14 DAY TRIAL // Corsair is not about to let Intel be the only company with SSD caching solutions (Rapid Storage technology), so it has revealed the Accelerator solid state drives.
Corsair's new SATA II SSDs (SATA 3.0 Gbps) operate at read and write speeds of up to 280MB/s and 270MB/s, respectively.
Also, there are three capacity options: 30GB, 45GB and 60GB.
As one may guess, they aren't meant to be used on their own in a desktop, but in conjunction with a hard drive unit.
Caching works by installing a piece of software on the computer and “persuading” the PC that an HDD and the SSD are one single storage device.
That done, the caching software, in this case a Nvelo-developed application, can bring together the capacity of an HDD and the performance of the SSD.
All data is stored on the magnetic platter spinner, but the files most commonly accessed, in addition to the operating system, are held on the SSD part.
Thus, the boot-up times become far shorter and applications start very quickly as well.
For those who want a clear idea of the benefits, Corsair has uploaded a blog post, saying that the system booted 5 to 7 times faster.
Furthermore, file copying was up to 5 times quicker (copied data was put on the SSD, leaving it to the caching software to move it to the HDD portion, later, through a background process).
“Our new Accelerator Series SSD cache drives have compelling price points and provide one of the most economical solutions for a quick system performance boost that doesn't require manual drive reconfiguration,” says Thi La, vice president of Memory Products at Corsair.
“It's ideal for consumers and enthusiasts who'd like to improve their PC's speed without investing the time and cost into a complete PC upgrade. There's no complex configuration involved, and their PC will work as it always has — just a lot quicker.”
Perhaps the most convenient asset is how the Corsair Accelerator and the SSD caching software don't require drive mapping or operating system reinstallation.
Sales of the 30GB, 45GB and 60GB Corsair Accelerator SSDs will start in February, for prices of $69 (54 Euro), $84 (66 Euro) and $99 (78 Euro), respectively.