Seagate Ships Nytro 141 Low-Cost Consumer SSD

Seagate hasn't released a consumer SSD since the 600 and 600 Pro came to market in mid-2013. We've heard rumors about new products for the last year, but nothing has come of that speculation. That's about to change with the new Nytro 141 series, starting with the Nytro 141 256GB, which online seller Superbiiz lists as available for $85.

Like the 600 and 600 Pro, Seagate plans to continue utilizing two products built with similar hardware but with modified firmware to tackle more market segments. Shoppers can purchase the Nytro 141 with overprovisioning for increased sustained performance or with full binary capacity that decreases the cost per gigabyte. From the data sheet:

The Seagate Nytro 141 solid state drive (SSD) is designed for maximum versatility while working with read-intensive workloads. This 2.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s SSD is available in two configurations. Both are highly optimized for cost-sensitive, read-intensive workloads, but each configuration offers different benefits for different kinds of end-users. One is optimized for sustained performance with higher endurance, while the other is optimized for maximized capacity.

All six models feature three-bit per cell (TLC) NAND, according to the specifications, but we don't yet have flash or controller details (more on this later). The series will ship in the 2.5" form factor with a SATA 6Gbps interface.

Performance tips the scale at 560 MBps sequential read and up to 535 MBps sequential write speeds. The chart shows random read performance up to 92,000 IOPS. The random write IOPS appear to be the low point for these products, with the highest for any drive being listed at 53,000.

Key Features And Benefits

• SATA 6Gbps interface SSD for maximum flexibility and compatibility
• Optimized for cost-sensitive read-intensive applications
• Two configuration options to match the needs of a wide range of applications
• Locked BOM and firmware for ease of integration
• Capacities up to 1TB in a 2.5-inch form factor
• Advanced data protection for excellent reliability
• SeaTools SSD for easy drive monitoring, diagnostics and management
• Backed by a 5-year limited warranty

Best-Fit Applications

Sustained Performance with Endurance Boost Configuration

• Servers with read-intensive workloads
• Server boot volumes
• Video/media streaming
• Cloud application servers
• Content storage/warehousing
• Web/social media servers

Cost Competitive Capacity Configuration

• Workstation and personal computer
• Personal NAS storage
• All-in-one enclosures

The data sheet also shows us a few key words and terms that allow us to make an educated guess at the architecture.

Both Nytro 141 SSD configurations are built with advanced data protection, including end-to-end data path protection, SmartECC and a data-coherence mechanism for solid reliability. The Nytro 141 SSD is also backed by a five-year warranty from Seagate—your trusted name in storage industry.

Did you spot them? Advanced Data Protection and End-To-End Data Path Protection are very general features, but only one controller company uses identical language. Those two features back-to-back lead us to Phison, the Taiwanese fabless semiconductor manufacturer. SmartECC is a trademarked feature for many Phison SSD controllers. We reached out to Phison for comment and were given the customary "No Comment." You can see Phison's ECC features in this breakdown of the company's SSD controller technology.

Nytro 141 carries a five-year warranty limited by the amount of data written. The 960GB model carries the highest endurance rating, 300TBW.

We expect to hear more about the Seagate Nytro 141, and many other exciting SSDs, at Flash Memory Summit next month.

Update

Seagate sent the following statement to clarify the Nytro 141 position in the market.

"Seagate is currently shipping to select customers the Nytro 141 SATA SSD. This will be the first of Seagate's Data Center Value SSDs. The Nytro 141 SATA SSD is designed specifically for Data Center customers that require an entry level, low-endurance SSD designed for server boot volumes, application servers, content storage, and media servers. This read-intensive SSD can also be used in personal compute, workstations, and home NAS devices where write workloads are extremely light. While the new Nytro 141 SSD can be used in a wide range of applications, Seagate designed this drive specifically for Data Center customers who require read intensive workloads. This product will have limited availability since we are targeting a handful of customers that have these specific requirements."