Seagate and Samsung, the two major makers of hard drives and system memory, announced Thursday that they have entered into a joint development and licensing agreement.

 Under this agreement, the two companies will develop and cross-license related controller technologies for solid state drives.

This is interesting; Samsung has released many consumer-grade SSDs, whereas Seagate has recently taken the route of hybrid drive with the release of the Seagate Momentus XT (500GB). The company’s first attempt into the SSD market with the Pulsar drive didn’t make much of a splash.

According to Seagate, however, the two companies aim to develop new SSDs for the enterprise storage market, of which Seagate has been a strong player with traditional platter-based hard drives.

Steve Luczo, Seagate’s chairman, president, and CEO said, “Today’s agreement with Samsung will help us bring a compelling set of SSD innovations to the enterprise storage market, with benefits that range from enhanced performance, endurance, and reliability to cost and capacity improvements.”

Seagate says that the joint development will build on the existing SSD capabilities of each company while combining Seagate’s enterprise storage technology with Samsung’s 30 nanometer-class MLC NAND flash memory technology. Seagate will then use the jointly developed controller for its enterprise-class SSDs.

The first SSDs based on this joint development is expected to be available by the middle of 2012.

Source CNET

OCZ Vertex 2 E 60GB OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G Review
bluetooth 15 Aug 2010

HDD used to be the bottleneck for performance. This has been partially solved with higher SATA interface speed. As HDD goes speedier, it is still unable to saturate the interface.  SSD came and slowly take over as the preferred choice as storage media as it is speedy and could take advantage of the higher speed SATA II interface. As not all SSD are made equal, some SSD gives amazing read speeds but bad write speeds. OCZ Vertex II 60GB, the extended version inherits the original version with a bigger capacity and push the limits in both sequential and random read/write. As spec, it is able to do a max read and write up to 285MB/s and 275MB/s respectively. 4K random write (aligned) should be able to attain 50,000 IOPS. by virtue of the SandForce controller.

Built with SATA 3Gb/s, the Vertex 2 Series easily integrates into today’s mobile and desktop platforms and features TRIM support to optimize performance over the drive’s lifespan as the ultimate Windows 7 notebook or desktop upgrade.

The OCZ Vertex II 60GB comes with a metal bracketl 2.5” to 3.5” adapter so you can stick the SSD into a standard hard drive bay. Below is a video showing the package and the SSD.

Specifications

Max Read: up to 285MB/s
Max Write: up to 275MB/s
Sustained Write: up to 250MB/s
4k Random Write (Aligned): 50,000 IOPS
Seek Time: 0.1 MS
Power Consumption: Idle: 0.5Watts Active: 2Watt
Performance Optimization: TRIM (requires OS support)

We have expanded the existing graphics card discussion section of the forum to include more areas of discussions. You can now comment or give suggestions on the latest Graphics cards, SSD, HDD, RAM, LAN right here at this URL

“Fast”. It’s a word that can be explained in a billion different ways, but one of my favorites is to talk about the potential of OCZ’s Enyo SSD. As a portable drive, it delivers mind-blowing performance, at up to 200MB/s for both the read and write, and as an added perk, it’s small, stylish, and priced surprisingly well.

LINK

In June 2010, we reported in our Computex Coverage that Kingston is ready to launch a USB SSD driver. This new device which bears the HyperX brand will come with a USB 3 interface. So far, nothing is mentioned about the specifications of the device.

Nevertheless, we should be able to get more information once the product goes into the mass market by September this year. Stay tuned for more at http://www.ocworkbench.com

PCI-E Solid State Drives / 120GB – 240GB / x4 PCI-E / 2 x SATA / MLC NAND Introducing the RevoDrive, a high performance PCIe Solid State Drive for consumer applications in desktops and workstation PCs Focusing on both performance and affordability for consumers, the RevoDrive PCI-Express SSD is designed to accommodate a wide range of computing environments beyond everyday use to video-editing and other multi-media creation and management applications. Moving beyond the bottleneck of SATA II, the RevoDrive features a PCI-E interface to deliver superior speeds up to 540MB/s reads and random 4k writes up to 75,000 IOPS. Designed for high-performance gaming PCs and workstations, the RevoDrive has the unique capability to run both Windows and your essential applications and games to not only provides a more responsive PC experience, but promote a cooler, quieter, and more energy efficient conditions compared to traditional mechanical hard drives.

RevoDrive is available in 120GB and 240GB capacities to offer extensive space for the latest operating systems, game titles, and applications for snappier boot and load times. The RevoDrive series comes backed with a 3-year warranty and ultra-reliable 2 million hour mean time between failure (MTBF) rating.

Looking for a SSD solution to speed up your boot up process, the Kingston SSDNow V Series 64GB SSD is one of the ideal solutions for you. Comes with an USB enclosure, you can simply plug it in, clone your existing < 64GB partition using the Acronis Disk image software provided. Once that is done, you are able to boot up from the SSD as your primary OS drive. Below is the packaging :

The annual PC SHOW 2010 will start in 2 days time. Are you ready for the best bargain at the show? Looking for price lists and updates, do check out our dedicated forum with latest flyers posted and recommended star buys updated regularly from the following brands

PC SHOW 2010 pricelist Pluto, imation, ovation, A4tech, Buffalo, Canon, Seagate, WD, Aztech, Epicentre, Lenovo, Toshiba, Fujifilm IOmega, LG, Dell, Fujitsu, ASUS, Palladine, HP, Starhub, Singtel, M1, Sony, Acer, MSI, Compaq, Auzentech, HIS, Seasonic, Zyxel

Bookmark the link today.

G.Skill is known for its ram modules in the DIY market. Today we take a look at what GEIL has to offer in the upcoming months. They include SSD and some high performance DDR3 modules.

G.Skill released its new Phoenix Pro SSD and series of ultra
high performance memory modules at Computex 2010.
 
Phoenix Pro SSD
G.Skill has shown its latest SSD solution, Phoenix Pro, based on SandForce SF-1200
controller. By partnering with SandForce , Phoenix Pro series has enhanced IOPS up to
50,000, which has a great improvement on small file read/write speed, comparing to
the previous Phoenix generation. G.Skill is glad to expand its Phoenix SSD product line
to the next level and provide extreme gamers, PC enthusiasts and power users the
perfect choice of storage solution. The Phoenix Pro SSD will be available at 60GB,
120GB and 240GB at G.Skill’s authorized distribution partners within two weeks.

 
Trident series DDR3 2500MHZ CL8 overclocking world record
breaking modules

The Trident DDR3 2500MHz CL8 2GBx2 kit is the overclockers’ best friend. Amazing
new record of 2860Mhz at CL8 Dual Chanel was attained LIVE during the Computex
Show in Taipei by renowned extreme memory overclocker Hiwa from Italy. Everyone
in the crowd was pleasantly surprised when Hiwa pushed the RAMs beyond what was
ever seen before, accomplished on the EVGA P55 FTW 200 Motherboard and Kingpin
cooling LN2 spot. To see more detail about the exciting moment, please click here.   

DDR3 2000MHz 24GB kit

 
G.Skill has successfully broken the technology bottleneck and brought 4GB module to
the world of 2000 MHz. At Computex 2010, G.Skill showed its DDR3 2000MHz CL9
24GB kit and DDR3 1800MHz CL8 24GB kit for the Intel X58 platform. G.Skill
engineering team is now ready to provide PC enthusiasts, business users, and extreme
gamers the best memory modules with the biggest capacity and high performance.  
 

Flare series  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
G.Skill DDR3 Flare series memory modules have been known as the top high-end kits
for AMD platform. G.Skill has shown a couple of Flare series memory modules with
the latest AMD890 live demo platform, including the ultra high performance
2000MHz CL7 8GB (2GBx4) kit and the new 2000MHz CL9 16GB (4GBx4) kit. The Flare
series are coming with G.Skill’s new memory cooler to provide the best stability and
performance.  

  
DDR3 2400MHz CL9 Triple channel PIS kit
 

At the beginning of 2010, G.Skill was the first one who launched 2400MHz dual
channel memory modules for the Intel P55 platform. To continuously satisfy extreme
overclockers’ thirst for breaking world record, G.Skill engineering team has brought
2400 MHz memory module to triple channel platform. This cutting edge kit will be
coming with G.Skill’s performance PI series heatsink and the new memory cooler .

In Day 2, we take a look at Albatron. This old brand has transformed itself from a mainboard maker into vga and now they even do optical touch screen solutions.

To offer better and more service to customers & end users, Albatron unveils two brand new product lines and reconstructs two existed product series.

Optical touch solutions
Touch screen is everywhere in our daily life. From mobile phone, Kiosk to digital interactive signage, we can find products or services that embedded with touch technology. Albatron Optical touch solution can be adopted to different devices that have 16:9 LCD screen larger than 18.5”.

Albatron Optical Touch Solutions provide the best reaction time, accuracy, durability; and, it takes less than 1 Watt when operation. To compare with other touch solution, Optical touch technology should be the best one for large flat panel display.

Server memory module
Quality and stability are the two basic requirements when being a professional IPC manufacturer. In order to provide better and better compatibility, Albatron decides to make server memory modules for customers. Before shipping products to customer, Albatron did every compatibility & stability test in both motherboards and modules. It means customers don’t have to worry about the system memory compatibility when building their machines. Albatron wide-range of server modules solutions from Long-DIMM, SO-DIMM to FB-DIMM and ECC registered modules.

Customized motherboards
Albatron has 10-year experience in designing motherboards, and designs specific motherboards for customers for more than 5 years. During Computex 2010, Albatron demonstrates different form factors of motherboards from ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX, 3.5” to customized size.

Customized graphics cards (VGA)
As in motherboards territory, Albatron is also experienced in designing VGA. Besides consuming product, Albatron can design VGA in different interfaces also. Just like what we see on Computex, Albatron shows PCIe x16/ PCIe x1/ AGP/ PCI product on booth. If you need something that differs from mainstream, Albatron can make it for you.

Below are screen shots of the exhibits

In Day 1, we take a look at the exhibits first at ASRock booth. They have tons of boards. One of such is an unreleased product based on a Intel P67 chipset is also on the show. Another is P55 Extreme3 which is world’s first board to support 2 front panel USB 3 ports. The focus this year is on their new HTPC the Vision 3D w/ Aiwi.

Motherboard

Word’s First Motherboard Supports Front USB3.0 – P55 Extreme3

Unprecedentedly, ASRock will showcase the soon to be released P55 Extreme3 motherboard with its unique external Front USB3.0 panel. Exclusively bundled with ASRock Front USB3.0 Panel that comes with 2 x USB3.0 ports, P55 Extreme3 facilitates the computing operation! Along with every other component maker, ASRock will be also showing off it’s bevy of P55 motherboard beauties. The new Core i7 unlocked 875K CPU from Intel is one of the few really new products shown at Computex this year!

2 x Front USB3.0 support
World’s First Motherboard Supports 4 x USB3.0 – 890FX Deluxe3

USB3.0 interface will become the mainstream in the coming future. Extraordinarily equipped with 4 x USB3.0 ports on the I/O panel, ASRock 890FX Deluxe3 allows a more convenient computing operation environment! For users seeking for the ultimate motherboard configurations, ASRock 890FX Deluxe3 can satisfy you with a host of technologies include ATI Quad CrossFireX, 3-Way CrossFireX and CrossFireX, Cool Heatpipe Design that can dissipate heat from CPU power mosfet and northbridge rapidly and make your system running much cooler, 8 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors, 6 x SATA3 are sourced from AMD SB850, support RAID (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and RAID 5), the remaining 2 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s are from Marvell. Special introduce here is ASRock unique multi-function Turbo UCC technology. Turbo UCC provides you an all-in-one solution to unlock the hidden cpu cores in the CPU, get the amazing system performance boost by auto-overclocking, and running the system in a certainly lower power consumption level as well.

4 x USB3.0 Ports

Intel Core i7 980X 6-Core CPU Live Demo – X58 Extreme3

In conjunction with ASRock CeBIT2010, ASRock will also reappear the awesome live demo by running the Intel Core i7 980X 6-Core CPU on our feature-complete motherboard – X58 Extreme3. Delivering outstanding features for power users and gaming enthusiasts including a Cool Heatpipe Fan design that makes the system cooler than ever, NVIDIA Quad SLI, ATI CrossFireX and Quad CrossFireX, 7.1 CH, VIA VT2020 Audio Codec which supports Premium Blu-ray audio as well as support for the latest USB3.0. As part of ASRock SuperSpeed USB3.0 lineup, X58 Extreme3 comes with 2 x SATA3 6Gb/s connectors, 1 x Powered eSATAIII/USB2.0 connector, 2 x USB3.0 connectors, it is the outright performance leader of its class.

ASRock AIWI Rock You Everywhere – Playing Games by Holding Your iPhone

ASRock motherboard solutions offer advanced performance for customized environments. At Computex there will be a wide selection of innovative boards in terms of Intel and AMD platform. To make differentiation from other normal motherboards, this year, ASRock is going to show you something really different! ASRock will showcase our newly launched ASRock AIWI utility running on our motherboards and HTPC systems. ASRock AIWI is the world’s first utility to turn your iPhone/iPod touch as a game joystick to control your PC games. Simply installing ASRock AIWI utility onboard and download free AIWI Lite from App store to your iPhone/iPod touch. Connecting your PC and apple devices via Bluetooth or WiFi networks, then you can start experiencing the exciting motion controlled games. ASRock AIWI motherboard will ensure you to enjoy a rich variety of gaming and be entertained by a better way. Just come to ASRock Computex at Nangang Hall, L0118 to experience how fantastic the ASRock AIWI program will be.

HTPC System

The Most Powerful 3D HTPC on the Planet – Vision 3D

ASRock Vision 3D HTPC Series is developed to match the trend of 3D entertainment. It has a powerful build-in graphic card which supports 3D game and 3D movie, allowing users to enjoy a high class entertainment experience! The soon to be released ASRock Vision 3D comes with everything essential for a HTPC platform. Featuring Intel Core architecture-based processors and NVIDIA 3D Vision Capable, GeForce 300 / 400 Series, ASRock Vision 3D can provide you an absolutely realistic 3D image display!

Still, ASRock Vision 3D has adopted lots luxury components include the stylish, high glossy aluminum housing, SuperSpeed USB3.0 support that delivers data transfer rates up to 10X faster than USB2.0, slot-in optical drive that provides a more convenient way of computing operation! For audio aspect, Vision 3D supports 7.1 CH HD audio with professional THX TruStudio PRO solution which allows user to have a rich variety of programming and be entertained by a better way! To realize modern computing mission, ASRock Vision 3D series equipped with BD Combo, 802.11n Wireless network, and even bundled with a user-friendly MCE remote controller.
As such, ASRock Vision 3D HTPC Series operates with a high resolution 3D video which allows a realistic and solid picture scene in your interactive game or movie, providing a cinematic environment in your home! At Computex there will be a modern living scenario setting with ASRock Vision 3D system in ASRock booth, we’ll demo the latest ASRock AIWI gaming program there, just quickly join ASRock Computex, and you will exactly understand why 3DTV can be so fantastic!

Your Perfect Choice for mini HTPC System – Core 100

With intention to present an affordable and functionable HTPC product to users, ASRock will also showcase the newly launched Core 100 HTPC series at Computex. This series totally comes with three models – Core 100HT-BD, Core 100HT and Core 100. By adopting the Intel Core i7 / i5 / i3 and Arrandale-based processors, Core 100 series features Intel HD Graphics that offers great FullHD 1080P performance and energy-efficient capability. Features abundant, ASRock Core 100 HTPC series is the world’s first USB3.0 onboard system on the market, and specially bundled with THX TruStudio PRO solution, ASRock Core 100 even supports the unmatched audio quality and stunning movie experience.

Based on the Intel HM55 Express chipset, Core 100 series features Dual Channel DDR3 1066 memory, 2 x SO-DIMM slots, Max. 8GB, 2.5” HDD up to 500 GB supports 2nd 2.5” HDD. Other excellent features include BD Combo, WiFi 802.11n networking as well as MCE remote controller!

Your Perfect Choice for HTPC System – ION2

HTPC wisely replaces a desktop place and thus easily PClizes any multimedia entertainments and thoughtfully save space for you! The exclusively launched ASRock ION2 HTPC series (includes ION2HT-BD, ION2HT, ION2) target users who want most out of their PCs from standard work to entertainment and extremely gaming. This series features Intel Dual Core D510 processor, Intel CH8M Chipset, NVIDIA ION2 graphics, and THX TruStudio PRO solution. In addition, ASRock ION2 HTPC series features the latest ASRock App Charger function that allows you to quickly charge many Apple devices simultaneously and provides you a much faster charging experience.

Below are pictures of the exhibits. More pictures on the following pages.

Plextor Launches New Blu-Ray Solutions at Computex 2010

New networked media player and compatible external BD-ROM let you enjoy Blu-Ray without a Blu-Ray player
Taipei, Taiwan –Plextor, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, announces its new networked media player PlexMedia, as well the compatible PX-B120U external BD-ROM drive, at Computex 2010 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Visitors can take a first look at Plextor’s new networked media player, the PlexMedia, while at the show. This is the first networked media player that can be connected to an external USB BD-ROM drive, making it possible to watch high-definition Blu-ray discs in your living room without having to purchase a Blu-ray disc player.

Simultaneously with the media player, Plextor also launches the PX-B120U, a compatible external BD-ROM drive. This portable drive can be connected to the media player to become your living room Blu-ray disc player, but is versatile enough to carry in a notebook bag or connect to a desktop PC – allowing you to enjoy High Definition content everywhere.

Also at Computex, Plextor will showcase its complete Blu-ray disc drive portfolio, including its PX-B950SA 12X BD Writer.
Also being showcased are the recently-introduced Networked Attached Storage device (NAS), and a new portfolio of Solid State Drives (SSD). The two-bay NAS drive will be followed up with a four-bay NAS solution for small to medium-sized businesses. By adding this new NAS system, Plextor aims to provide storage solutions for both home users as well as professionals.

Plextor also recognizes the growing demand for faster and more reliable storage solutions and announces its new portfolio of SSDs at Computex. Plextor will launch both MLC and SLC format SSD drives later in 2010.

The SSD drives complement Plextor’s range of storage products, which will also consist of a new lineup of external Hard Disk Drives. At Computex, Plextor will showcase its new generation of portable USB 3.0 and e-SATA Hard Disk Drives.

ASUS Gives Visitors a Look into Tomorrow at Computex 2010
Extends Lead in Cloud Computing and Gaming Arenas with Industry-changing
Eee Pad, Eee Tablet, Garmin-Asus A10 Smartphone and a Host of ROG Innovations

[Taiwan, Taipei, 31 May 2010] ASUS’ leadership in innovation and design will once again be underlined at this year’s Computex exhibition in Taipei, where the homegrown IT giant is set to showcase a wide range of products across five major categories: cloud computing, gaming, enthusiast PC components, multimedia and green computing.

ASUS Cloud Computing Solutions: Accessing Data Anywhere and in Real Time has Never Been this Easy

As the leader in cloud computing, ASUS offers the broadest spread of cloud-connected devices with on-the-fly data and multimedia sharing capabilities that consumers need in this age of interconnectedness.

Without question the foremost cloud computing device that will be on show at Computex 2010 is the ASUS Eee Tablet, one of the world’s most accurate and sensitive digital note-taking devices. Sporting a 2450 dpi resolution touch screen, a built-in camera which takes high resolution photos that users can write notes on, and preinstalled with an assortment of notepad templates, the Eee Tablet provides students and mobile business professionals with everything they need to get through a day. The Eee Tablet also serves as an exceptionally competent e-reader, offering almost lag-free page turns and a paper-like display that allows users to read for long periods without eye fatigue. The Eee Tablet features USB and MicroSD connectivity for easy syncing with a PC.

Also set to steal the limelight is the ASUS Eee Pad, an ultra-slim and light yet high-performance slate device designed to provide users with a “real time, real life and real human” cloud computing experience. The Eee Pad is available in two configurations. The 12” Eee Pad EP121 is a full-featured slate computer that serves as a multimedia player, e-reader, compact PC and Internet device. Powered by a CULV Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and the Windows® 7 Home Premium operating system, it handles multitasking effortlessly, enabling users to check their email and calendars, have video conferences, and process Microsoft Word and Excel documents simultaneously. The Eee Pad EP121 offers two convenient modes of character input—an embedded virtual keyboard and a special docking station-cum-keyboard—and delivers more than 10 hours of smooth, continuous computing. Users seeking added mobility can consider the 10’’ Eee Pad EP101TC, which comes in at a mere 675g and a slim, pocket-friendly 12.2mm. The Eee Pad EP101TC runs on Windows Embedded Compact 7, a complete toolkit with the latest Windows 7-based technologies and tools that create engaging user experiences and delivers connectivity to the Windows world. It provides a familiar full-featured experience across various connected devices and cloud computing services. Users will also be able to move their favorite applications to the main desktop with ease.

The year 2010 marks the 30th anniversary of Computex Taipei which has become the largest computer exhibition in Asia and the second largest in the world. As usual, OCWorkbench will bring you highlights of the show “live” for our readers. This year, our report will be on our main news page, forums, twitter and facebook. Chinese readers can also check out our Chinese forums and mainpage for the relevant updates.

As usual, the main focus this year would still falls onto the mainboard manufacturers and peripherals.The probably newest thing would be the upcoming Intel chipsets, handheld device and slim notebooks. In this Day 0 Coverage, we will take a glimpse of what to expect from some of these big players in the market in the next few pages.

Kingston Digital Ships Speedy Class 10 MicroSDHC Card

Large Capacity, Fast Performance a Perfect Match for Memory-Hungry Devices

Hsinchu, Taiwan – (February 24, 2010) –Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of a 16GB microSDHC Class 10 card. The high-capacity card complies with the SD Association Specification 3.00 to meet Class 10 requirements. The 16GB microSDHC card has a minimum data transfer rate of 10MB/sec. and ships either as a stand-alone microSDHC card or with adapters.

“With the new speed class, host devices such as high-definition cameras or the latest smartphones are being designed to optimize their write performance to take advantage of the more responsive memory card speeds,” said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. “Now that the Class 10 card specification is five times faster than a Class 2 card, users will see swifter copying and transferring of photos, music, videos and e-books when using a multi-format card reader such as the Kingston Media Reader or MobileLiteG2 with a PC.

Kingston takes mobility and versatility a step further with the addition of the SD adapter pack (Kingston part #: SDC10/16GB), and the SD and miniSD adapter pack (Kingston part #: SDC10/16GB-2ADP). Inserting the card into the SD adapter turns it into a large-storage, speedy SDHC card that can be used to capture continuous images or videos in digital cameras. Kingston also includes an adapter for other devices that utilize the miniSD form factor. Either adapter pack allows users to store all data on one card across multiple Class 10 device platforms.

The 16GB microSDHC Class 10 card is backed by a lifetime warranty, free tech support and legendary Kingston reliability. For more information visit: www.kingston.com/asia.

Kingston 16GB microSDHC Class 10 Features and Specifications:

·       Compliant: with the SD Specification Version 3.00

·       Versatile: when combined with an adapter, can be used as a full-size SDHC card with write protection or as a miniSDHC card to transfer data

·       Compatible: with microSDHC, miniSDHC and SDHC host devices; not compatible with standard microSD-enabled device/readers

·       File Format: FAT32

·       Reliable: lifetime warranty

·       Capacities*: 16GB

·       Dimensions: 0.43″ x 0.59″ x 0.039″ (11mm x 15mm x 1mm)

·       High-Speed Class Rating: Class 10 – 10MB/sec. minimum data transfer rate

·       Operating Temperature: -13°F to 185°F (-25°C to 85°C)

·       Storage Temperature: -40°F to 185° (-40°C to 85°C)

^*Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage.  For more information, please consult Kingston’s Flash Memory Guide at Kingston.com/Flash_Memory_Guide.

To discuss this product on Kingston Blog, please go to www.kingston-blog.com. To try the game “Challenge Your Memory”, please go to

www.kingston-blog.com/challenge_your_memory/en/. To get the freshest information on Kingston, please go to http://twitter.com/KingstonFEPR.

To find out if your Kingston product is genuine, Kingston also provides an online verification site: www.kingston.com/asia/verify. To try the game “Search for Genuine Kingston”, please go to anti-counterfeit.kingston-blog.com. For the interesting animation: The Adventures of Rex, please visit: www.theadventuresofrex.com.

About Kingston Digital, Inc.

Kingston Digital, Inc. (“KDI”) is the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the world’s largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Established in 2008, KDI is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, USA. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com/asia.

VIA VL700 USB 3.0-SATA Controller

 A highly integrated single chip solution that allows users to connect SATA hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), and optical disc drive (ODD) devices to their PC via new USB 3.0 specification ports.

With data transfer rates of up to 5Gbps, USB 3.0 (also known as SuperSpeed USB) offers ten times the throughput available to USB 2.0 based devices, meaning large amounts of information stored on a SATA device can be effortlessly transferred to a PC in a fraction of the time it would usually take.

The VIA VL700 supports both SATA 3Gbps and 1.5Gbps data transfer rates and also Native Command Queuing (NCQ), which allows HDDs/SSDs to internally optimize the order in which received read and write commands are executed, thereby increasing performance. Additionally, data transfer to and from SATA-based DVD and Blu-ray Disc players is supported.

Key Features: In-house USB 3.0 PHY Supports Bulk-Only-Transport (BOT) mass storage class Supports UAS/UAP mass storage class Supports SATA 3Gbps and SATA 1.5Gbps oNCQ support 8051 processor core External ROM for firmware upgrades SPI EEPROM for customized VID/PID GPIOs for customization Built-in regulatorKey Features:

• In-house USB 3.0 PHY
  • Supports Bulk-Only-Transport (BOT) mass storage class
  • Supports UAS/UASP mass storage class
• Supports SATA 3Gbps and SATA 1.5Gbps
  • NCQ support
• 8051 processor core
• External ROM for firmware upgrades
• SPI EEPROM for customized VID/PID
• GPIOs for customization
• Built-in regulator

Kingston today announced it will ship its second generation SSDNow V Series solid-state drive (SSD) on February 15. Targeted for mainstream consumers and small and medium businesses, the new Kingston SSDNow V Series offers higher performance than its predecessor and supports Windows 7 TRIM functionality while maintaining pricing. Capacities are 30GB, 64GB and 128GB and the drive comes as a standalone unit or with a bundled solution for desktop or notebook systems.

San Jose, California – February 11, 2010 – Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced the new USB 3.0 Express

“This product underscores Super Talent’s continued leadership in the USB 3.0 storage market.”, said Super Talent COO, C.H. Lee. “We’ve listened to our customers and responded with a USB 3.0 product that not only meets the market needs but hits the balance point between price and performance.”
Measuring 62 x 37 x7.5 mm, the new Express Drive requires no separate cable and is fully backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, at USB 2.0 speeds. Both the USB 3.0 RAIDDrive^TM and USB 3.0 Express^TM drive use Super Talent’s patented technology and are protected under US Patent # 7457897.

The USB 3.0 Express will be available in March from Super Talent resellers worldwide.

OCZ first USB 3.0 external hard drive is just smaller than an iPhone, but its a lot lighter and all solid state! Here are some pictures of it. It will be demonstrated at Gigabyte booth at CeBIT 2010. This is how it looks :

Shouldn’t SSD be more reliable than the traditional HDDs as it has less movable parts. That doesn’t seem to be the case to me as my Intel X25-M has just died for no reason.

First it was 2 random BSOD during my review writing and my work were not saved! The third time, the system rebooted on its own and the worst thing that happened is the message “No boot device”.

Luckily the PC is able to detect the SSD device in BIOS. So I took the SSD to another PC and plug it into the SATA port. I went into Windows XP and checked. The 4 partitions of 20GB each are all gone, it has become a single 80GB partition.

Knowing that, I took out Arconis Disk Director 10, trying to recover the lost partitions. The scan took a while and couldn’t find any partitions.

I took a rest and shut down the system and that is probably the biggest mistake. After I am back and started up the machine, the BIOS seems to hung on and refuse to boot my Win XP from the HDD. It seems to be unable to detect the presense of the SSD.

1 minute passed and it bypassed and went into WIn XP. Gosh, the SSD is nowhere to be seen in MMC (disk management). The SSD has totally missing in action. All my 80GB of OS and DATA are just gone like that without  a proper back up !

The irony is that all my 3 old 80GB HDDs are still functioning well after 3 to 5 yrs without any issues. I doubt I would want high speed with data loss in the end. SSD is probably not for me but for non data critical OS and system files where you can replace.

I wonder if anyone is capable of retriving the data inside or any tools you know, please let me know.

Thanks.