Kingston puts SSD acceleration within reach of the masses with 40GB SDDNow V Series drive

Knowing that Kingston Digital believes solid-state drives (SSDs) are for acceleration, not storage, we’re not surprised to find that the company’s latest solid-state offering is an entry-level 40GB addition to its SSDNow V Series.

Fortunately, that’s anything but the case, as this latest addition is both faster and cheaper than its predecessor. Whilst the original SSDNow V Series range features a JMicron controller, this new 40GB model is based on Intel’s second-generation controller and 34nm NAND Flash technology.

The result is sequential read and write speeds of up to 170MB/s and 40MB/s, respectively. Granted, that still pales in comparison to today’s high-end SSDs, but Kingston reckons its “40GB Accelerator Drive” will speed up open and close times of everyday applications “by almost 4 times over existing regular desktops hard-disk drives”.

Not a bad little upgrade when you factor in near-silent operation, improved reliability and lower power usage, too. But the real kicker here has to be the price – Kingston will ship the standalone drive on November 9th with an MSRP of £71.27. A desktop bundle – featuring cloning software, 2.5in to 3.5in brackets and SATA data and power cables – will also be available priced at £75.27.

It’s plenty sufficient for a system drive (Microsoft recommends 20GB of hard disk space for a 64-bit install of Windows 7), and it’s one of the most affordable SSD entry routes we’ve ever seen. Want our verdict before you buy? Stay tuned as an in-depth HEXUS review is coming soon. – Hexus

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