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Plextor targets gamers with '50 percent faster' SSD starting at €199 ($275)
It's been more than a year since we last covered Plextor's wares, but the company's been busy with the next generation of its M-branded SSDs. For the first time, the range includes a premium PCIe option explicitly aimed at gamers, which promises much better speeds by side-stepping the SATA "bottleneck." This card, the M6e, starts at €199 ($275) for 128GB and tops out at €540 ($750) for 512GB, with claimed sequential reads/writes of up to 770/625 MB/s, and random reads/writes of up to 105k/100k IOPS. Plextor says that's a gain of around 50 percent compared to the sequential speeds you'd get from the regular SATA option, the M6S, but of course you're paying for that extra performance: The biggest 512GB M6S will set you back just €332 ($460), for example. We've been told to expect availability "very soon," but in the meantime you can check out some early reviews of the PCIe drive at the links below.
Plextor trots out M5M series mSATA drives at CES
Plextor just unearthed a new lineup of mSATA drives that will be targeted at enthusiasts looking to give their ultraportables an additional shot of adrenaline. Known as the M5M series, the diminutive chips will come in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes, each which boast a highly respectable sequential read speed of 540 MB/s. Meanwhile, sequential write speed for the three models is rated at 160 MB/s, 320 MB/s and 430 MB/s, respectively. The M5M series carries a mean time before failure (MTBF) of 2.4 million hours, and is said to become available this quarter. No word yet about pricing, however. To learn about the security features of the Plextor M5M series, feel free to hit up the PR after the break. [Image credit: AnandTech]
Plextor M5 Pro bulges SSD envelope with 94K IOPS and 540MB/s
Plextor's newly launched M5 Pro is angling to be the top dot on the SATA III SSD spec charts -- and looks like it will mostly succeed. The Marvell Monet controller lets the unit hit a continuous 540 MB/s read and 450 MB/s write speeds for the larger models, as well as a hefty 94,000 read and 86,000 write IOPS. Those figures would put it ahead of or alongside most of its competitors except in steady write speeds, but Plextor claims that hustle is not the model's only trick. It also makes use of "True Speed" tech to minimize performance drops with age, uses 128-bit error correction to eliminate data inaccuracy and offers 256-bit full-drive encryption. The 128GB, 256GB or 512GB drives will be available mid-August for prices that have yet to be determined, but it's likely to be well north of its budget namesake, the M5S. You'll find the full PR after the break.
Plextor M5S SSD coming mid-July: healthy speeds starting at $99 for 64GB
The SSD market has finally reached the point where we can afford to be picky, but the M5S's blend of price and performance make it worth a look. It claims random reads / writes of up to 73k and 70k IOPS respectively, supported by Plextor's True Speed technology to deliver consistent rates even as the drive fills up, along with price tags of $99 for 64GB, $160 for 128GB and $299 for 256GB. The M5S has already been given the once-over by The SSD Review, which found nothing much to criticize other than the lack of a five-year warranty (as seen on the MS3) and overall gave it hearty recommendation -- check the More Coverage link for the full review.
Plextor's new external DVD burner works with TVs, no computer required
Plextor's been plenty busy this week, announcing its new M3 Pro SSD and PlexEasy external DVD burner, but the company's not done unveiling new products just yet. Plextor's newest offering is another external DVD burner, the easily remembered PX-612U. Like the PlexEasy, it connects via USB and works with TVs and media streamers without needing a PC. That's possible thanks to some secret sauce called PlexTV (not to be confused with the media client), which acts as a code translator to make the PX-612U's output mimic a HDD. It'll be available the first quarter of this year, for an as-yet-unknown number of dollars.
Plextor's PlexEasy backs up your photos, phone and tablet without a computer
It was first announced in Europe just about a month ago, but Pextor's PlexEasy stand-alone DVD burner is finally hitting the market. The drive backs up data to CDs and DVDs directly from a variety of sources -- including SD cards, cameras, smartphones or tablets over USB. While it's made to be used without a PC it can be connected to one and draw it's power from your computer's USB ports. Despite Plextor touting its release here at CES we couldn't actually track down any info about pricing, but we'll make sure to update this post as soon as we do. Check out the complete PR after the break.
Plextor announces M3 Pro SSD with 24nm flash and 7mm form factor
Bored by Plextor's safe and steady M3S? Then ponder on its new performance model, the 2.5-inch, SATAIII-sporting M3 Pro. It notches up random read/write speeds by around seven percent to 75,000/69,000 IOPs, while sequential read/writes have also had a marginal bump to 540MB/s and 450MB/s. It's not yet clear how much the new drives will cost when they reach stores in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB varieties next month, but the use of 24nm toggle flash -- which squeezes more storage onto less silicon -- should help to keep pricing relatively sane. Oh, and the 7mm height also means that the M3 Pro will slide happily into the compressed bowels of your Ultrabook -- unless that slot has already been reserved for a Crucial. Read on for the press release.
Plextor outs M3S SSD: SATA III and an 'ironclad' five-year warranty from $199
Harken to the news of Plextor's latest 2.5-inch SSD, which beats previous offerings with three things you can't complain about: a lower price, a modest spec bump and an extra two annums beyond the usual three-year warranty. The M3S employs SATA III and a Marvell controller to deliver speeds of 525MB/s and 445MB/s for sequential reads and writes, and 70,000 and 65,000 IOPS for random reads and writes. The lowest 128GB capacity will sell for $200 from the end of this month, alongside a 256GB variant for $350 and -- from early next year -- 512GB for $700. The company's proprietary True Speed software is also in attendance, which claims to preserve "like-new" rapidity even as the drive fills up with fragmented data. You'll find further specs in the PR after the break, but alas it has none of the third-person narrative flair we saw last time.
Plextor outs limited edition M2P SSD in weirdest press release ever
"Although no specific information is available," says Plextor in its own statement, "word has it that Plextor is serious about the limited edition status" of its latest M2P SSD. In other detective work, they've discovered that the drive comes in 128GB and 256GB variants that cost $240 and $440 respectively and should be available towards the end of the month. Both models handle 6Gb/s SATA III, are powered by the "server grade" Marvell 88SS9174 controller chip and deliver up to 500MB/s reads and 440MB/s writes. Engadget suspects the full PR is right after the break.
Plextor PL-LB950UE Blu-ray burner lands in the US with heady mix of USB 3.0 speed and double-layer storage
Europeans have been able to bag this speedy external writer for a few months now, but it's only just received its Green Card -- turning up in the US with a suitcase full of dreams and a price tag of $239.99. A quick check of its CV resume reveals a choice of either USB 3.0 or eSATA connectivity, 12x write speed, and the ability to burn up to 50GB of data on a dual-layer disc. The drive is being pitched as an "all-in-one Blu-ray device" because it also handles 3D playback and has a low vibration system for quieter operation. Admittedly, it only offers half as much storage as BDXL writers, but those burn slower and onto judderingly expensive media. Closer competition comes from Buffalo, which arrived early to the USB 3.0 table, but whose current MediaStation model omits the eSATA option.
Plextor M2 line of SATA III-packing SSDs available now
We just received word from the fine folks at Plextor that the M2 series SATA 6Gb/s SSDs (that we saw yesterday with their European designation, M2S) are available now for stateside purchase. Just like their old world counterparts, these bad boys rock a Marvell 88SS9174 controller and boast sequential read rates up to 480MB/s and sequential write rate up to 330MB/s. Available now in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB capacities for $180, $330, and $700 respectively. PR after the break.
Plextor announces the M2S line of SATA III-packing, 480MB/s SSDs
Plextor's invasion of the SSD space continues unabated with the announcement today of the new M2S series drives. These 2.5-inch internal drives feature a SATA III 6Gb/s interface for read speeds up to 480MB/s, 128MB DDR3 cache, and are available in one of three denominations: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. And you know how you were just saying how much you love Acronis True Image software? Well, they come with it! Look for 'em in Europe and the UK in March, with further availability and pricing to be announced. PR after the break.
Plextor ships PX-B120U USB-powered Blu-ray drive for $100
We aren't saying your nifty new netbook can actually handle the stresses of playing back a Blu-ray Disc, but if your USB-equipped laptop has the oomph, Plextor has a new device to bring the spoils of BD to your previously lackluster machine. The new PX-B120U is a USB-powered BD-ROM drive, which not only plays back Blu-ray flicks but also burns DVDs and CDs of the blank variety. The standout feature, of course, is the ability to function entirely off of USB power, with no extra AC cabling needed. Furthermore, the device can be converted into a living room player when connected to the forthcoming PlexMedia, and while we wouldn't expect a wealth of extras, the $99.99 MSRP is shockingly tempting. %Gallery-97832%
Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player
It's not often we come across an external drive that looks like anything but a brick, so we were pleasantly surprised to see Plextor demoing something a little more svelte at Computex. We can tell the PlexMedia network attached media player (bottom) is a looker right off the bat, but it truly becomes useful when you plug in the PX-B120U (top) designed to go with it. The combination is a fully-functional Blu-ray disc player that apparently outputs to a TV, but the smaller box can also detach, slip into your bookbag and become an external Blu-ray drive for your PC. Since there's no specs or pics of the unit's rear, we honestly have no idea how it accomplishes either, but we imagine the info will spontaneously pop into our being if we stare long enough at those azure ripples, and thus complete our meditation. On the off-chance that doesn't work, we've also dispatched a carrier pigeon to Plextor HQ for the answers; in the meanwhile, you can peruse the presser after the break.
SSDs gone wild at CeBIT: Plextor reveals its first, Xtreem-S1 peeks out and OCZ teases external Enyo USB 3.0
Man, it's been a white hot minute since we've heard the good word from Plextor. Today, all that changes. After sticking to the relatively boring optical media market for years, said outfit has finally realized that there's money to be made in flash storage. The PX-64M1S (64GB) and the PX-128M1S (128GB) are the company's first-ever SSDs, both of which arrive in 2.5-inch form factors and use an integrated SATA II interface. As for transfers, you'll see sequential read rates as high as 110MB/sec and 130MB/sec, while sequential write rates hit 65MB/sec and 70MB/sec (respectively in both cases). Both units can be snapped up now for $225 (64GB) / $400 (128GB). In related news, OCZ is using CeBIT as a springboard for the launch of its external Enyo USB 3.0 SSD; unfortunately, details surrounding capacity, price and pretty much anything else are being left out, but you can bet we'll be hounding its booth representatives for those and reporting back. Finally, Team Xtreem is dishing out a 250GB Xtreem-S1 SSD with a Sandforce processor and read / write rates of around 260MB/sec, though models will be available in 60GB and 120GB as well. Peek the source links for all the nitty-gritty details, and stay tuned for more from Hannover.
Plextor announces four new optical drives, 6x Blu-ray readers included
Not interested in Qflix, huh? No worries, as Plextor has four others for your consideration. Up first is the PX-610U 8x slim external USB Super Multi Drive for both Mac and PC, which requires no AC adapter and comes bundled with Roxio burn software. Next are the 6x PX-B310SA (internal SATA) and PX-B310U (external USB) drives, both of which read Blu-ray Discs at 6x and burn blank DVDs at an undisclosed (but undoubtedly zippy) rate. Batting cleanup are the 22x PX-850SA (internal SATA) and PX-850A (internal PATA) Super Multi drives, which forgo the whole BD-compatible thing and stick strictly to DVD. Each of the units should be available now, though pricing remains a mystery. Nothing like a little anticipation, right?
Plextor reveals PX-Q840U / PX-806SA Qflix-enabled DVD burners
Hot on the heels of Pioneer's latest Qflix-enabled duo comes a fresh pair from Plextor. The PX-806SA (internal) and PX-Q840U (external) both feature Sonic Solution's sophisticated burn technology that enables users to imprint CinemaNow movies onto specially-keyed blank DVD media. Yes, you actually need proprietary media for this to work -- fun, right? Anywho, the drives come bundled with Roxio Venue / Creator 10 CE software alongside a pair of recordable Qflix discs, and both should be available right now in North / South America for $89.99 and $149.99, respectively. Full release after the break.%Gallery-35694%
Plextor offers up StorX PX-NAS500L / PX-NAS1000L NAS drives
It's been a hot minute since we've seen any fresh new kit from Plextor, but the firm has just rolled out a new pair of NAS drives for those on the hunt for -- what else? -- networked storage. The StorX PX-NAS500L / PX-NAS1000L drives offer up 500GB and 1TB of capacity, respectively, and each unit includes a gigabit Ethernet port, one-touch USB back-up button and the ability to grow thanks to a pair of USB 2.0 sockets. Beyond that, you won't find much else special about the new duo, and your guess is as good as ours on pricing / availability.[Via BIOS]
Plextor's Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives still on the way
Oh, how things have changed since Plextor originally announced its combo HD DVD / Blu-ray drives would ship in February. Probably due to the end of the format war, the PX-B920SA and PX-300SA slipped a bit but should hit store shelves by the end of this month. The cost of hanging on to HD DVD compatibility? The all-HD media playing, 4x BD-R / 2x BD-RE / 16x DVD±R burning PX-B920SA will cost $599, while the PX-B300SA (hold the BD-R/BD-RE, please, we're on a diet) is $499.
Plextor releases two Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives
Although we have hope that the format war is shuddering to a close, it's probably still wise to hedge your bets just a little -- and Plextor's got you covered with two new SATA Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drives. The new PX-B920SA writes to BD-R at 4x speeds, DVDs at 16x, and CD-Rs at 40x, and reads HD DVD, while the lower-end PX-B300SA drops the BD-R capabilities and just writes to DVD and CD. Plextor says both drives will be available at the end of the month, but sadly we don't have any pricing information.[Via NordicHardware]Read - PX-B920SARead - PX-B300SA
