If you've been drooling over the rapidly decreasing prices of solid state drives, but have yet to take the plunge, you're in luck. Kingston has just released its SSDNow V solid state drive upgrade bundles, and it promises the prices will be competitive.
The SSDNow V series will be available mid-June. You'll be able to get either a 128GB SSD or a 64GB SSD as part of an upgrade bundle. Bundles come in both desktop and laptop versions, and the kit comes with all the hardware and software you need - as well as step-by-step instructions - to get your new SSD up and running immediately.
Kingston current has two drives in its SSDNow seies - the E and M series drives have 250MB/sec read speeds, and write speeds of either 170MB/sec (E-series) or 70MB/sec (M-Series). The V series, given its ‘value' tag is considerably slower than those models at 100MB/sec read, but the 80MB/sec write speed is excellent.
The M series retails for around $550 for an 80GB drive, so we're hopeful that you'll be able to buy the V series upgrade bundle for around the $350 mark, which is the cheapest we've seen for a 64GB SSD so far.
SSDs in generally are much quieter and cooler than their mechanical cousins, and are also more energy efficient. As an added bonus, especially for laptop users, they're also far more shock resistant since they have no moving parts to damage during bumps and knocks
"Our focus has been to bring improvement to the everyday functions such as speeding up boot up times and opening applications, at compelling price points, to complement the existing hard drive in desktops," said Louis Kaneshiro, Senior Technology Manager, Kingston.
The included software - our A-listed backup software, Acronis True Image - makes it easy to clone an existing hard drive - even if it has your operating system installed on it - without needing to reload your operating system or applications. That way, you can use the superfast SSD for speed-critical items such as the operating system and applications. PC Authority's testing for SSD drives has shown improved startup and application loading times compared to mechanical disk drives, regardless of the SSD's rated speed.
The cloning software makes it easier to convert your existing hard drive to a storage drive for space-hungry files such as music, videos, files and photos.
It's not just desktops that Kingston has provided for. The notebook upgrade kit comes with an external enclosure, which allows users to retain their original hard drive and allow for additional storage.
Upgrade kit:
- Kingston SSDNow V Series solid-state drive
- Acronis True Image cloning software and CD installation guide
- 3.5" mounting brackets and hardware (desktop bundle)
- SATA data and power cable extenders (desktop bundle)
- 2.5" USB SATA enclosure (notebook bundle)
- Three-year warranty and free technical support.
 |
| The upgrade kit includes everything you'll need |