Transcend announces the release of its new 2.5-inch SSDs, offered with either MLC or SLC NAND memory.
The SLC-equipped SSDs are offered in capacities from 8 GB to 64 GB, while the MLC-equipped SSDs are offered in capacities ranging from 32 GB to 192 GB. Transcend recommends the SLC-versions for OS installations.
Features of the new SSDs include a built-in Error Correction Code (ECC), a wear-leveling algorithm, a 2-year warranty and a mean time before failure (MTBF) rating of 1-million hours. The drives come with either a SATA-II or IDE interface.
The sequential read and write speeds of the new Transcend SSDs are as follows,
| NAND Type | Capacity | Max Read Speed | Max Write Speed |
| SLC | 8 GB | 136 MB/sec. | 96 MB/sec. |
| Row 2 - Cell 0 | 16 - 32 GB | 135 MB/sec. | 105 MB/sec. |
| Row 3 - Cell 0 | 64 GB | 163 MB/sec. | 142 MB/sec. |
| MLC | 32 GB | 123 MB/sec. | 60 MB/sec. |
| Row 5 - Cell 0 | 64 GB | 148 MB/sec. | 92 MB/sec. |
| Row 6 - Cell 0 | 128 - 192 GB | 163 MB/sec. | 92 MB/sec. |
Compared to currently available SSDs from other manufactures, the rated sequential speeds of Transcends new SSDs seem to be about average. In regards to the performance consumer SSD market, Transcend will be up against Intel's popular X-25M MLC-based SSDs, which have sequential read and write speeds of 250 MB/sec. and 70 MB/sec., respectively.
According to Transcend's Online store, the 192 GB, 128 GB, 64 GB and 32 GB MLC-based SATA-II SSDs are available for $614, $421, $224 and $131, respectively. The 64 GB SLC-based SATA-II SSD is available for $936. Intel's 80 GB X-25M SSD is available from newegg.com (opens in new tab)for $399.
