OCZ Takes Solid State Drives To A Terabyte

Solid-state drive (SSD) maker OCZ Technology Group is claiming that its Indilinx Everest-based Octane SATA 3.0 and SATA 2.0 SSD series, is the world’s first SSD to achieve up to a 1TB capacity in a compact 2.5 inch format.

The Octane SSD series combines high-speed data transfer rates with enhanced access times to provide a better user experience and improved application performance.

High Performance

The Octane series uses the Indilinx Everest platform to deliver up to 560MB/s of bandwidth and 45,000 IOPS and is optimised for the complete spectrum of file types and sizes. In particular, the Octane’s proprietary page mapping algorithms allow for steady mixed-workload performance, mirroring real world conditions across a range of applications.

“Until now SSDs have been tailored for specific applications, forcing users into a product which maximises performance for a narrow band of applications, but is significantly lacking in others,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. “The Octane series solves this problem by providing the highest level of performance across varied workloads including mixed file sizes and mixed compressible and uncompressible data, all while nearly doubling NAND flash endurance.”

The Octane series also includes a number of features unique to Indilinx, including latency reduction technology, which the company said enables both read and write access times as low as 0.06ms and 0.09ms respectively. Petersen said this enhances application responsiveness and enables features such as “fast boot” in consumer applications.

Important Milestone

“OCZ has reached an important milestone in the development of its own controller technology,” said James E. Bagley, senior analyst with IT research firm Storage Strategies Now. “The high sustained performance, even with compressed files, the rapid boot feature and high access speeds using SATA 3.0 protocol puts their controller technology in the major league.”

Octane SSDs also come equipped with Indilinx’s proprietary NDurance technology, which is designed to increasing the lifespan of the NAND flash memory. In addition, Octane series drives support AES and automatic encryption to secure critical data.

The company also unveiled the ZT Power Supply Series, which offers consumers performance and stability for gaming systems and desktops. With a 100 percent modular cable management system, the ZT Series helps improve airflow and eliminate unnecessary wire clutter inside computer desktop chassis. Kept cool with a variable load and temperature controlled 140mm fan, ZT power supplies are engineered to limit distracting noise from a PC when working or gaming.

Furthermore, the 80-Plus Bronze certified ZT Series features up to 85 percent efficiency under typical load environments and complies with the ErP (Energy-related Products) Directive to ensure less than one watt of power is used in passive standby and off modes. The OCZ ZT series will be available in 550W, 650W, and 750W models, and comes backed with a 5-year OCZ PowerSwap warranty. The ZT PSU Series will be available worldwide starting at $99.99 (£63), $109.99 (£69), and $119.99 (£76) respectively.

“The new ZT power supply is designed with quality components and rich features including a fully modular design for easy configuration and superior airflow within desktops,” said Steve Lee, senior vice president and general manager of power management at OCZ Technology Group. “This ZT PSU Series delivers clean and efficient power with the flexibility of modular cabling all at a competitive price point making it an ideal choice for mainstream consumers.”