960GB M500 SSD from Micron at a launch price of within $600

Micron Technology has introduced the 960GB M500 SSD at a launch price of within $600 to consumers, businesses, and system builders under the Crucial brand, and to OEM customers under the Micron brand. The M500 SSD is made using 20-nanometer (nm) multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash chips. The SSD module size is 80mm x 22mm and the form factor is called M.2, along with the mSATA form factor, are key designs for current and next-generation ultrathin computers, including Ultrabook devices, tablets and convertible PCs. The M500 SSD uses a SATA 6Gb/s controller combined with Micron's custom firmware to deliver up to 80,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS). The drive's sequential read and write speeds reach up to 500 MB/s and 400 MB/s, respectively. "The M500 SSD is a reliable storage solution featuring nearly instantaneous system response times and terabyte-class capacity—all at a competitive price point," said Glen Hawk, vice president of Micron's NAND Solutions Group. "For consumers, the Crucial M500 SSD is an easy, cost-effective solution for dramatically increasing system performance. For OEMs, we're ultrathin ready with the Micron M500 SSD—improved response times, lower power consumption, and trusted reliability —all in a design that's smaller than ever before." The Crucial M500 SSD is backed by a three-year limited warranty and is compatible with both PC and ...