Smart Modular MLC SSDs come in 1.8-in and 2.5-in drives
Mutlilevel cell (MLC) solid-state disk (SSD) drives are less expensive than their single-level cell (SLC) counterparts, but their write cycle count is lower. This can lead to bad sectors if the storage isn’t managed correctly. The latest offerings from Smart Modular Technologies take advantage of technology from SandForce (see “Thanks For The Memory” ). The XceedIOPS SATA drives comes in 1.8-in. and 2.5-in. form factors. The 3-Gbit/s SATA interface delivers throughput of 250 Mbyte/s for sequential operations, and the drives are rated at 30,000 IOPS. Endurance is specified at 20,000 program/erase cycles. Capacities range from 50 to 400 Gbytes. SLC versions are also available.