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Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Crucial's RealSSD C300: An Update on My Drive

Earlier this morning I published an article looking into the performance of 6Gbps SATA controllers, both integrated and off-chip. In it I mentioned my recently deceased Crucial RealSSD C300 that decided to up and stop working one day. Given that Crucial is selling these drives, I wasn't too happy with the outcome.



Inside Crucial's RealSSD C300


The drive would not longer be detected on POST. In fact, with the C300 connected to any machine I couldn't get any OS to boot; the system would just hang at drive detection. After a couple of weeks of toying with my dead drive, Crucial came back to me with an explanation of what's going on.

6Gbps SATA Performance: AMD 890GX vs. Intel X58/P55

Seemingly overnight SSDs have changed the way in which we look at storage performance. With an order of magnitude of improvement in random I/O performance and at least a doubling in sequential speeds, SSDs have brought us a lot of joy and pain since their introduction.




Compatibility testing and validation should be a top priority for SSD makers, as many storage controllers don't play well with these new, ultra-fast devices. It also turns out that since we finally have a device that can push the limits of 3Gbps and 6Gbps SATA, not all controller implementations are created equal.


Performance can vary wildly from one controller implementation to the next. Even worse is how the new 6Gbps SATA controllers can perform in the wrong configuration. We ran through a barrage of tests to figure out what setup is best for your next SSD.

Intel's X25-V & Kingston's 30GB SSDNow V Series: Battle of the $125 SSDs

Last year Kingston introduced a 40GB version of Intel's X25-M G2 for less than $100 after mail in rebate. Since then, Kingston and Intel couldn't agree on terms for continuing to offer Kingston's 40GB drive. The two called it a day and Kingston is no longer making the drive.




In a clearly unrelated move, Intel has started shipping its first 40GB SSD: the X25-V. Effectively the same drive as last year's Kingston 40GB SSDNow V Series Boot Drive but with official TRIM support, the X25-V retails for $125.


We got our hands on an X25-V and put it through the paces against Kingston's newfound replacement: the Toshiba based 30GB SSDNow V Series.