Super Talent Releases “Dangerously Fast” SSDs

It’s rare for a week to pass without seeing an SSD product launch, and this week it comes courtesy of Super Talent. This is one company who really, really wants to make an impression, because they were one of the first out the door with their own SSDs, and they’ve followed up their line-ups many times over. Each time, they get cheaper and faster… and that’s what we like to see.

The latest launch is for both MLC and SLC-based units, or rather, one somewhat expensive series and one whoa expensive series. The MasterDrive OX is for the ‘budget’ models, coming in at 32GB, 64GB and 128GB densities, and boasting 150MB/s Read and 100MB/s write. The 128GB OX drive will retail for $419, which is still expensive, but it’s a stark contrast to what things were like just a few months ago.

Refer back to Super Talent’s launch this past May. At that time, their 120GB was $699, and if the price difference isn’t enough, realize that those drives featured a 120MB/s Read and 40MB/s Write. That was only four months ago! Indeed, it’s hard to recommend anyone take the SSD route right now, because it’s worse than buying a new car in terms of value lost. Where things will be in five months is anyone’s guess, but it’s a lot of fun watching the prices free-fall.

These new SSDs are based on a sophisticated new multi-channel SATA-II (3.0 Gbits per sec) controller. The MasterDrive OX uses MLC NAND Flash to transfer data at speeds up to 150 MB/sec (sequential read) and 100 MB/sec (sequential write). The MasterDrive OX is offered in capacities up to 128GB, and is backed with a 1-year warranty.