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    Flash-based notebook hard drives ARE HERE

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by nathanhuth, May 19, 2006.

  1. nathanhuth

    nathanhuth Notebook Evangelist NBR Reviewer

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    I don't know about you, but I think it is pretty cool that flash-based hard drives have started showing up. There capacity is not there yet, but the technology is definitely currently available. When do you think notebook flash drives start showing up in retail PCs?

    http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=77P1636&cat=HDD
     
    nathanhuth, May 19, 2006
    #1
  2. Tim

    Tim Notebook Virtuoso

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    Sweet...I think I saw this once before. More of a novelty item right now. I hope they are ready for when I get my new laptop in a couple of years. :)
    Tim
     
    Tim, May 19, 2006
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  3. yomister

    yomister Notebook Evangelist

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    yomister, May 19, 2006
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  4. NetBrakr

    NetBrakr Notebook Deity

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    Hey, thats pretty cool, however, $237 for 4gb? I will wait within 5 yrs, hehe.

    JC
     
    NetBrakr, May 19, 2006
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  5. otaku

    otaku Notebook Deity

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    Thats definetly expensive. But maybe 5+ years down the road but for now I see perpindicular drives taking off. Personally I'd like a machine with Raid 0
     
    otaku, May 19, 2006
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  6. Ice-Tea

    Ice-Tea MXM Guru NBR Reviewer

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    Yeah, I read that, but I don't understand. So, this is Flash cache in the harddrive? 128MB of it? What would be the bonus against adding a stick off DDR to the system? I'd still prefer the CPU to cahce in RAM and not HD.

    I don't get it.
     
    Ice-Tea, May 19, 2006
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  7. KoOni

    KoOni Notebook Geek

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    First generation is supposed to save energy by not needing the HD to be spinning all the time and to make for quicker start ups from hibernation and sleep modes. Later generations of the hybrid drives are supposed to make it so your computer will act more like a PDA: ie fast(er) startup, less loss of data if power goes out on you.

    Here's engadgets take on the first drive by samsung and microsoft.
     
    KoOni, May 19, 2006
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  8. Ice-Tea

    Ice-Tea MXM Guru NBR Reviewer

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    So, the flash would consume even less than DDR? Hmmm... not sure if such a marginal difference is worth it.

    I can see it working jsut fine in the future, I think Samsung annouced an all flash HD some time ago, but 128MB of flash cache?

    Not worth the trouble IMO.
     
    Ice-Tea, May 19, 2006
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  9. strikeback03

    strikeback03 Notebook Deity

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    you could always get a cardbus CF reader and put a 8GB CF card in it. Dunno if it would work as a startup item though.
     
    strikeback03, May 19, 2006
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  10. nick_danger

    nick_danger Notebook Consultant

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    Haha, completely not worth it:

    General Features:
    4 GB capacity
    2.5-inch form factor with case height from 8.5mm to 34.2mm
    ATA-3 with DMA 0-2 and PIO 0-4 transfer modes
    16.7 MBytes/sec burst read/write rate
    8.3-8.7 MBytes/sec sustained read rate (DMA 2)
    8.0-12.0 MBytes/sec sustained write rate (DMA 2)
    Quick security erase in seconds
    Sanitize confidential data, comply with NISPOM DoD 5220.22-M, NSA 130-2,Air Force AFSSI 5020, Army 380-19 and Navy NAVSO P-5239-26
    TrueFFS technology
    >5,000,000 Write/Erase cycles, unlimited Read
    Enhanced endurance by dynamic wear-leveling
    SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology)
    Data integrity under unstable power conditions
    MIL-STD 810F and NEBS Level 3 compliant

    That's SO SLOW! It may be a worthwhile venture for someone, but you can get USB memory cards with faster transfer rates and more storage for less. You can boot to them too...

    EDIT: Microsoft has stated that Flash/hybrid drives will be a requirement of Windows Vista for laptops before 2008. Naturally, I'm excited for SSD desktop technology, but someone just recently came out with a 36GB SSD for around $1,000 I think...
     
    nick_danger, May 19, 2006
    #10