Micron Debuts 32GB and 64GB SSDs

By using a lightweight plastic housing and specialized SATA II controller, Micron claims their drives are both lighter and faster than the competition.

With companies like SanDisk, Samsung and Lexar already waist-deep in the market for solid-state drives (SSDs), competing manufacturer Micron Technology finally made the plunge on Thursday. Micron’s RealSSD line of drives will come in capacities up to 64GB and in both 1.8-inch and 2.4-inch sizes.

Even in comparison to other SSDs, Micron advertises the speed, reduced power consumption, and low weight of its drives. Performance is enhanced with a native SATA II interface, which allowed Micron to omit the SATA bridge controller normally needed. The drives also consume less than 2 watts when active, and even less in idle and standby modes. Finally, Micron claims using lightweight plastic to house the drive allowed a 50 percent weight reduction over comparable-density drives.

The RealSSD drives will initially appear in both 32GB and 64GB models. While Micron expects to begin mass production in the first quarter of 2008, prices for the upcoming line were not announced.