SSD Cards
Solid-state Devices (SSDs) are flash-based storage technologies that are also called Disks because they are often interfaced with a host system like a hard disk. SSDs are typically silent, resistant to physical shock, and have higher input/output rates.
SanDisk Corporation (then SunDisk) saw the potential of flash memory as an alternative to existing hard drives and filed a patent for a flash-based SSD in 1989. Two years later it shipped the first commercial flash-based SSD. In 1998, SanDisk introduced SSDs in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors with PATA interfaces. 2.5 inch SSDs are among the most common SSDs today, but M.2 form factors are gaining popularity for their smaller size and higher capacity.
- PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment), or IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics), is a standard interface designed for IBM PC-compatible computers. It was first developed by Western Digital and Compaq in 1986 for compatible hard drives and CD or DVD drives. It sends 16 bits at a time through a single 16-bit connection, which is used for data traveling in both directions.
- USB is the most popular for external SSDs, SD cards, and USB flash drives, but it has its limitations as it is a slow connection.
- SATA (Serial ATA) is a storage interface that sends data one bit at a time down a single connection in each direction instead of a 16-bit word. SATA has three main advantages: a higher data transfer rate, simplified cable routing, and the ability to exchange data carriers during operation (hot swapping). Originally developed in 2000, SATA has seen several iterations, with SATA III being the most current.
- PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a high-speed storage interface designed specifically for SSDs. The advantage over SATA is the ability to transmit data on up to four lanes, whereas SATA only has one. PCIe has numerous improvements over the older standards, including higher maximum system bus throughput, lower I/O pin count and smaller physical footprint, a more detailed error detection and reporting mechanism (Advanced Error Reporting, AER), and native hot-swap functionality. More recent revisions of the PCIe standard provide hardware support for I/O virtualization.
- NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a communication protocol designed specifically to work with flash memory using the PCIe interface. Combining the NVMe SSD and the PCIe connection results in read and write speeds that are four times faster than a SATA interface/SSD.
We offer SSDs from the following memory manufacturers:
