Samsung Launches First PCs with NAND Flash-based Solid State Disk

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is planning to release the first PCs embedded with a 32-Gigabyte (GB) NAND flash-based solid state disk (SSD). The Samsung Q1, an ultra-mobile computing device and the Q30, a 12.1-inch screen notebook PC, will be available in the Korean market from early June.

This marks the first time that NAND flash has moved into a commercial mobile computing application and is a breakthrough that will pave the way for replacing hard disk drives with NAND flash-based memory disks.

The company says the data in flash memory are much more secure against external shocks that can occur when transporting a mobile computer. The SSD can withstand about twice the impact that would damage a regular hard disk drive. In addition, stored data can be more easily retrieved from flash memory than traditional hard drives when PCs are dropped or liquid is spilled on the device.

The SSD reads at 53MB/s and writes at 28MB/s.

According to test results released by Samsung. Microsoft Windows XP will boot up 25-50% faster on the SSD than on other drives. Also, the typical 1.8-inch hard disk drive weighs around 50 grams; whereas the SSD is 20 to 30 grams lighter, depending on the package type.

The typical notebook PC will generate around 30dB of operating noise, while the Q30-SSD will operate in complete silence.

A promise of the Q1-SSD is to show video or still photos as well as play audio without having to be booted up first. This "instant on" feature provides access to multimedia content such as digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB) TV, with DMB TV receivers embedded in both PCs.

The retail price for the Q1-SSD will be KRW2.3 million (US$2,430), while the Q30-SSD will sell for KRW3.5 million (US$3,700).

The NT-Q30-SSD will run on an Intel Celeron M 753 (1.2GHz), and have 512MB DDR2 400MHz memory installed. The display on this model is a WXGA 12.1" (1280x768). The NT-Q1-SSD runs on an Intel Celeron M (900MHz) and comes with 512MB DDR2 400MHz memory plus a 7" WVGA (800x480) display.