SanDisk Intros Extreme and X100 Lines of SSDs

SanDisk launched two lines of SSDs: the Extreme series and the X100 series.

On Tuesday SanDisk revealed two separate lines of solid state drives: the high-performance Extreme series for the retail channel and the X100 series for desktop and notebook manufacturers. The former series is available in 120 GB and 240 GB capacities, with a meatier 480 GB version hitting the market at a later date.

SanDisk claims that its Extreme line delivers up to 83,000 maximum random write IOPS and up to 44,000 maximum random read IOPS. It also provides sequential read speeds up to 550 MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 520 MB/s. SanDisk didn't specify a SATA interface, but it's presumably SATA 6 Gb/s. The SSD also reportedly consumes 30-percent less power, generates less noise, and generates less heat than an HDD, making it ideal for laptops.

The 120 GB and 240 GB versions are available now, costing $189.99 and $399.99 respectively. The 480 GB ($749.99) will launch at a later date.

As for the X100 series, SanDisk is now sampling the drive to PC manufacturers. It will connect via a SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and provide sequential read speeds up to 500 MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 420 MB/s. Available capacities will be 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB.

"In addition to the standard 2.5 inch form factor (7-mm or 9.5-mm), the X100 SSD also comes in mSATA and customized thin form factors to address the emerging ultra-thin laptop market," the company said on Tuesday. "SanDisk offers a wide variety of configuration options, including standalone and dual drive caching solutions."

Tech specs reveal that the X110 series will have a typical active power consumption of 150mW (@ 3.3V) and a typical standby mode of 75mW (@ 3.3V). The drive's MTBF is up to 2 million hours, and the target platforms are ultrabooks, notebooks and desktops.