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.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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RADIO_ACTIVE I can't see my self paying that much for a hard drive. I will wait to buy a SSD until they are more affordable.Reply -
meatwad53186 It would be a very nice upgrade for almost any laptop, except for the fact that it costs about 1/2 to 3/4 the cost of many laptops out there lolReply -
krazyderek hasn't this drive been out for several weeks, or even months? I've seen it on various sites in stock and shipping since before the new samsung drive it's self was announced on tom's.Reply -
WheelsOfConfusion meatwad53186It would be a very nice upgrade for almost any laptop, except for the fact that it costs about 1/2 to 3/4 the cost of many laptops out there lolOr even whole laptops, or two netbooks.Reply -
doomtomb These look pretty good but still rather expensive even when compared to other 256GB SSDsReply -
eklipz330 i hope everyone above me realizes that the x25-m 80gb was about $700 last year october, and not even a year later is half-price.Reply
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 -
mdillenbeck Again, a year or two back, this was the price of a 30GB SSD... so I think this is a good indicator of the direction that SSDs are going.Reply -
buzznut yeah, i paid 600 for my lappy. Article looked interesting til I got to the "$669.00" part.Reply