In fact, compared to the Vertex 3 that came before it, the new drives should outperform them by up to 400-percent. Maximum random performance is up to 120,000 IOPS; when used with hard to manage incompressible data, the Vertex 4 can manage up to 95,000 4K random read IOPS and 85,000 random write IOPS.

The Indilinx Everest 2 controller itself has a dual-core 400MHz clock and includes an onboard error correction code (ECC) engine, supports dynamic wear-leveling and auto encryption, and features Indilinx’s Ndurance 2.0 NAND flash management tech. OCZ is so confident about longevity, in fact, that it’s including a 5-year warranty.

Unfortunately there’s no sign of pricing for the new Vertex 4, and we’re not expecting this speed demon to come cheap.

System builders may (or may not) respect the name, but what they live and breathe is specifications. First of all, it uses the modular cabling system that neat freaks (like yours truly) can’t live without, allowing users to add and subtract power rails as necessary. Connections include a single +12v rail, one 20+4 pin for the ATX standard, two  4+$ rails, six 6+2 rails, 8 4-pin rails and 12 5-pin SATA rails. Even with the largest and most capable of rigs, it’s hard to imagine someone exhausting that many options.

Other features include 100% Japanese capacitors, a 140mm cooling fan, and a 5-year warranty. OCZ claims that it can maintain consistent 1000-watt output at a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius. While some gamers find the Fatal1ty branding to be somewhat overblown, it’s hard to argue with the numbers that OCZ is pushing out. Prospective PC builders, don’t reach for the highest option right away – unless you’re doing som major overclocking on three or more GPUs, plus a handful of hard drives and PCIe accessories, odds are you can do just fine with something a little less powerful.  There are a couple numbers that are missing at the moment: a price and a date.

Capacities are expected to range in size from 128GB, through 256GB and 512GB, topping out at a full terabyte for those with high speed expectations and bulging wallets. According to OCZ, Thunderbolt’s low latency and accurate time synchronization make for a drive that can be used for pro-level A/V editing, working with source files saved directly on the external storage.

From our time with the LaCie Little Big Disk SSD we know that’s a realistic prospect, but the Lightfoot has the benefit of being more pocket-sized and suited for mobile users. No word on how much it will cost when it launches, but OCZ expects it to go on sale later this year.

[via PC Perspective]

The OCZ Deneva 2 mSATA SSDs are touted as being faster, more efficient, smaller, and lighter as well as more reliable, longer-lasting, and secure. They are much lighter than traditional SSDs, weighing about 10 times less than a standard SSD and 15 times less than a conventional 2.5-inch hard drive. Their ultra thin profile allows them to fit into dimensions less than 21mm thick.

The Deneva 2 mSATA SSD series also includes SATA 3.0 and 120GB versions, but those have not been Intel certified for ultrabooks yet. The models certified are the D2CSTEMS1A10-0030 and D2CSTEMS1A10-0060. The series boasts max read speeds of up to 280MB/s, max write speeds of up to 260MB/s, and up to 32,000 4K random write iOPS.

[via TheVerge]

While the OSZ Octane has been promised to achieve read / write speeds of 560MB/s for reading and 400MB/s for writing, it appears that reviewers have found this to be not all that far off from the truth. Have a peek at the specifications in this new OCZ offering first, then see what the real deal is.

OCZ Octane Specs
128GB (OCT1-25SAT3-128G) $199.99 ($1.56/GB)
256GB (OCT1-25SAT3-256G) $369.99 ($1.45/GB)
512GB (OCT1-25SAT3-512G) $879.99 ($1.72/GB)
1TB (OCT1-25SAT3-1TG)

• 512GB Formatted Capacity: 476.94GB
• Indilinx Everest platform
• Up to 560MB/s Read (1TB Capacity)
• Up to 400MB/s Write (512GB and 1TB Capacity)
• 512MB Onboard Cache
• 25nm Intel Synchronous NAND
• TRIM Support
• SATA 6Gb/s interface
• NCQ Support up to 32 Queue Depth
• 9.5mm, 2.5″ form factor
• Dynamic & Static Wear-Leveling, and Background Garbage Collection
• 8 channels with up to 16-way Interleaving
• Power Consumption: 1.98W active, 1.15W standby

Let’s have a look at a few different perspectives here, each from different sides of the internets, starting with PC Perspective’s Allyn Malventano who comments on both the contents of the package and the size along with a couple results in a chart below:

“The Octane comes packaged like many other SSD’s out there, with a few extra presents like the “My SSD is faster than your HDD” sticker seen with Vertex units. … 1TB – in a 2.5″ form factor SSD! HDD’s hit this mark not too long ago, and while a 1TB Octane will most certainly cost a pretty penny, there’s something to be said for SSD’s so rapidly catching up to HDD’s for a given form factor. … Octane did well in sequential transfers with HDTach, but remember this particular test hits drives with a string of sequential (QD=1) IO, a notorious weakness of SandForce controllers.” – Malventano

Next see what Kevin OBrien of Storage Review had to say on another synthetic benchmark test by the name of Iometer, with the single chart showing off a Workstation 4K model profile, with results below:

“Our last section of synthetic benchmarks looks at the performance of each drive in enterprise profiles, including database, webserver, file server, and workstation. One of the main benefits of this test over other synthetic benchmarks is the mixed workload with both read and write transfers as well as varied transfer sizes at the same time. These are also scaled from a queue depth of 1 to 128 to fully stress the drive in a demanding environment. As you can see below the OCZ Octane stayed close to the group in the lower queue depths, but couldn’t scale up as high under a multi-threaded workload; although it did manage to stay above the Crucial m4 in all but the webserver test.” – OBrien

Then of course no review series based mainly in benchmarks would be complete without a visit by Anandtech’s Anand Lal Shimpi himself. Check out Anand’s review for a rather in-depth and interesting story on the history of OCZ if you like, otherwise just read this snippet on how well the drive works with their heavy workload test:

“When put to the test the Octane does not disappoint. It’s within a couple MB/s of the SF-2281 based Vertex 3, and effectively one of the fastest 6Gbps drives on the market today. I included the old Indilinx Barefoot based Corsair Nova V128 to show just how far Indilinx has come here.” – Anand

Look like a winner to you?

Both of the SSDs use the Indilinx Everest-bases controller. Using that controller platform the SSDs can deliver up to 560MB/s of bandwidth and 45,000 IOPS. The series also has proprietary mapping algorithms that allows for steady mixed-workload performance. The SSDs also use the Indilinx NDurance tech to increase the lifespan of the NAND.

The Octane has a dual-core CPU for the controller with up to a 512MB cache. The SSDs come in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacity. The SATA 3.0 version of the Octane is good for 560MB/s read and 400MB/s write performance. The Octane-S2 on the SATA 2.0 port is good for read up to 275MB/s and write at up to 265MB/s. Write access times are as low as 0.06ms. The line will launch next month at undisclosed pricing.

You’ll find that these units retain their predecessors PCIe-based form factor and beyond power choices, will be shipped in two standard configurations: one half height version for space constrained 1U servers and multi-node rack-mount servers and a separate full-height version. OCZ notes that their lovely new Z-Drive R4 is a unique combination of hardware and software solutions tied to integrated VCA 2.0. This VCA 2.0 being a multifaceted virtualization layer works well with full DMA (direct memory access) cores as well as internal PCIe, SAS, and SATA physical interfaces.

VCA 2.0 furthermore enables user-selectable data recovery and non-stop modes with IntegRecover technology that’ll keep your mind at ease when working with exactly what this piece of hardware is meant for: enterprise solutions. OCZ VCA 2.0 supports the SCSI command set over a PCIe interface, this being the industry-standard, and other features include consoledted SMART support, TRIM/SCSI Unmap support, and increased NAND flash life due to OCZ’s lower write amplification and the TRIM/SCSI Unmap support again.

SO! Go out there and grab em up!

Indilinx has been providing OCZ with its SSD controllers since late 2008, though not exclusively for either company, and OCZ will continue to use other brands of controller after the acquisition is finalized. Similarly, Indilinx will continue to supply third parties with its controllers, and remain operational as a broadly separate business.

The acquisition is expected to be finalized within a month’s time, and leave OCZ in a stronger position for developing its own in-house SSDs. Meanwhile, it should also allow the company to push further into smartphone and tablet storage.

[via DigiTimes]

Press Release:

OCZ TECHNOLOGY TO ACQUIRE INDILINX CO., LTD

Addition of High Performance Controller Technology and Firmware is Expected to Accelerate Storage Technology Innovation and Expand Product Portfolio

SAN JOSE, CA—March 14, 2011—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ),a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Indilinx Co., Ltd, a privately held fabless provider of flash controller silicon and software for SSDs.

Indilinx is headquartered in South Korea and currently sells its line of flash controllers to SSD manufacturers and Tier One OEMs for use in a broad array of products addressing multiple markets, including embedded and industrial as well as laptops and PCs. Indilinx controllers have been deployed within OCZ’s SSD products since December 2008, and are currently featured in the Z-Drive series of PCIe-based SSDs. Indilinx’s technology is expected to enable OCZ to expand its presence into the embedded, hybrid storage, and industrial markets.

OCZ will gain substantial intellectual property from Indilinx including approximately 20 patents and patent applications related exclusively to the business as part of the transaction. For example, the acquisition is expected to extend OCZ’s capabilities with advanced controller technology including Tinkerbell™, a high performance eMMC 4.4 x controller that replaces SSDs in consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, GPS units, and netbooks. Tinkerbell improves the user experience in consumer mobile devices for applications such as internet browsing, gaming, social networking applications, emails, and multimedia play.

Following its acquisition by OCZ, Indilinx will continue to produce and supply its line of controller products to SSD manufacturers and OEMs on a global basis. The Indilinx controller business, and its 45 employees, will remain intact under the leadership of Bumsoo Kim, the founder and President of Indilinx, and Hyunmo Chung, Indilinx’s Chief Technology Officer. OCZ will continue its own R&D program to develop new proprietary technologies and products to expand its own solid state drive offerings.

The Indilinx acquisition notwithstanding, OCZ plans to continue utilizing controllers from other manufacturers including long-term partner SandForce, who currently supplies SSD processors for a wide range of the Company’s SSD products including the Vertex 2, Agility 2, RevoDrive, customizable Deneva enterprise drives, and the upcoming Vertex 3 family of SSDs.

“This transaction is an important step in OCZ’s strategy and significantly enhances our ability to capitalize on the worldwide demand for Solid State Drives,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. “This combination brings together two organizations that are committed to advancing solid state drive design, and provides a unique opportunity for OCZ to increase both customer and shareholder value as well as expand our reach into embedded markets.”

Under the terms of the agreement, OCZ will acquire Indilinx for approximately $32 million of OCZ common stock. Indilinx shareholders will own approximately 9.5% of the OCZ shares outstanding after issuance of the shares. The transaction has been approved by the board of directors of each company, and is expected to close within 30 days, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. OCZ expects the transaction to become accretive to its earnings per share toward the end of this fiscal year on a non-GAAP basis, excluding acquisition-related expenses, restructuring charges, and amortization of intangibles.

Ryan Petersen, CEO, will be a featured speaker at the Roth Capital 23rd Annual Orange County Growth Stock Conference today at 5:30 pm pacific time. To listen to the presentation and view the accompanying slides, please visit the investor relations events section of OCZ website at www.ocztechnology.com and click on the link provided for the web cast.

Merriman Capital, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merriman Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:MERR), served as OCZ’s exclusive financial advisor for the transaction.

About Indilinx
Indilinx is a leading technology provider for storage systems based on NAND flash memory. Indilinx products and solutions comprise advanced solid state drive controllers, reference designs, and software which enable the rapid development and deployment of high performance solid state drives. For more information, visit www.indilinx.com.

About OCZ Technology Group, Inc.
Founded in 2002, San Jose, CA-based OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (OCZ), is a leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of high performance and reliable Solid-State Drives (SSDs) and premium computer components. OCZ has built on its expertise in high-speed memory to become a leader in the SSD market, a technology that competes with traditional rotating magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs). SSDs are faster, more reliable, generate less heat and use significantly less power than the HDDs used in the majority of computers today. In addition to SSD technology, OCZ also offers high performance components for computing devices and systems, including enterprise-class power management products as well as leading-edge computer gaming solutions. For more information, please visit: www.ocztechnology.com.

The enterprise-class Vertex 3 Pro features the premium SF-2500 SSD SATA III processor, and can implement MLC (Multi-Level Cell) SSD storage for server farms and IT infrastructures. The Pro edition will come in 100GB, 200GB and 400GB models.

The new SSDs will be showcased at next week’s CeBIT trade show in Hanover, Germany. They will begin shipping immediately following the event.

CEO quote: “The new Vertex 3 solid state drive series builds on the success of our previous two generations of products and delivers exceptional performance by utilizing fast synchronous mode 2Xnm MLC NAND flash technology,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. “These storage solutions feature both the highest sequential speeds available with a SATA 6GBps SSD and the highest IOPS of any current 2.5 inch SSD on the market today, allowing us to once again set the benchmark for industry leading SSD performance and reliability.”

Check out the full press release, complete with much more corporate happiness here.

OCZ announced not long ago that it would be leaving the memory market that helped get the firm where it is today. Exiting markets is nothing new to OCZ, the company has also been in the laptop business, which it left, and has stopped making peripherals like mice and keyboards too.

The reason that OCZ is leaving the memory market is to focus its efforts on SSDs. OCZ has quietly built up a large and impressive array of SSD offering and has some crazy fast wares. The market for enthusiast RAM is crowded and the move will let OCZ focus on the SSD market, which is still popular and growing robustly. OCZ has noted that it will continue to support all owners of its RAM products moving forward so if you just bought some OCZ parts don’t worry.

Via PC Perspective

Hardware

The OCZ Vertex 2 on our test bench is a 2.5-inch 120GB model weighing in at 77g and 9.5mm thick. In the retail box, OCZ bundles a 3.5-inch adapter bracket, for using the drive in a desktop rather than a notebook. Maximum speeds on the box are up to 285 MB/s read rate, 275 MB/s write rate and up to 250 MB/s sustained writes.

The Vertex 2 uses the well-esteemed SandForce SF-1200 controller, which has quickly moved to a strong position particularly among OS X users for whom the Mac OS lacks Windows’ TRIM support. TRIM – which the Vertex 2 does support – is used by some platforms to notify not only the OS file system that a file has been deleted but the SSD itself; that means slightly slower deletes but less degradation of performance over time. Apple is yet to add TRIM support to OS X, but the SandForce controller works around that absence with its own “garbage collection” routines at the drive level.

One unfortunate side effect of the SandForce firmware initially used on the Vertex 2 is the amount of NAND memory set aside for over-provisioning leaving a grand total of 119.69GB left of usable storage space. This is used to boost overall write performance and reliability, the latter by replacing bad memory blocks from the reserved memory. On the original Vertex 2, a huge 28-percent of the memory was set aside; newer firmware has slimmed this down to just 13-percent.

Performance

We installed the Vertex 2 into a MacBook Pro running OS 10.6.5 and tested it using Xbench 1.3. In sequential write testing, the SSD managed 191.00 MB/sec with 4K blocks and 153.53 MB/sec with 256K blocks. In random write testing, it achieved 148.42 MB/sec with 4K blocks and 165.07 MB/sec with 256K blocks.

As for read rates, in sequential read tests the SSD scored 29.09 MB/sec with 4K blocks and 179.13 MB/sec with 256K blocks. Finally, in random read tests it managed 22.53 MB/sec with 4K blocks and 172.99 MB/sec with 256K blocks.

Compared to the Samsung 470 Series SSD we tested last month, the OCZ is generally stronger at random reads and writes, but slower at sequential read and writes.

Wrap-Up

As ever, when you’re coming at an SSD from a HDD perspective, it’s tough to argue with the speed increase and the sudden disappearance of noise and vibration from a spinning drive. However, not all SSDs are created equal, as the OCZ’s benchmarks prove.

Samsung’s 470 Series bests it on sequential performance, but the OCZ fights back with random performance; it’s also cheaper, coming in at around $220 street price versus the 128GB Samsung’s roughly $260. Given daily use is more likely to throw up random I/O with various cache files and other temporary documents, and the benefit of the SandForce controller, we’d opt for the OCZ in preference.

The idea behind the High-Speed Data Link interface is to remove the I/O bottleneck that happens with other SSD options. In turn, the new proprietary interface is meant to make the SSD technology work at its full potential, and no longer be hindered by day-to-day usage. The ultimate goal, OCZ says, is that they hope to enhance high performance computing, as well as I/O-intensive infrastructures.

With the new HSDL interface, OCZ says that they’re capable of running up to 20Gbps of data bandwidth per channel, which they say out-performs interfaces such as Serial ATA (SATA), as well as Serial Attached SCSI (SAS). Considering the latter offer only 3Gbps/6Gbps respectively, OCZ seems pretty accurate in that estimate. And, to make it better, OCZ has made it possible for the HSDL interface to be linked together, gaining a maximum bandwidth.

This new interface is set to ship with OCZ’s new IBIS Series, a new SSD line-up. The company is currently working with platform partners to make the new standard widely adopted. Check out the full press release below for any more information.

Press Release

OCZ Technology Introduces the High-Speed Data Link (HSDL) Interface to Revolutionize Solid-State Storage Performance

New OCZ HSDL Eliminates the Bandwidth-Saturation of Current Interfaces to Deliver Unparalleled SSD Performance for Both Enterprise and Consumer Clients

SAN JOSE, CA—September 29, 2010— OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, has unveiled a proprietary interface called “High-Speed Data Link” (HSDL) to accelerate the progression of solid-state storage. Unsatisfied with existing interface options, OCZ developed HSDL to eliminate I/O bottlenecks and enable SSD technology to operate at its full potential. With this initiative, OCZ aims to enhance high performance computing (HPC) and I/O-intensive infrastructures for its clients.

“Solid State Drive throughput speeds are increasing at a rate in excess of what current storage buses can support, and as a result, storage protocols are quickly becoming the bottleneck to storage subsystem performance,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. “Designed for both high-performance computing and enterprise storage applications, our new High Speed Data Link interface addresses this issue and revolutionizes data storage by significantly outperforming other current interfaces delivering performance at levels that saturate most CPU busses.”

Capable of running up to 20Gbps of data bandwidth per channel, HSDL significantly outperforms existing storage interfaces such as Serial ATA (SATA) and Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) which only offer 3Gbps/6Gbps data rates. Furthermore, multiple HSDL channels can be combined for maximum bandwidth to increase productivity levels in both consumer and enterprise applications.

OCZ’s new HSDL interface is the driving force behind the “OCZ IBIS,” an upcoming 3.5-inch SSD to be launched under the new HSDL initiative. As the first solution to make use of the HSDL interface, the OCZ IBIS Series has the potential to redefine storage and surpass the limitations currently placed on hard drives as well as other SSDs.

HSDL is an open standard and allows other devices to leverage this high-speed internal interconnect technology. OCZ is diligently working with platform partners for mass HSDL adoption, and in the meantime, single port adapter cards will ship with every HSDL solid-state drive such as the IBIS Series, while quad port cards for multiple drive configurations will also be available to clients seeking even greater storage and bandwidth.

OCZ says that the new Onyx 2 Series offers a lower price per gigabyte than the other SSDs on the market, and say that they’re pricing it as such so that everyone can get in on this game-changing technology. Features wise, the Onyx 2 Series features a SandForce-driven 270MB/s write speeds. It can also reach up to 10,000 random write IOPS (4k aligned).

The Onyx 2 Series offers two capacities: 120GB and 240GB. And since the drives features no moving parts, and a more durable housing, OCZ says that the Onyx 2 Series is a perfect option for new SSD adopters, for those looking to get away from the traditional hard drives out there. And OCZ is offering a 2-year warranty. The full press release is below for your browsing pleasure.

Press Release

SAN JOSE, CA—September 27, 2010—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, has unveiled the OCZ Onyx 2 Series, a 2.5 inch SSD with superior affordability designed for mainstream desktops and mobile systems. Offering a faster and more durable alternative to traditional hard drives in a cost-efficient solution, the Onyx 2 delivers excellent performance with lower price per gigabyte than that of other comparable drives on the market.

“While we are constantly looking to push the envelope in solid state drive performance, we are also dedicated to making the technology more affordable to consumers,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. “The new Onyx 2 Series SSDs give customers the very best of both worlds when it comes to performance and value, and they are an ideal solution for mobile and desktop users that want to take advantage of all the benefits that SSDs offer over traditional rotational based drives.”

OCZ continues to expand its consumer SSD lineup with the goals of not only delivering cutting-edge performance, but also of making SSDs more affordable to help foster adoption of this game-changing technology. Designed to offer the best of both worlds, the SandForce-driven Onyx 2 delivers 270MB/s read, 265MB/s write, and up to 10,000 random write IOPS (4k aligned), without the higher costs normally associated with similar multi-level cell (MLC)-based solutions. The Onyx 2 SSD delivers an enhanced computing experience for netbooks, laptops, and home desktops with faster application loading, snappier data access, shorter boot-ups, and longer battery life and feature TRIM support as the ultimate Windows 7 upgrade.

OCZ Onyx 2 SSDs feature a durable yet lightweight housing, and because they have no moving parts, they are more rugged than conventional hard discs. Available in ample 120GB and 240GB capacities, the Onyx 2 is an ideal hard drive replacement for first-time SSD upgraders in need of primary laptop storage or a spacious application and OS boot drive. Designed for superior reliability, Onyx 2 Series is backed by a 2-year warranty and renowned technical support.

The three new RAM kits that OCZ is talking up all meet the specs for the new JEDEC DDR3L standards to allow RAM to run cooler when used for intensive tasks like gaming. The kits include the OCZ Platinum ELV solutions that operate at 1.35V. That operating voltage puts the RAM well below the maximum threshold for newer Intel CPUs.

The new ULV kits are available in Reaper and Gold series that operate at 1.5V, still below the 1.65V max for the new Intel platforms. The Platinum ELV series will come in 6GB and 4GB kits. The Reaper and Gold kits will be offered in 12GB and 8GB configurations.

The company is now offering 4GB memory modules for users who need lots of RAM with only a few available memory slots. The new high capacity RAM modules operate at up to 2133MHz making them fast and offering good performance.

The new modules are being offered in several product lines including the Flex EX, Reaper HPC, and Platinum series. The Platinum series is an entry-level line with the other two series being aimed at overclockers and high-end PC users. The kits will be offered in 8GB dual channel or 12GB triple-channel kits at up to 2133MHz.

The little 1.8″ SSDs are offered in the Vertex 2 and Onyx series. The Vertex 2 has the same performance as its full-size siblings with 285MB/s read speed and 275MB/s write speed. It can be had in 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB capacities and uses a SandForce controller.

The Onyx SSD is offered in 32GB and 64GB capacities and offers data speeds up to 145MB/s with 64MB of cache. OCZ says that the Onyx SSD needs only a single watt of power to operate. Both SSDs use the SATA 3Gb/s interface.

Both of the models promise the same performance with read speed of up to 285MB/s and write speed of up to 275MB/sec. Both of the SSDs also use SandForce SF-1500 controller. The big difference comes in the type of NAND flash the SSDs use. The Vertex 2 Pro utilizes MLC NAND and the EX uses SLC NAND.

That difference doesn’t affect performance at all according to OCZ, but it does give the EX version the ability to survive more than ten times the program/erase cycles compared to the Pro version. Both SSDs will come in 50GB, 100GB, and 200GB capacities at undisclosed pricing.

OCZ has announced a new line of PSUs today called the StealthXStream 2 series. The new series is designed for high efficiency, quiet operation, and a sleek design. The new line of PSUs are designed to be affordable, but robust and reliable.

The series uses a 120mm ball bearing fan to keep internal components cool and to help reduce noise. The line comes in up to 700W versions with 400W, 500W, and 600W versions offered as well. All of the PSUs promise 85% AC to DC conversion at typical loads and use a standard compact ATX form factor. The MSRP for the 700W PSU is $99.99.

OCZ is at Computex and the company has unveiled a new and very interesting SSD called the RevoDrive. The RevoDrive is a bootable PCI-Express SSD designed to slip into the PCI-E slot on a user’s computer. The RevoDrive is designed for high-speed operation and OCZ claims it is capable of 75,000 IOPS.

The write speed for the SSD is 530MB/s and read speed is 540MB/s. The drive is designed for a number of applications including video editing and multimedia creation. OCZ also showed off its new 1.8-inch Vertex 2 and Onyx SATA II SSDs for mobile devices. Both support Windows 7 TRIM command and will find their way into netbooks and tablets.

The 750W PSU supports SLI multiple GPU configurations. For added bling, the PSU has red LEDs inside for a nice glow when in use and is cooled by a 135mm double ball bearing fan. The device is also 80-Plus Bronze certified with up to 85% efficiency.

The coolest feature of the new PSU is that it uses modular cabling. The only connectors that are hard wired into the PSU design are the ones for the motherboard and CPU power common to different computers. The other cables are modular and only have to be used if you need them. OCZ includes four 6+2 pin PCI-E cables, six peripheral cables, two floppy cables, and six SATA cables.

The name alone just sounds fancy, doesn’t it? This sleek external SSD has made it to the real world, finally, and OCZ was even nice enough to give us not only a name, but also a shipping date. The only thing better would have been the price, but we don’t imagine that’s going to get in the way of too many people out there when they get a good look. It comes in three different variations: a 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB model, all of which come encased in aluminum.

If you happen to drop your hard earned cash for this, you should expect speeds of upwards 260MB/sec (read) and 200MB/sec (write), according to the company. Now, for that shipping date. According to OCZ, that’s today, even if there isn’t a price anywhere to be seen. So, anyone out there pining for one of these already?

[via Hot Hardware]

The new addition is the PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II PSU. The PSU has been redesigned for a smaller form factor and now has the 80-Plus certification for efficiency. The product uses a server-class topology and uses a single +12V rail for power efficiency and distribution.

The PSU uses a double ball bearing 135mm fan to flow air at levels that are nearly silent. The PSU is offered in several models including 650W, 750W, and 950W unit. A 500W unit with 80+ Bronze certification is also offered.

OCZ has unveiled the new Vertex 2 and Agility 2 SSDs. Both of the SSDs are 2.5″ form factor drives and use a new controller that promise better performance across the board. The Vertex 2 is the high-end SSD of the pair and offers improved transfer rates with 4KB random writes at up to 50,000 IOPS.

OCZ promises transfer speeds for the drive of up to 285MB/s read and 275MB/s write. The Agility 2 SSD provides the same read and write speeds with 4KB random writes at up to 10,000 IOPS. Both SSDs connect to 3Gb/s SATA ports and will be offered in 50GB, 100GB, 200GB, and 400GB capacities.

The new line of SSDs is called the Z-Drive R2 family. There are three drives in the family that all use MLC NAND flash. The family of SSDs are bootable, have eight PCI-E lanes each, and can be configured for 8-way RAID 0.

Storage capacity for the line ranges form 256GB to 2TB. The drives are all aimed at business and enterprise use and OCZ will customize firmware for the client to get the performance they need from the drives. The line includes the Z-Drive R2 p88, p84, and m84 drives. The p88 has eight SATA controllers while the other two drives offer four SATA controllers. Pricing is unknown at this time.

With the poor global economy meaning computer sales were down things haven’t been looking good for many PC makers, Hypersonic included. Reports are coming in that OCZ has now opted to close the doors at Hypersonic.

The Hypersonic website now states that no new orders are being taken and that the firm is still honoring warranties and will continue to support customers who have already purchased machines from them. OCZ says that the move is to allow it to focus on core offerings like SSDs, PSUs, and RAM. The firm’s peripheral line is also said to be falling by the wayside along with OCZ cooling products.

The first Onyx SSD has 32GB of MLC NAND for storage. That’s not enough space for most of us to use the SSD only, but the thing will make for a nice boot drive for an enthusiast machine. The best thing about the 32GB Onyx SSD is the price. The little SSD sells for under $100.

For that much money you get read performance of up to 125MB/s and write performance of up to 70MB/s. The SSD has 64MB of onboard cache and is rated for 1.5 million hours MTBF. The drive works for both desktop and notebook machines.

The Limited version has higher performance than other SSDs in the Vertex family. The drive has a read speed of up to 270MB/s and a write speed of up to 250MB/s. OCZ also claims that the drive reaches 15,000 IOPS equating to 4K random write.

The LE SSD uses the latest memory controller technology and connects to the SATA 3Gb/s interface inside most computers today. OCZ uses MLC NAND flash inside the drive and will be offered for a limited time. Storage capacities available include 100GB and 200GB.

The 1TB flagship manages an even 260MB/s for both maximum read and write speeds, together with 220MB/s for sustained write speeds.  OCZ reckon it’ll go 1.5m hours between failures, and offer a standard 3-year warranty.

OCZ’s press release doesn’t mention pricing for the Colossus, but back in August (when we were told the drives were just a month away from release) they did make some figures public.  Four models will be available: the Colossus 120 (128GB, 250 (256GB), 500 (512GB) and 1TB (1024GB) priced at $300, $650, $1,200 and $2,200 respectively.

Press Release:

OCZ Technology Launches Cutting-Edge High-Capacity Colossus 3.5” SSD Line with up to One Terabyte of Storage

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and flash-based storage as an alternative to hard disk drives (HDDs), today released the Colossus 3.5” Solid State Drive (SSD) Series, designed to meet the performance and storage demands of high-end desktop users and enterprise clients. Available in up to one terabyte configurations, the Colossus Series marks a milestone in solid state drive technology, making it possible to have both high performance and high capacity in one solution.

“The new Colossus Series is designed to boost desktop and workstation performance and is for high power users that put a premium on speed, reliability and maximum storage capacity,” said Eugene Chang, VP of Product Management at the OCZ Technology Group. “The Colossus core-architecture is also available to enterprise clients with locked BOMs (build of materials) and customized firmware to match their unique applications.”

In addition to ample capacity, the OCZ Colossus delivers excellent performance made possible by an internal RAID 0 architecture. Excelling at small file processes during common tasks such as emailing, web browsing, and file transfer, Colossus allows for a state-of-the-art computing experience from basic to complex applications:

Colossus 3.5” SSD (120GB – 1TB)
Maximum Read 260MB/s
Maximum Write 260MB/s
Sustained Write 220MB/s
Max IOPS (4k file size – random write) 14,000

For enterprise applications, Colossus SSDs not only diminish performance bottlenecks suffered by mechanical hard drive infrastructures, but reduce both heat and noise and provide a more durable alternative. This translates into exceptional energy-savings and reduced maintenance costs. Furthermore, the Colossus line is built with cost-effective multi-level cell (MLC) flash to make it a viable option for enterprise clients hesitant to adopt competing products due to the higher costs.

The Colossus SSD is available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB solutions to accommodate a broader spectrum of applications than current 2.5” SSD products; the 3.5” housing is a straight drop in for many existing rack systems. The Colossus SSD series has an excellent 1.5 million hour mean time between failures (MTBF) and comes backed by a leading 3-year warranty and dedicated technical support, ensuring peace of mind over the long term. Additionally, OCZ offers unique customization options for OEM clients that may require tailored hardware and firmware solutions for their unique business.

The new SSDs will be OCZ branded and will use the SandForce SF-1500 and SF-1200 processors. SSDs will be offered that use MLC and SLC NAND flash memory and the drives will be geared for performance, endurance, and power efficiency.

The SSDs will be offered with 3Gbps SATA and 6Gbps SAS interfaces for consumers and enterprise usage in capacities from 50GB to 400GB. Availability and pricing information on the new line of SSDs is unavailable at this time.

This new SSD offers 100MB/s write speeds and 125MB/s read speeds on the 120GB model. They also have a 64MB cache with just one per 1.5 million hours failure rate.

The drive will be available in 60GB and 120GB models. Both have low power consumption and RAID support. While a release date and pricing has not yet been released, OCZ is emphasizing the affordability of these devices.

Sony had the specs for a pair of coming eReaders leak this week ahead of their official launch. The readers are available in two sizes and look to battle the Kindle for the dollars of avid readers around the country. Apple’s coming new OS X Snow Leopard hit Amazon for pre-order this week. The prices should make Bill Gates blush, an individual upgrade is a mere $29 and a five-user upgrade pack is $49.

Nikon’s VP650 point-and-shoot camera was tipped for launch in September on Monday. The slick camera is the first to integrate a projector into the feature list to allow easy sharing of photos with friends without having to crowd around the screen. Amazon added the Palm Pre to its online catalog Monday at the same $199.99 price everyone else is offering the device for.

OCZ’s massive 1TB SSD appropriately called the Colossus had pricing and availability released, the bad news is the SSD will sell for $2,500! WildCharge unveiled its oh so desirable wire-free charging system for the iPhone this week and me want. The catch is that you have to remove the phone from the included case to sync.

Hardware geeks were thrilled this week when Intel’s new Core i9 32nm six-core beast of a CPU was caught in the wild. The CPU is an engineering sample and said to run at 2.4GHz. An app for the Pre surfaced this week that does something sure to make Sprint mad. The app lets users tether the Pre for use as a 3G USB router. Who knows how long it will last before Sprint sues the maker into oblivion, so get the app fast.

Rumors cropped up on Tuesday that have Intel and Dell releasing a tablet that requires a subscription to battle the Kindle. The tablet will reportedly be given free to users who sign up for one or more subscriptions, presumably to digital magazines and newspapers. Logitech released a USB transceiver this week that will work with up to six different peripherals at the same time. The littleUnifying USB receiver sticks out of the port only 8mm and will let you move from work to home without having to plug in a new wireless receiver for your mouse and keyboard.

Android smartphone users got their own Amazon app this week that lets them take pics of things like CDs, DVDs and barcodes and find out how much they can buy the same product for from Amazon. Those rumors about a slim PS3 just won’t die. They resurfaced again this week after the 80GB PS3 was killed off in Japan as evidenced by a leaked letter that final 80GB PS3 orders had to be place before Sunday August 9. The model is expected to be replaced by the 80GB PS3 slim.

Images of that sexy Zune HD that we have been hearing about have surfaced that show a sexy device that looks a lot like the original iPhone with a few more angles to me. Apparently, the device will come in black and silver colors. BFG unveiled some hot NVIDIA GTX 295 and 285 video cards this week that have self-contained liquid cooling units built in. Knowing BFG that will mean that the cards are overclocked significantly compared to stock cards. Expect the cards to be expensive though.

more fuel was thrown on the Apple tablet rumor fire this week when a listing for a device called iProd was unearthed in the code for the iPhone OS 3.1 beta. Speculation has the iProd as the tablet that was rumored again this week. Earlier in the week some leaked photos of the Zune HD surfaced and then on Wednesday CNET got hands on with the sexy device. This is the first Zune that looked like something a technophile would actually want to own.

If you are the sort who has a lot of Apple products like iPods and iPhone lying around, the dock for you showed up Wednesday called the Parat Parasync. The device is capable of synching 20 different dockable Apple products at one time. The much anticipated T-Mobile myTouch 3G went on sale Wednesday for $199.99 to replace the G1 as the top-of-the-line Android smartphone on the T-Mobile network.

Sprint announced new 3G and 4G wireless routers this week that allow up to four or more users to access a WiMax connection or a 3G connection at one time. The devices create mobile Wi-Fi hotspots. Toshiba says that it will be ready to launch its first fuel cell in the next two months. I have been waiting for fuel cells to be available for a while that are refillable and can power my notebook.

A screen shot from Rogers Wireless was leaked this week that shows the 8GB iPhone 3G will be replaced by an 8GB iPhone 3GS. The rub is that the screen shot shows that stores are expected to use all the 3G iPhones before selling the 8GB 3GS. WildCharge unveiled a very strange wired, wireless charging system called the PowerDisc. You have to plug the PowerDisc into your device with a cable and then the PowerDisc charges from the WildCharge pad.

Sony has unveiled a new and odd three-legged tripod device called the Party-shot that uses face detection and 360-degree panning capability to snap pictures of people at your parties without having to carry the camera with you. The upside is that you have an extra hand free to carry more beer if you use this thing. Sony detailed its Memory Stick XC with a whopping 2TB of storage this week. What happened to the Sony getting away from proprietary formats thing?

Samsung unveiled an eco-friendly phone made from bio-plastic on Thursday appropriately called the Reclaim. The device isn’t a smartphone, but it sports a full QWERTY keyboard and is only $49.99 after rebates. Hitachi reveled its highest capacity and fastest hard drive ever with 2TB of storage and 7200 rpm speed called the Deskstar 7K2000. Strangely, the company has 500GB platters, but the drive uses five platters instead of four.

Microsoft unveiled a prototype keyboard Friday that uses pressure sensitive technology that is sure to force us all to learn to type again. The idea is that different amounts of pressure on keys would activate caps, lower case letters, or alternate characters. I can only imagine the illegible text that would result from my use of such a keyboard. The Chimera Killer Special Edition gaming desktop broke cover this week with some very nice specs at reasonable prices. If you have the money to buy a gaming machine right now, this is a machine worth considering.

One of the things I always take with me if I am working from a netbook is a mouse. I hate track pads and especially hate them on netbooks where they are so close to the keyboard. Newton unveiled its thin Mogo Mouse for Netbooks that comes with its own dock for sticking to the outside of a netbook allowing you to always have a mouse with you. The svelte Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T was sighted in the wild this week. The Timeline notebook is one of the latest CULV ultraportables around and should post some nice battery life figures.

We also had another Apple tablet rumor pop up Friday. An analyst claims that Apple could sell $1.2 billion worth of its tablet machines in only a year. That’s assuming the new batch of rumors that the machine is coming turn out to be true.

There you have it, another week down and another week in review completed for your enjoyment. See you next week!

Updated with full pricing/sizes after the cut

This new drive can hold a 3.5-inch drive bay and is capable of handling up to 250MB/s read and 200MB/s write speeds. All of this on a SATA II interface, no less. Other specs include a JMicron controller that drives the RAID 0.

You can expect to pay a whopping $2,500 when the 1TB OCZ Colossus SSD is released by the middle of the month. However, a 512GB version is expected sometime in the near future for those on a tighter budget.

Update: OCZ have confirmed that there will be four models in total, the Colossus 120 (128GB, 250 (256GB), 500 (512GB) and 1TB (1024GB) priced at $300, $650, $1,200 and $2,200 respectively.  They’ll be available to buy in less than a month.

The new SSD features an increased clock speed for the host controller. It also has a 64MB of cache as well as a 270MB/s read speed and a 210MB/s write speed. It can be used in notebooks but with a bay adapter, desktops are compatible as well.

Other features include a SATA II interface, skip-proofing and low power consumption. The new Vertex Turbo models will be available in 30GB, 60GB, 120GB and 250GB variations. We don’t know pricing or a release date just yet, but we’ll keep you up to date.

It does that by using a RAID-0 setup inside, managed by a JMicron RAID controller and a pair of Indilinx controllers which each control the flash memory.  Unlike 2.5-inch drives, the Colossus isn’t going to be much use for notebooks and small-form-factor PCs, but for performance computers it offers the speed of a solid-state drive with the capacity you’d typically rely on a traditional platter-based HDD for.

As ever, there’s a catch, and that’s unsurprisingly the price tag.  We’re not entirely sure when the OCZ Colossus 1TB SSD will reach the market, but the company expect it to be priced between $2,500 and $3,000.  A cheaper (relatively speaking) 500GB version will also be offered.

The Agility series has a faster speed than the basic Solid series and is based on MLC or multi-level cell storage. In fact, the read speed can reach upwards of 235MB/sec and the write speed is about 135MB/sec. Not the fastest in the world, but pretty impressive nonetheless.

It can also withstand 80MB/sec for prolonged writing. This 2.5-inch SATA drive will work with just about any notebook or desktop computer. It’s available in several capacities including 30GB, 60GB and 120GB models. Pricing has not yet been revealed.

This drive has a 128MB cache. Plus, the 220MB/sec read speed and 200MB/sec write speed is faster than what’s typically offered. These drives are cased in aluminum and demand very little power, requiring just 2W while in use.

The Summit-series is available in several different capacity sizes including 60GB, 120GB and 250GB. These sizing options are pretty standard for OCZ, as evidenced by other drives in their line up. We don’t know pricing at the moment, but you can get the OCZ Summit SSD today.

Based on single-level cell or SLC flash storage, this latest OCZ offering is meant for situations that require serious storage capacity and performance like servers and workstations. These are most definitely intended for the the sort that are not looking for a budget deal but quality all the way.

Some great things about these drives is that they have speeds that can reach 260MB/s for read and 210MB/s for write. Plus, the SLC lasts much longer than MLCs or multi-level cell drives. Other benefits include energy savings and quiet operation. The OCZ Vertex EX series will be available soon in a 60GB and 120GB model. Cost is not yet known.

[via TG Daily]

The Vertex series SSD feature up to 240MB/s sequential read and 170MB/s sequential write with 64MB on-board cache. SSD drives generally provide better battery life and generates less heat during operation.

OCZ Vertex Mac Edition uses the same Indilinx Barefoot controller as the PC version and it is available in 30GB, 60GB, 120GB, and 250GB capacities.

When it comes to SSD, the Vertex Series Mac Edition offers a serious speed boost for Macs. These drives can read at 240MB/s and write at 170MB/s. What’s really great is these drives are really impact resistant and make for improved battery life on MacBooks. This Mac-specific Vertex Series will be available in 30GB, 60GB, 120GB and 250GB models.

OCZ has also revealed new memory kits that are meant for Macs. There’s the DDR2-667 and the DDR3-1066, which can work on old and new Macs. It will be available in 2GB sticks or 2x2GB bundles. We don’t know when these new storage or memory devices will be available or even how much they’ll cost, but we’ll keep you posted.

[via Neoseeker]

HDDs up to 250GB and running at 5,400rpm are supported, while SSDs between 30GB and 250GB can be selected.  There’s also an optional 4-in-1 card reader.  As standard you get a 1.3-megapixel webcam, WiFi, PCI-Express slot, two USB 2.0 ports and a VGA output capable of driving external displays up to 1600 x 1200 resolution.

There’s also a 4-cell 2,200mAh battery.  The OCZ Neutrino DIY netbook should be available in mid-April, priced at $269. 

[via EeePC.de]