SlashGear » PhotoFast

PhotoFast unveils G-Monster V4 SSD with hardware level garbage collection

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:03:17 +0000

PhotoFast has unveiled a new line of SSDs that use the parallel ATA connection for netbook and notebook systems that use 1.8-inch SSDs. The line is aimed at upgrades and has a maximum sequential read speed of 128MB/s and a sequential write speed of 90MB/s.

The company claims that the read and write speeds the SSDs are capable of are 145% greater than a traditional HDD of the same size. The big feature of the new SSD is that it has hardware-level Garbage Collection. This feature lets the drive rearrange itself during idle periods for maximum performance.

The SSD also supports TRIM command in Windows 7. The new 1.8-inch SSDs are available in up to 256GB capacity. The buffer for the SSD is 64MB and the drive supports Linux, Windows CE, Vista, XP, and Windows 7. Pricing and availability are unknown.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

PhotoFast G-Monster 2.5-inch RAID SSD gets teardown, video benchmarks

Chris Davies — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:23:05 +0000

We’ve already seen PhotoFast’s stonkingly-fast G-Monster SSDs, which slap solid-state memory and a RAID controller onto a desktop PCIe card, and now the company has done the same thing but in a standard 2.5-inch drive casing. The PhotoFast G-Monster V5 RAID SSD looks like a regular drive, but boasts either 128GB or 256GB of capacity and up to 270MB/sec read/write speeds; NetbookNews had a chance to go hands-on with the superlative drive.

Video demo after the cut

Inside – as you can see in the video below – there’s a 128MB SDRAM buffer, SATA-II 3.0Gbps interface and flash memory which PhotoFast claim is good for “at least ten years”. As with other SSDs its far more shock and vibration resistant than traditional storage.

Right now the G-Monster V5 only offers RAID 0 for super-fast data access and write times, but PhotoFast are apparently considering a custom version of the RAID controller. That would allow owners to choose between speed and data redundancy, basically fitting an entire array into a netbook/ultraportable-sized drive. As it is, the current version of the G-Monster V5 RAID SSD comes in at a not-inconsiderable $850.

Relevant Entries on SlashGear

PhotoFast G-Monster PCIe 1TB SSD

Chris Davies — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:42:21 +0000

Fusion-io aren’t the only people who can put massive amounts of solid-state memory into a desktop PCIe card, as Japanese firm PhotoFast announce their G-Monster PCIe SSD. Available in capacities up to 1TB, the card boasts read speeds of up to 750MB/s.

Three models are available, the smallest being 256GB, a mid-tier 512GB and finally the 1TB big-daddy. All boast the same read speed, together with 700MB/s write speed, and require a PCI-express x8 slot.

Unlike rival systems, the PhotoFast G-Monster is bootable for Windows XP or Vista, so you won’t need a separate OS drive to go with it. Each is rated for 1,500,000 hours use. No word on pricing as yet (think expensive), but they’ll arrive in April.

[via Akihabara]

Relevant Entries on SlashGear