Plextor announced three SSDs (solid state disks) that support 6Gbps SATA and are claimed to be more than three times faster than previous offerings. The M2 Series devices offer 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of storage, and provide reads of up to 480MB/sec., the company says.

By supporting 6Gbps SATA, Plextor's new 2.5-inch SSDs can not only work with the ports on motherboards featuring Intel's temporarily flawed Cougar Point chipset, but are also much faster than drives with SATA II interfaces.

While benchmarks for the 64GB version weren't provided, the Fremont, Calif. company says its 128GB and 256GB M2 models offer sequential read rates up to 480MB/sec. and sequential write rates up to 330MB/sec. (This handily outdoes Plextor's previous 128GB SATA SSD, which was rated for 130MB/sec. reads and 70MB/sec. writes.)

Plextor's M2 Series uses 6Gbps SATA

According to Plextor, its M2 series uses the same Marvell 88SS9174 controller as many previous SSDs have, but also includes a 128MB DDR3 cache buffer. The latter "helps ensure each drive will provide reliable and sustained performance over time," the company says.

Plextor says all three drives support the Windows 7 Trim command, include dynamic wear leveling, and include "Instant Restore" technology. The SSDs have a MTBF beyond 1.5 million hours, the company adds.

Further information

According to Plextor, the 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB M2 Series drives are available today in the U.S. for approximately $180, $330, and $700, respectively. Product pages for the devices have not yet been posted, but information on the company's previous 128GB SSD may be found on the company's website.

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