We've been post-obit the development of solid-state drives for some time now, highlighting the most relevant offerings at whatsoever given time, and noting the impact that newer controllers have had in improving performance. The showtime and nearly pregnant footstep towards mainstream adoption was made by Intel mid-2008 when they released their affordable 50nm MLC-based X25-1000 drives which at the time offered significantly improve operation than whatever other competing product.

Shortly subsequently, towards the end of 2008 newer drives started to surface carrying a controller from Indilinx called "Barefoot", about notable of which was the OCZ Vertex series. The Barefoot controller closed the performance gap on the Intel X25-M while reducing SSD prices at the aforementioned fourth dimension.

Further down the track around mid-2009 a new brood of solid-state drives started to emerge based on a Samsung controller (code-name S3C29RBB01-YK40). OCZ were quick to jump on it releasing the Summit series. We test drove the 120GB model, just plant that the Samsung controller delivered mixed results, usually coming close or at times beating the competition put along past the Barefoot Indilinx or the Intel X25-1000.

Timing didn't really help Samsung as Intel moved forward with their second generation X25-M drives and in the procedure killed competing drives like the OCZ Elevation. Samsung'due south first shot at smashing the SSD market was really over before it began and OCZ were forced to axe the Summit range within 6 months of release.

The adjacent big affair came from a visitor chosen SandForce, who released the SF-1200 controller. This chip is still relatively new and remains i of the best bachelor today. In fact, we tend to prefer drives such as the OCZ Vertex two that uses the SF-1200 controller over the Intel X25-Grand G2.

This leaves just one other real competitor, the speedy Crucial C300 which is based on the Marvell 88SS9174 controller. However, with the Intel X25-Thou G3 series scheduled for release early next year and the perspective that SSDs are finally taking a price cut after a nearly stagnant year, the SSD market place won't stand all the same for long.

In the meantime information technology appears that Samsung is back in the game with a new controller they accept quietly sneaked out the door. Lo and behold Samsung started selling their new 470 Series SSDs in belatedly August featuring capacities of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.

The 470 Series is being exclusively sold nether the Samsung make proper name and doesn't simply feature a Samsung controller only also Samsung NAND flash memory. The drives boast some pretty impressive specifications, for example the 256GB version we are reviewing today claims a read throughput of 250MB/s and writes of 220MB/s. There are too some pretty astonishing power consumption figures, so without farther ado permit's bank check out this new drive in greater detail...