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A Closer Look
SK Hynix's previous-generation 910SH was a good-looking SSD, and the company nails its design again with the Canvas SC300. The packaging is more robust than what you typically get from a mainstream drive, and customers are treated to plenty of information on the retail box. It's a nice change from the plastic blister packs that many companies use for their entry-level and mainstream products.
A brushed aluminum face and red anodized outside edges dress up the drive itself. I'm not sure if the outside is painted or anodized, but it looks like the latter.
The SC300 fits into a 7mm-tall enclosure, so it's compatible with the latest thin-and-light notebooks. The controller, DRAM and flash all come in contact with thermal interface material to draw heat away from the sensitive parts and into the aluminum chassis.
All three models fit their internal components on one side of the PCB. SK Hynix enjoys the benefits of leveraging its in-house controller technology, firmware, DRAM and NAND to make the Canvas SC300 come alive. This type of vertical integration reduces costs and allows the finished product to stand on its own, unencumbered by third-party supply issues.
