Samsung Launches First PCs with 32g Solid State Disk

TommyGun

This looks pretty cool, im sure it will be expensive.


Samsung Launches First PCs with NAND Flash-based Solid State Disk

2006-5-24 10:58:46

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is planning to release the first PCs embedded with a 32-Gigabyte (GB) NAND flash-based solid state disk (SSD). The Samsung Q1, an ultra-mobile computing device and the Q30, a 12.1-inch screen notebook PC, will be available in the Korean market from early June.

This marks the first time that NAND flash has moved into a commercial mobile computing application and is a breakthrough that will pave the way for replacing hard disk drives with NAND flash-based memory disks.

The company says the data in flash memory are much more secure against external shocks that can occur when transporting a mobile computer. The SSD can withstand about twice the impact that would damage a regular hard disk drive. In addition, stored data can be more easily retrieved from flash memory than traditional hard drives when PCs are dropped or liquid is spilled on the device.

The SSD reads at 53MB/s and writes at 28MB/s.

According to test results released by Samsung. Microsoft Windows XP will boot up 25-50% faster on the SSD than on other drives. Also, the typical 1.8-inch hard disk drive weighs around 50 grams; whereas the SSD is 20 to 30 grams lighter, depending on the package type.

The typical notebook PC will generate around 30dB of operating noise, while the Q30-SSD will operate in complete silence.

A promise of the Q1-SSD is to show video or still photos as well as play audio without having to be booted up first. This "instant on" feature provides access to multimedia content such as digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) TV, with DMB TV receivers embedded in both PCs.

The retail price for the Q1-SSD will be KRW2.3 million (US$2,430), while the Q30-SSD will sell for KRW3.5 million (US$3,700).

The NT-Q30-SSD will run on an Intel Celeron M 753 (1.2GHz), and have 512MB DDR2 400MHz memory installed. The display on this model is a WXGA 12.1" (1280x768). The NT-Q1-SSD runs on an Intel Celeron M (900MHz) and comes with 512MB DDR2 400MHz memory plus a 7" WVGA (800x480) display.

SouperComputer

hmm, wonder what the MTBF is

TommyGun

Because the drive is non-mechanical you would expect that it would be far better than normal HDD. A bit like the solid state MP3 (Nano, shuffle) verses the HDD 30g HDD video iPod.

jozi

I imagine this also means better battery performance which isalways a good thing.

Bit expensive

SouperComputer

TommyGun wrote:

Because the drive is non-mechanical you would expect that it would be far better than normal HDD. A bit like the solid state MP3 (Nano, shuffle) verses the HDD 30g HDD video iPod.

Aye, but the MTBF of flash in a constant R\W environment is MUCH lower than that of a HD. Flash memory has a finite life and does not take kindly to the sort of stresses that running an OS from it can place. After a while the bits simply become stuck. It has improved a lot over the years though.

[edit] having read around a bit, the MTBF of NAND seems to be around the 1,000000+ R/W mark. Not sure what that means in real life. Anyway, you can extend the life by reallocating unused "cells" on the drive, thereby increacing the overall life. One wonders what happens when a cell dies with your data though, might be a bit more difficult to recover from than Magnetic media. Perhaps a more fault-tolerant FS would help. [/edit]

Still great news for network-based HTPC's

TommyGun

SouperComputer wrote:

Aye, but the MTBF of flash in a constant R\W environment is MUCH lower than that of a HD. Flash memory has a finite life and does not take kindly to the sort of stresses that running an OS from it can place. After a while the bits simply become stuck. It has improved a lot over the years though.

[edit] having read around a bit, the MTBF of NAND seems to be around the 1,000000+ R/W mark. Not sure what that means in real life. Anyway, you can extend the life by reallocating unused "cells" on the drive, thereby increacing the overall life. One wonders what happens when a cell dies with your data though, might be a bit more difficult to recover from than Magnetic media. Perhaps a more fault-tolerant FS would help. [/edit]

Still great news for network-based HTPC's

I supose only time will tell. It will take years to fully prove out the tech.
I expect a slow ramp due to the cost, eg i just bought a 250gh external drive for E125, will solid state ever be able to match that?