SSD

Features

• Four considerations for SSD deployment

  While solid state drives offer increased performance, the key to figuring out the role they can play in the data center is balancing that performance against cost.

• OCZ's new Agility SSD is true to its name

  OCZ has had its share of problems out of the gate with its low-end, consumer solid-state disk drive, the Apex Series SATA II. But its most recent economy SSD, the Agility Series SATA II 2.5-in., appears to be a successful effort to correct old problems with fresh technology. The Agility has ample cache to boost write performance and, most important, uses a higher-end controller. Yet it is only slightly more expensive than the Apex, which is still being sold.

• Solid-state disks offer 'fast erase' features

  As the pilot ejects inside enemy territory, the fighter jet triggers an automatic data-destruction sequence. Within 15 seconds, the highly classified mission data on the solid-state disk has been wiped out.

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  Which operating system is best for SSDs?

  Solid-state disk (SSD) drive architecture can play a big role in how fast a computer boots up and performs. But how big a role the SSDs play -- and how much faster an operating system is -- depends as much on the operating system as on the drive. Although none of the mainstream operating systems now in use have been optimized to work better with SSDs, some do natively work more efficiently than others, according to storage experts.

• How to equip your PC with SSD for about $200

  A lot of solid-state disk (SSD) drive reviews and features have been circulating around the Internet lately, and I've noticed that the speeds of those products are increasing remarkably, even as manufacturers use more multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash memory in their products, which is innately slower than single-level cell (SLC) NAND.