14 DAY TRIAL // The compact mSATA standard is gaining momentum at a rapid pace among tablet and notebook makers, so in order to take advantage of this trend OCZ has developed a new series of mSATA SSDs based on the Deneva 2 and Intrepid designs.
The more powerful of the two solutions announced is the Deneva 2, as this is based on a SandForce SF-2281 controller, with support for the SATA 6Gbps standard, paired together with 20nm-class MLC NAND Flash memory.
Thanks to this configuration, the drive can reach sequential read speeds of 550 MB/s, while the 4K random access performance is rated at 80,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second).
As far as the second SSD to be unveiled today is concerned, the Intrepid mSATA, this is based on an Indilinx controller with support for the Arowana firmware, which should boost the IOPS and sequential write performance of the IC.
No actual numbers were provided by OCZ, but we do know that the drive features support for the Indilinx Ndurance Technology that should enhance its write endurance.
"OCZ Deneva 2 and Intrepid mSATA solid state drives provide OEMs with the flexibility to address storage and caching requirements within innovative form factors, including embedded and dual-drive devices and blade servers," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group.
"These new SSDs are available in a wide range of capacities and configurations to deliver exceptional scalability, performance, and endurance, all with a compact and energy efficient design," concluded the company's rep.
OCZ has already started sampling the Deneva 2 and Intrepid Series mSATA solid state drives to its OEM customers, but we don't know when the first systems, most probably notebooks, to use these are scheduled to arrive on the market.