Seagate SandForce
Seagate introduced client versions of its SF3000 product series. The SF3500 is divided into three controller configurations: SF3514, SF3504 and SF3524.
SF3700 with eight channels will roll into enterprise products, though we suspect some companies will re-purpose it in enthusiast SSDs. SF3500 is a four-channel design that supports both SATA (AHCI) and PCIe (NVMe). On PCIe, the interface is Gen 2 at up to two lanes.
Until Computex, every demo of the SF3000 series ran with a heat sink over the FCBGA controller. This was the first demo with power optimizations in place. In the image above, the SF3500 controller is playing nine FHD videos. It's warm to the touch, but not hot, and nowhere near the >100 degrees C that Samsung's XP941 reached under heavy workloads.
We managed to track down the full specifications for the three SF3000-series controllers:
| Specifications | SF3514 | SF3504 | SF3524 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | Mainstream SATA Client | Entry PCIe Client | Enthusiast SATA / PCIe Client |
| DuraClass Technology | SF3000 | ||
| Architecture | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB |
| Host Interface | SATA 6Gb/s | PCIe 2.0 x2 (NVMe) | PCIe 2.0 x2 (NVMe)SATA 6Gb/s |
| Max Capacity Supported | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB |
| Controller Clock Frequency | 275MHz | 275MHz | 300MHz |
| Performance | |||
| Sequential Read | Up to 550 MB/s | Up to 900 MB/s | Up to 900 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | Up to 450 MB/s | Up to 525 MB/s | Up to 525 MB/s |
| Random Read | Up to 100,000 IOPS | Up to 130,000 IOPS | Up to 130,000 IOPS |
| Random Write | Up to 80,000 IOPS | Up to 90,000 IOPS | Up to 90,000 IOPS |
| Random 70% Read Mix | Up to 80,000 IOPS | Up to 120,000 IOPS | Up to 120,000 IOPS |
| Flash Memory Support | MLC, TLC, 3D from top flash memory manufacturersFour channels up to 400 MT/s1x nm, 1y nm, 1z nm, ONFi 2.0/3.0, Toggle 1.0/2.0 | ||
| Sector Size Support | 512b | 4KB | 4KB (PCIe NVMe)512b (SATA) |
| Security | Dual AES-256 EncryptionTCG Opal 2.0IEEE-1667Windows eDrive | ||
| Reliability | Shield Error CorrectionFull end-to-end CRC Protection | ||
| Data Protection | RAISE 1 +Fractional RAISE | ||
| Package | 401-ball FCBGA 11x18 mm | ||
| Compliance | RoHSHalogen FreeGreen |
PCIe 2.0 x2 and SATA 6Gb/s obviously limit performance, but the SF3000 controller uses a modular design that SandForce claims can be built up quickly. Interface limits on the architecture's front-end can be addressed through a higher-performing module down the road when the market demands it.
