Flash memory manufacturer SanDisk yesterday announced two SSD models the company says are suited for mobile computing applications. The G4 is designed as a drop-in replacement for notebook hard drives, conforming to the 2.5" standard. It will become available in capacities ranging from 64 to 256 GB, with promised maximum read-write speeds of 220 and 160 per second respectively.
The P4 is one of the few components we've encountered so far that follows the relatively new mSATA mini standard. Total dimensions are 26.80 x 30.00 x 3.4 mm, making the P4 the smallest SATA storage device marketed by SanDisk so far. Unlike the G4, SanDisk plans to sell the P4 directly to OEMs for embedded computing purposes.
Citing internal tests estimating that the average PC user writes around 4GB of data a day, SanDisk promises an estimate 10-year life span for the G4. According to the manufacturer, the 2.5" SSD is rated for around 160 terrabytes' worth of writing operations.
At its COMPUTEX 2010 booth, the company set up a demo designed to wow SSD-newbies. Two identical laptops, one using the G4 and the other a 7200rpm Seagate HDD, were put through boot and app-launch cycles. Obviously, as the SanDisk representative made a point of declaring a boot time of 17 seconds, the SSD won.
The only questions that remain are when the G4 and P4 will debut, and how much the former will cost for consumers. Updates to follow as they become available.
