Toshiba unveils high-performance SSDs with adaptive write SLC cache tech

Toshiba Corp. has introduced its new Q300 family of solid-state drives designed for personal computers and workstations. The new drives support Toshiba’s adaptive size SLC write cache technology, which is designed to dramatically speed up write performance of SSDs based on MLC and TLC NAND flash memory.

Toshiba’s new Q300 and Q300 Pro solid-state drives are based on multi-level cell (MLC) and triple-level cell (TLC) NAND flash memory produced by the company as well as proprietary controllers. The Q300 SSDs are aimed at high-performance personal computers and offer 120GB, 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities. The Q300 Pro SSDs are designed for workstations and come in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB versions.

The new solid-state drives use in 2.5”/7mm form-factor and feature Serial ATA-6Gb/s interface. Due to SATA limitations, maximum sequential read speed of Toshiba’s Q300-series SSDs is around 550MB/s, whereas maximum sequential write speed is around 530MB/s. The drives support up to 92/63 thousand random IOPS [input/output operations per second].

One of the key features of Toshiba’s Q300 and Q300 Pro solid-state drives is adaptive size SLC write cache technology, which reprograms part of NAND flash cells and makes them behave like single-level cell memory, thus greatly improving performance.

“Today’s announcement addresses increasing consumer demand for speed, performance, quality and reliability to improve their computing experience,” said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of branded storage products at Toshiba America Information Systems. “As the inventor of flash memory, our new Q300 and Q300 Pro Internal SSD series delivers leading-class performance and reliability to meet a wide variety of computing needs.”

Toshiba’s Q300-series solid-state drives are available now. The Q300 SSDs in 120GB, 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities carry recommended price tags of $99.99, $159.99, $309.99 and $449.99, respectively. The Q300 Pro SSDs are more expensive: the 128GB, 256GB and 512GB drives are sold for $124.99, $199.99 and $389.99, respectively.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: While many enthusiasts demand high-performance SSDs with PCI Express interface, the bulk of the market still uses Serial ATA-6Gb/s technology. As a result, manufacturers try to find ways how to improve performance of their devices that target the mass market. A surprising thing is that TLC NAND-based Toshiba Q300 SSDs are not really affordable…

Become a Patron!