14 DAY TRIAL // Well-known high-quality DRAM memory manufacturer, American company Mushkin has just launched a new SSD series specifically targeted for caching. Caching drives must have increased durability when compared with regular SSDs, as much more writing and erasing occurs.
Mushkin doesn’t give out any information on the durability of the new drives, but we think that this is one of the most important aspects, along with performance and price.
The company backs the new Catalyst SSD line with a 3-year warranty, but we think a 5-year would have been better suited for drives that are specifically going to be used in tough conditions.
Increased durability and warranty period would, of course, come at a certain price, but in SSD product lines that target caching as the main usage mode, we think these two aspects are very important.
The new drives are powered by LSI’s SandForce SF2281 controller and come in two capacities, of 50 and 100 GB.
The performance rating stands at 550 MB/s ideal sequential read speed and 515 MB/s ideal sequential write speed for the 100 GB model and 90,000 IOPS.
The 50 GB drive from Mushkin features a 525 MB/s ideal sequential read speed and 495 MB/s ideal sequential write speed and a 85,000 IOPS rating.
The drives come complete with a 3.5” mounting adapter and Dataplex Cache software that the users can download from Mushkin’s official website once they register their product.
There is no official information on pricing yet, but we’re sure the drives will soon be available in Mushkin’s home market.
