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Solid-state drive teams up with blazing-fast RAM for incredible speed
Our jaws are still agape over that lightning fast ioDrive Duo solid-state drive we showed you last month, but now here's one that can beat it, the DDRdrive X1. It combines the blazing speed of 4GB of RAM with the backup confidence of 4GB of flash memory right next to it.
You don't want to keep your data in RAM, because it will go away as soon as you turn off your PC. That's why it's great to have it paired up with some really fast flash memory, keeping everything you're doing saved. It can either back up or restore all your data in 60 seconds.
The result? Mind-numbing speed on random reads and writes. That's one thing that makes a PC really feel fast. But all that speed has a downside, as you may have guessed. This measly 4GB drive costs $1495. Yes, that's crazy, but this is another one of those pieces of bleeding-edge tech that gives you a peek into what the rest of us could be using a couple of years from now.
PC Perspective, via Engadget
By people are solving my issues too quickly... at 5:47 PM ON 05/05/09
Way too fast.
For some time I been half working on a way to create a new world for PC's.
I am not actaully going to build it because I don't think the world is ready.
But the rate its going, the only thing left for me to build will be the delivery system.
I intend not to build it and just want to say the world is coming scarely close.
We are not ready and I will not answer any questions on my theories.
By Amish at 5:56 PM ON 05/05/09
A world...for PCs?.... Have you checked with Anonymous yet? I think they might ruin your world if you allow them in, and really... there is no way to keep them out.
By Quaker at 6:35 PM ON 05/05/09
BWAHHH HAHAHAHA
Wow ... I guess they even sell computers to the wierdo that talks to himself on the street corner now.
In this "new world for PC's" do they all get along? Or is there a Mac vs PC war? I guess Linux is like the Libertarian of your world too or something like that.
Is the I Love You virus like the AIDS of your world?
By ondego at 6:39 PM ON 05/05/09
$1495 for what?
4Gb DDR RAM (DDR3 1600) = $97
4 Flash (SDHC) = $9
the PCI HW = ~100
Total = $208
This is quite a fricking markup if you ask me!
By Kubiaka at 7:10 PM ON 05/05/09
Ok, this is pretty stupid right here. It's a pci express card, that requires EXTERNAL power, why not use a PCI express internal power connection??? Also, this is just basically a RAM drive copying it's data from the flash and running it there while the unit is powered on. This is senseless and not improving the speed of an ACTUAL SSD.
By MatthiasF at 10:33 PM ON 05/05/09
Uh, I'm assuming the Flash is significantly slower than the RAM, so what happens if there's a power outage or the system crashes? Anything in the write queue to Flash from the RAM would be lost. RAID controllers with RAM caches use batteries for these instances.
I also agree with Ondego, albeit I think the numbers are generous. I highly doubt they'd bother putting in DDR3 since the PCIe x4 bus can barely transfer at DDR1 rates.
By sherpa at 7:32 AM ON 05/06/09
been around for a while - http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Storage/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2180
except this uses a battery to maintain what is in memory.
still want to back it up to a hdd, but it handles sys crashes and power outtages.
and is much cheaper. we use them on machines for fast data processing.
By Mot at 10:06 AM ON 05/06/09
OCZ has 320 Gb, 500Gb and 1Tb SSD that I've seen in this article - http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/ocz%E2%80%99s_new_ssd_abandons_sata
By Yaro at 2:34 PM ON 05/06/09
How about instead of adding gadgetry to SSD they should do something about the godawful cost and the limited write cycles. The only thing stopping me from getting an SSD is that the price to capacity ratio is abominable.
By Anonymous at 8:44 PM ON 05/06/09
After reading the comments I put back my wallet.
By mtdew at 1:58 AM ON 05/07/09
The reason for the external power connector is so that ram sticks don't loose power when the pc is turned off. If they did the data stored on them would be wiped out. Think before you type?
By yeah baby at 5:17 AM ON 05/07/09
the external power would still not solve the problem is the shutdown/fault was a power outage - a battery would solve this and not require yet another power adapter. poor solution and overpriced - you can get a whole nas box for this price and get raid etc.
By vanle at 11:00 AM ON 05/08/09
thank
By Rei at 5:21 PM ON 05/10/09
you
By britishpcrepairs at 5:28 PM ON 05/10/09
Will be nice to build a computer with this in it! Maybe one of our customers will be kind enough to sponsor!
By Frostystorm at 9:19 PM ON 05/10/09
Why not buy this http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=15-168-001-03.jpg&Image=15-168-001-02.jpg%2c15-168-001-03.jpg%2c15-168-001-04.jpg%2c15-168-001-05.jpg%2c15-168-001-06.jpg&S7ImageFlag=0&WaterMark=1&Item=N82E16815168001&Depa=0&Description=GIGABYTE%20GC-RAMDISK%20PCI%20Others%20RAM%20Drive%20Add-On%20Card Use built in sata raid on your motherboard (Most come with mirroring now adays) buy a solid state sata drive and work off your RAM drive. Its battery backed and only needs to raid backup when the battery died. And it doesnt cost you 1500.
the concept is great but the price is too high, And can easily be obtained for under 300 with items currently available.
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