Other World Computing (OWC) announced several new series of Solid State Drives (SSDs), including drives for the 2010 and 2008-09 Apple MacBook Air notebooks up to 480GB, a world-first 1.8-inch SandForce-based SSD, and 2.5" and 3.5" IDE/ATA interface SSDs.
OWC Mercury Aura Pro 1.8" SSD
Other World Computing (OWC) has announced its Mercury Aura Pro 1.8-inch Solid State Drive (SSD). The company says it is the first 1.8-inch drive based on the SandForce controller. The drive is designed for ultra-portable notebooks and subnotebooks that typically make use of 1.8-inch form factor drives.
Five models have been announced ranging from 40GB – 480GB. The pricing is as follows:
- 40GB: $TBA
- 60GB: $179.99
- 120GB: $279.99
- 240GB: $549.99
- 480GB: $TBA
The drives feature 7% overprovisioning, meaning the 240GB drive is actually a 256GB drive with 7% allocated for data management. The drives are based on the SandForce SF-1200 controller and reportedly have data transfer rates up to 275MB/s.
The Mercury Aura Pro drives are available now and come with a three-year limited warranty.
OWC Announces High-Performance MacBook Air SSDs
OWC announced its Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD for the 2010 Apple MacBook Air. OWC says their drive is up to 22% faster than the factory SSD and are available in 180GB, 240GB, and 360GB capacities.
Three models have been announced:
- 180GB: $499.99
- 240GB: $579.99
- 360GB: $1,179.99
The drives are based on the SandForce SF-1200 controller and feature 7% overprovisioning.
The Aura Pro Express SSDs for the 2010 MacBook Air are available for pre-ordering; exact availability information has not been announced.
OWC also announced an SSD for the 2008-09 MacBook Air models, the Mercury Aura Pro MBA with capacities ranging from 60GB – 480GB. They are also based on the SandForce SF-1200 controller, have 7% overprovisioning, and come with a three year warranty. The announced models are as follows:
- 60GB: $199.99
- 120GB: $299.99
- 240GB: $579.99
- 480GB: $TBA
OWC Mercury Legacy Pro IDE/ATA SandForce SSDs
OWC additionally announced two more series of SSDs at CES 2011: the Mercury Legacy Pro 2.5" and the Mercury Extreme Pro 3.5" with IDE/ATA interfaces. The target market is older PCs and pre-Intel Mac computers that have an internal IDE/ATA interface. Both drive series are based on the SandForce SF-1200 controller.
The drives come with a mounting sled and a SATA to IDE/ATA connector cable. Using a SATA connection, data transfer performance is up to 285MB/s.
The 3.5" Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy drives start at $129.99 and up to a 480GB capacity; pricing is as follows:
- 40GB: $129.99
- 60GB: $179.99
- 120GB: $279.99
- 240GB: $579.99
- 480GB: $1,599.99
The 2.5" Mercury Pro Legacy is available in the following capacities:
- 40GB: $TBA
- 60GB: $199.99
- 120GB: $299.99
- 240GB: $579.99
Update 2/8/2011 – OWC Mercury Aura Pro SSD Review Posted
