14 DAY TRIAL // That solid-state drives usually come in the 2.5-inch form factor has to do more with cost than anything else, but Other World Computing is not letting that stop it from making a 3.5-inch model.
The 2.5-inch form factor for SSDs is a curious thing. There is no technical limitation that could prevent 3.5-inch drives from being more numerous.
Nevertheless, the 2.5-inch form factor is more useful for laptops, and 3.5-inch SSDs, though more capacious, would cost a lot more than normal, more than anyone, save for the wealthy, would be willing to pay.
Thus, 3.5-inch SSDs have been commercially enviable, for the most part, during the years since the first SSDs appeared.
They are still very expensive, but 3.5-inch models are less unlikely to appear now, much like 3.5-to-2.5-inch Brackets have become more or less common in PC cases.
OWC has named its 3.5-inch SSD Mercury Viper and has given it an aluminum but bright blue enclosure.
Since it wouldn't do to let the size go to waste, the Viper have 240 GB as the minimum capacity, while the top capacity is of 2 TB.
"We designed the Viper primarily for performance and capacity, not price," OWC spokesperson Grant Dahlke told Ars Technica.
The new SSD uses the SATA 3 connection (SATA 6.0 Gbps) and can actually attain transfer speeds of 600 MB/s, more than any other SATA drive before it, SandForce-powered or otherwise.
Sadly, there has been no word on the price, or even the estimated time of arrival (ETA). Then again, knowing that the Mercury Viper will probably be mind-numbingly expensive, perhaps it is for the best that people don't get scared away just yet.
On the other hand, an early release of the price would allow prospective buyers to get over the shock by the time sales begin. OWC only said the price would be right for people willing to spend $6,000 / 6,000 Euro on a computer.