This morning, Apple introduced the new iMac, with a build-to-order storage configuration called "Fusion Drive". But what is Fusion Drive? Although it could be an off-the-shelf hybrid drive, I believe it is a software driver in Mac OS X. Update: Apple's Knowledge Base article on Fusion Drive for Mac Mini and iMac essentially confirms my conclusion: Fusion Drive is a function of … [Read more...] about Is Apple’s Fusion Drive a Hybrid HDD or Tiering Software?
OCZ
What Is Paired Storage?
Datacenter servers commonly store data on shared networked storage arrays, but the laptops and desktops used by individuals continue to rely on internal hard disk drives. Enterprise arrays employ a number of performance enhancements, including large RAM caches and fast flash storage, but end users are stuck with single disks. This is changing, however, as users increasingly … [Read more...] about What Is Paired Storage?
My Incomplete, Subjective List of Enterprise SSD Companies
This morning, Jean-Jacques Maleval posted a “complete list of 85 SSD manufacturers in the world” over at StorageNewsletter. I was surprised to see so many unfamiliar names in the list, and set about doing some research into who all these companies are. It seems that the vast majority focus on military/embedded or OEM markets, with the consumer space accounting for a large … [Read more...] about My Incomplete, Subjective List of Enterprise SSD Companies
Micron Bursts Into the PCIe SSD Market
This morning, Micron announced their "RealSSD" P320h SSD, bringing them into the PCIe storage market for the first time. Already a leading supplier of both consumer and enterprise SATA SSDs, as well as the world's leading supplier of NAND flash in partnership with Intel, this move puts Micron in direct competition with existing suppliers like media darling Fusion … [Read more...] about Micron Bursts Into the PCIe SSD Market
Are Hybrid Hard Drives A Good Alternative To An SSD?
Ask a Pack Rat A timely question from a comment on my cheap Momentus XT post and continued in my inbox: How well does [the Momentus XT] perform in a Mac laptop? What I've noticed is substantial slow-down on my older MB Pro when there's a lot of virtual memory usage (e.g. when running several apps plus Parallels.) For my next MBP (hopefully in the next 2-3 months), I'm … [Read more...] about Are Hybrid Hard Drives A Good Alternative To An SSD?