds up to 200 MB/sec.
Thanks to inherent SSD technologies, users can expect both speed, durability, and efficiency. SSD users can receive roughly 25 percent more battery life when using the P256 in a laptop, said Corsair. With no moving parts, the drive will not only have a quicker response time (doesn't access a moving disk), it will last longer than the standard hard drive; 114+ years (1 million hours) according to the company.
“The Corsair Storage Solutions P256 delivers the best computing experience of any single storage drive available today,” said John Beekley, VP of Applications Engineering at Corsair, “Using the P256 results in immediate and dramatic improvements in system startup and shutdown, game level loading, application startup, and many other everyday tasks. Additionally, the P256 is more durable and reliable than hard disk drives, and has been shown in the Corsair Labs to provide up to 25% longer battery life in portable computers.”
The primary issue with SSDs is its performance-over-time, and how badly it becomes affected from white-space fragmentation. Additionally, the controller a manufacturer uses makes a huge impact on the drive's real-world performance. SSDs using JMicron controllers for example, should be avoided. Telltale signs of a JMicron drives are their prices--you get what you pay for. Judging that a 160 GB Intel X25-M costs twice as much as Corsair's 256 GB drive, one should approach with caution.
The Corsair Storage Solutions P256 SSD--along with the 128 GB and 64 GB versions--is currently available at resellers and authorized dealers (newegg.com) for $669.00.

Or even whole laptops, or two netbooks.
The suckers that are buying this are bringing the price down for the rest of us. This will be down to a great price in a year, I'm sure of it. SSD FTW
True, its to the point I try not to even bother reading anything SSD related, at least for another year(why am I here?). That and they're telling me to be cautious on spending $670 on a drive that may not be up to snuff? Funny how a change in price would be considered more exciting news over the technology itself.
Do some intensive small block R&W, unplug the power and you could lose upto 128MB of data. It's definitely no industrial standard therefor should not deserve an industrial pricetag!
$400 is more than enough for this drive!
Is it just me, or does that sound really condescending?
Don't worry. It will get cheaper, faster, and higher capacity. Just got to be patient and wait awhile.
Ryan
Denver