14 DAY TRIAL // Since solid state drive capabilities are directly dependent on how fast the built-in controller can read and write data onto the drive, it was not especially surprising to notice a certain controller rise above the rest, not just in terms of performance, but also in terms of popularity. Said controller is known as SandForce, and enables quite significant data rates, both on SLC-based as well as MLC-based SSDs. As such, it is not especially surprising to hear of the appearance of a new SSD line based on it.
The Callisto Series was developed by Mushkin, a company that experimented with SandForce a couple of months ago. The drives operate on the SATA 3.0 Gbps interface and the exact controller used in their construction is known as SandForce SF-1200.
This combination of technologies confers upon the devices read speeds of up 285 MB/s and write speeds of 275 MB/s. This, in itself, is more than enough to grab attention, but the units become all the more intriguing when their reliability is exposed.
Mushkin made a point of designing its product durable and the end-result of those efforts was a high endurance, clearly pointed out by the MTBF (mean time before failure) of two million hours. Not only that, but the storage units even have a high shock tolerance, of up to 1500G to be exact.
"The Callisto SSDs continue Mushkin Enhanced's tradition of high-performance, high-reliability flash storage products and we're very pleased with the performance and responsiveness this product provides," Brian Flood, Mushkin Enhanced director of product development, said. "We're confident the Callisto will not only meet the expectations of the market, but exceed them."
The Mushkin Callisto Series of SSDs is already available and includes models of 60GB, 120GB and 240GB capacities. They are priced at $218.49, $369.99 and $666.49, respectively, and come with a three-year warranty.