Kingston Digital, the flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, a leader in memory products, has launched a ‘cost-effective’ upgrade to its desktop SSD (solid state drive) solution.

Priced under 100 euros ($145) the Kingston SSDNow V Series 30GB Boot Drive, the latest addition to its V (Value) family of solid-state drives (SSD), is one of the best and most cost-effective ways to accelerate any desktop’s boot, shutdown and application load times, a statement said.

“In our quest to bring SSDs into mainstream use, we’re aiming to deliver a lower price point while boosting performance,” said Antoine Harb, business development manager, for Kingston Technology in the Middle East.

“The new SSDNow V Series 30GB Boot Drive accomplishes those goals,” Harb added.

“Desktop users can extend the life cycle of their systems with this drive and IT managers in the enterprise space like it as there is less data for them to backup to the network. In addition, we will also release a 30GB SSD twin-pack for prosumers and enthusiasts who want to take performance to the next level.”

The SSDNow V Series 30GB Boot Drive also offers Windows 7 Trim support, which helps the SSD maintain high performance through the life of the drive.

Using the industry-standard PCMark Vantage Advanced HDD Suite, the 30GB Boot Drive received a score of 20257 on a Windows 7 system, whereas a 7200RPM hard-disk drive reached 3294, according to the statement.

Using PCMark 05 for a Windows XP system, the 30GB Boot Drive received a score of 22519 compared with the hard-disk drive score of 6508.

PCMark vantage advanced HDD Suite and PCMark 05 runs a series of tests such as Windows 7 and XP startup, importing photos, adding music to Windows Media Center and application loading. The score is an indicator of how many bytes are moved per second.

SSDNow V Series 30GB Boot Drive is designed to be used in conjunction with an existing hard-disk drive (HDD).

A PC operating system and key applications reside on the SSD while all data such as documents, music, files and photos remain on the HDD.

As part of Kingston’s goal to provide a low-cost SSD solution and an easy upgrade path, the drive is also available with a bundle that includes cloning software, 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch mounting brackets and Sata data and power cable extenders. – TradeArabia News Service