What is it?
An innovative adaptation to the solid state disk (SSD) computer data storage device. Computer hard disk drives have only had two major evolutions in the past 20 years: 1) the switch to serial AT attachment (SATA) from an integrated drive electronics (IDE) interface connection which has increased transfer speeds and 2) the creation of the solid state drive which has no moving parts and allows much faster read/write tasks. Toshiba have now moved their SSD technology from the ailing SATA connection interface to the M.2 and PCIe ports on the motherboard. Utilising the direct connection and dispensing with a raft of cables drastically increases performance.
Good points?
Despite the tech talk above, all you really need to know is that the OCZ RD400 drive is almost five times faster compared to similar drives connected to the conventional SATA port. This means loading and running resource intensive applications such as Adobe Photoshop would take far less time and increase productivity.
Bad points?
The relatively new technology is not widespread so a lack of market competition means Toshiba have set the price very high for what is essentially just an ordinary SSD. As more products emerge the price should decrease quite considerably.
Best for ...
Those requiring a performance boost without the hassle and expense of shelling out for a new computer.
Avoid if ...
The extent of your computing time is comprised of web browsing as you'll experience little in the way of a positive impact.
Score: 9/10, an example of what can be achieved when you combine two existing technologies.
Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB, £315 (ocz.com)
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