SanDisk Announces Mobile-Oriented SSDs

By Rico Mossesgeld
published

The flash memory manufacturer introduced two SSDs for laptop and embedded computing applications respectively

Flash memory manufacturer SanDisk yesterday announced two SSD models the company says are suited for mobile computing applications. The G4 is designed as a drop-in replacement for notebook hard drives, conforming to the 2.5" standard. It will become available in capacities ranging from 64 to 256 GB, with promised maximum read-write speeds of 220 and 160 per second respectively.

The P4 is one of the few components we've encountered so far that follows the relatively new mSATA mini standard. Total dimensions are 26.80 x 30.00 x 3.4 mm, making the P4 the smallest SATA storage device marketed by SanDisk so far. Unlike the G4, SanDisk plans to sell the P4 directly to OEMs for embedded computing purposes.

Citing internal tests estimating that the average PC user writes around 4GB of data a day, SanDisk promises an estimate 10-year life span for the G4. According to the manufacturer, the 2.5" SSD is rated for around 160 terrabytes' worth of writing operations.

At its COMPUTEX 2010 booth, the company set up a demo designed to wow SSD-newbies. Two identical laptops, one using the G4 and the other a 7200rpm Seagate HDD, were put through boot and app-launch cycles. Obviously, as the SanDisk representative made a point of declaring a boot time of 17 seconds, the SSD won.

The only questions that remain are when the G4 and P4 will debut, and how much the former will cost for consumers. Updates to follow as they become available.

Rico Mossesgeld
Topics
Sandisk
Storage
11 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mattclary
    promises an estimate

    Ummmmm.... How can something be an estimate and a promise? ;)
    Reply
  • rocket_sauce
    I assume battery life will benefit as well, which is always a good thing ;)
    Reply
  • SlickyFats
    Will this fit into my PS3??? I'd take out my 320Gb 7200RPM for this just to reduce heat.
    Reply
  • rigaudio
    Thar be boobs on yonder PCB.
    Reply
  • tharkis842
    The 10 year life span sounds pretty good. Hopefully this will reduce heat as well. My hp laptop of 2 years ago used to get really hot while gaming due to the hdd.
    Reply
  • tokenz
    10 years at 4 gig a day. I dont know. Just seems a little low, but maybe it would be okay for a laptop drive. I just have a hard time paying for something that might not last. Especially when it comes to data. The problem will be its a small drive so you will be constantly moving stuff from it to back up. Bet it only last a few years a my rate.
    Reply
  • IAMCANADIAN
    Agreed! 4GB/day, try 4GB/hr in my case (large files/video encoding); The amount of read/write/move/delete access that my 2.5" 7200RPM 250GB drive goes though per day would kill the SSD in a matter of months. SSD's are still not good enough for mainstream use. Probably good as strictly an OS/Boot drive; You'd want to move the swap/page file to an external to prevent unneeded write access. Once the prices comes down I would probably get one for an OS drive, strictly for the speed improvement; But like all flash based memory or drives they use slower memory/chips for the higher capacities:

    "It will become available in capacities ranging from 64 to 256 GB, with promised maximum read-write speeds of 220 and 160 per second respectively."

    At approximately $350/100GB, I'll wait! I don't have $$$ just lying around for that kind of frivolity.
    Reply
  • IAMCANADIAN
    Agreed! 4GB/day, try 4GB/hr in my case (large files/video encoding); The amount of read/write/move/delete access that my 2.5" 7200RPM 250GB drive goes though per day would kill the SSD in a matter of months. SSD's are still not good enough for mainstream use. Probably good as strictly an OS/Boot drive; You'd want to move the swap/page file to an external to prevent unneeded write access. Once the prices comes down I would probably get one for an OS drive, strictly for the speed improvement; But like all flash based memory or drives they use slower memory/chips for the higher capacities:

    "It will become available in capacities ranging from 64 to 256 GB, with promised maximum read-write speeds of 220 and 160 per second respectively."

    At approximately $350/100GB, I'll wait! I don't have $$$ just lying around for that kind of frivolity.
    Reply
  • Except the files I download, and save on an SD card, I don't even get near to those 4GB with XP!
    True, windows 7 and vista write too much crap to the disk!
    Reply
  • Gin Fushicho
    Only 4GB/s a day? ewwwwh.... I write a LOT more that that per day. Good news is I replace stuff withing 6 years.
    Reply