Icy News: Transcend SSD720 SATA 6.0Gb/s SSD Announced

Transcend Information has announced the launch of its new, next generation SSD720 SATA III 6GB/s SSD. The SSD720 delivers significantly improved performance over standard rotating hard drives and its focus on productivity-enhancement is the ideal solution for demanding system applications, such as specialized multimedia computing and serious gaming.

Combined with a powerful SandForce-Driven controller and the latest SATA III 6Gb/s specification, the SSD720 offers speedy transfer rates of up to 550MB/s read and 500MB/s write, taking only 15 seconds to transfer a 5GB DVD. This enables faster system boot up, application launch speed, data transfers, and overall system responsiveness. Additionally, support for Native Command Queuing (NCQ) increases the performance and efficiency of the SSD720 by optimizing the order that received read and write commands are executed.

The SSD720’s design features a durable yet lightweight metal outer case and has a slim thickness of just 7mm, catering to the size limitations of today's modern Ultrabooks, notebooks, and other thin and light form factor devices. Despite its size, the 7mm SSD720 uses the same SATA connector used on a 2.5'' HDD and is backwards compatible with SATA II/I (3Gbps/1.5Gbps) interface. The SSD is also built with reliable NAND flash memory with no moving parts and provides resistance from shock and vibration, all the while offering low power consumption and cool, silent operation to resulting in increased efficiency and longer battery runtime.

For Windows 7 users, the SSD720 fully supports the TRIM command, which automatically, and permanently, removes deleted data, helping to maintain optimum write speeds and prevent long-term SSD wear. For other operating systems that do not support the TRIM command, the SSD720 uses an intelligent garbage collection algorithm to manage advanced free space.  Built-in wear-levelling and Error Correction Code (ECC) help ensure reliable data transfer to further increase the lifespan of the SSD720. In addition, it fully supports the S.M.A.R.T. command, which helps detect possible hard drive failures before they occur.

Transcend's SSD720 is now available and is priced at US$149 for the 64GB model and US$249 for the 256GB model. It is also back by a standard three-year warranty. Source from StorageReview.com 

Icy News: Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt Adapter Now Available

A few weeks ago at CES 2012, Seagate showcased their GoFlex Thunderbolt adapters. They come in two flavors: the GoFlex Desk Thunderbolt adapter takes 3.5" drives, requires an external power supply, and has two Thunderbolt ports; the GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter is suitable for 2.5" drives, is bus-powered, and has a single Thunderbolt port (i.e. no daisy-chaining).

The GoFlex Desk adapter won't be available until later this month, but Seagate has now updated theiraccessory page and started shipping the 2.5" GoFlex adapter. It's available from Seagate's online store for $100 (no cable included, so that's another $50), which is quite a lot more than a $15 USB 3.0 enclosure, but at least this is better pricing than the LaCie and Promise solutions we have seen so far. Unfortunately, you are still limited to using Seagate's GoFlex drives, but fortunately they are reasonably priced. By way of comparison, a solution using the GoFlex TB adapter and 1TB GoFlex external would cost around $230, whereas LaCie charges $400 for a similar setup.

UPDATE: It appears that a GoFlex drive is not needed and any 2.5" SATA drive should work.

MacWorld has already received a review unit and run a few basic tests. As you might have expected, Thunderbolt is noticeably faster than USB 2.0 but not much faster than FireWire 800. In terms of raw numbers, USB 2.0 had a maximum throughput of 33.7MB/s while FireWire and Thunderbolt had 70.3MB/s and 81.3MB/s respectively. Obviously, the 500GB 2.5" 5400rpm drive is the bottleneck here—the gap would be a lot bigger with a 3.5" hard drive, or better yet, an SSD.

To be honest, the GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter isn't really worth it unless you plan on using an SSD, which requires you to open the GoFlex enclosure and change the hard drive to an SSD, which is not supported by Seagate and may void your warranty. In the case of regular 2.5" hard drives, you're better off with the GoFlex FireWire 800 adapter ($50 from Seagate's online store and no $50 cable required), assuming you have a Mac with FireWire 800—otherwise USB 2.0 should be sufficient as well. For those not using Mac hardware, Thunderbolt may have more bandwidth, but right now USB 3.0 is a far more economical solution. Source from Anand Tech

Icy News: Apple Updates Final Cut Pro X, Brings Back Features from Final Cut Pro 7

Apple has today issued an update for their professional video editing suite, Final Cut Pro X (FCPX). The update carries version number 10.0.3 and re-introduces some crucial elements, such as multicam editing. Multicam filming is widely used by video professionals as many scenes require multiple video angles, and it's obvious that you also need editing software that supports multicam editing in order to achieve the best outcome. Other new features include advanced chroma keying that allows color, edge and light adjustments; media relink that allows content to be modified with third party software and then be relinked to your project; import Photoshop graphics; and broadcast monitoring that allows video to be output to an external monitor using PCIe or Thunderbolt devices...Full news at Anand Tech

Icy News: NZXT Switch 810: When Too Much Isn't Enough

Introducing the NZXT Switch 810

NZXT recently released the Switch 810, a new high-end full tower model they proudly had on display at CES at the same time they were seeding samples to reviewers. It's a looker to be sure, but NZXT's engineers also played a lot with the insides of the enclosure, and what they've put together is a chassis with a remarkable number of uncommon features designed to appeal to enthusiasts who want to maximize both the utility of their machines along with the control they have over that utility. It looks great on paper and great on display, but how does it work in practice...Full review at Anand Tech

Icy Dock: MB974SP-B SATA 3 version released now!!

More information go to MB974 link: http://www.cremax.com.tw/eng/goods.php?id=93