14 DAY TRIAL // People and companies seeking storage devices that can withstand wider temperatures than normal might want to check out the new module SATA SSDs that Apacer has formally launched.
We have only just written about Team Group's commitment to create RAM that handled extreme temperatures, or at least temperatures higher and lower than standard parts can cope with.
Now we learn that Apacer is doing the same thing, only to NAND Flash-based storage devices.
It even has a product line ready to sell: the SDM4 MP (SATA Disk Module, Middle Profile).
The three modular SATA SSDs have 7-pin connectors and three possible orientations: 90°, 180° and 270°. They boast a patented built-in power supply design too.
SLC (single-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips are employed, but there are MLC versions too, all of them capable of withstanding the -40°C ~ 85°C temperature range.
What's more, in addition to physical toughness, data safety is taken into account. Apacer implemented the advanced Write Protect function, which defends data against tampering.
The Write Protect Switch is set on top of each unit, but Apacer can set it on the bottom in case its clients have different system designs in mind.
Spec-wise, the new SLC SATA Disk Module chips 4 have 2 GB to 32 GB capacities and the MLC ones go from 4 GB to 64 GB.
ATA Secure Erase command, ECC(Error Correcting Code) and S.M.A.R.T (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) are all present and accounted for, as is Windows 7 TRIM.
As for performance, transfers are accomplished at up to 85 MB/s, not exactly a groundbreaking speed, but still decent. Knowing just what kind of environments the products can survive, lack of lightning-fast writes doesn't really cripple their allure.
So far, POS (point of sale) application developers have expressed interest in Apacer's drives. More companies should follow.
