14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that most storage-solution developers are choosing to employ the SandForce SSD controller when making their new solid state drives. With the SandForce-using crowd already larger by one, with Corsair having joined the fray not so long ago with a series of its own, the collective has grown even larger now that G.Skill has demonstrated its latest Phoenix-series devices. Like many of its rivals, the company took advantage of the opportunity provided by the CeBIT expo in Hanover, Germany to display its latest creations.
The newest line of flash memory-based storage devices from G.Skill, under the Phoenix series, comes in three versions, with storage capacities of 50GB, 100GB and 200GB, respectively. All three drives are built with the 2.5-inch form factor and operate on the SATA 3.0Gbps interface.
The actual SandForce controller used is the SF-1200, the same one employed by Corsair in its new Force series. In the case of G.Skill's units, this controller can read data at up to 200MB/s and write it at 141MB/s. Of course, in order for its devices to be competitive with other offerings, the Phoenix series drives fully support the TRIM command featured in the Windows 7 operating system.
The TRIM capability helps preserve the performance and reliability of the SSD over time. When the drive is idle, the TRIM erases deleted data that would otherwise take up many write cycles, ultimately reducing the data-transfer rates by a great deal. TRIM also reduces fragmentation.
G.Skill's new line of Phoenix solid state drives is built with multi-level cell (MLC) NAND Flash memory chips. It is being showcased at the company's stand in Hanover, which means that it might soon make it out on the market. Unfortunately, there is no official word on the exact time frame for these drives’ availability or on the prices they will sport.