Spring 2010 Solid State Drive Roundup, Part 1

Solidata K5 (64GB)

Solidata’s K5 is a 64GB SSD based on single level cell (SLC) flash memory. SLC helps the drive reach noticeably higher I/O performance across most of our benchmarks when compared to the competition. Even SLC isn’t enough to beat Intel’s I/O performance numbers, though. Solidata gets close, but this isn't horseshoes or hand grenades.

Read performance rings in between 224 to 228 MB/s, taking the silver medal after Intel’s X25-M G2. However, write performance ranges from 159 and 198 MB/s, with Solidata’s minimum write performance looking relatively low, despite its more expensive SLC memory.

Power consumption runs relatively high, yet never ranks at the top or bottom of our results. Solidata ships out of Hong Kong at $490 for our tested 64GB version, $250 for a 32GB entry-level model, and $980 for the 128GB drive. The SLC drive's higher durability and I/O performance advantages help justify the lofty pricing. Solidata specifies a 2 million-hour MTBF—roughly twice as much as the other drives in this roundup.

Unfortunately, this is one of those drives that our North American audience will have a hard time tracking down. We weren't able to find it for sale at e-tail.

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