Good news for Latitude X1 owners!

Where can this be purchased?

Also, now that this thread is almost 2 years old, are there any new 1.8" SSD's on the market that are better than the MTRON? I'm finding that the MTRON is getting more difficult to find, and is still around $250.

 

I can't tell from the picture where the connector is, but this one might work, and it's $100 cheaper:

http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/SPD/runcore-32gb-pro-iv-1-8--5mm-pata-zif-solid-state-drive-ssd--80000AD4-1246484937.jsp

Or this 64 gig one:
http://www.amazon.com/64GB-1-8-inch-PATA-netbook-upgrades/dp/B002QPRV9U/ref=pd_cp_e_1

 

There is Runcore Pro IV mentioned above, and PhotoFast G-monster V4 (both are supposed to have indilinx controller)
http://www.photofastuk.com/engine/shop/product/GM18M64E44IDEV4/1.8+IDE+V4+64GB

 

Not sure the Photofast is available in the US, and they seem to be extremely expensive.

As for the RunCore, would it be the PATA ZIF plus a converter, or would their PATA IDE version (link) work without a converter?

Also, why does the controller matter?

 

Ok, so I've been looking for an SSD for days now. This is quite frustrating, so I'm gonna rant here.

I don't know why it's so difficult to buy an SSD. Newegg has no 1.8" PATA drives, Amazon has like two or three no-name brands. In fact all of the SSD's available online are made by small Japanese companies I've never heard of, and with prices that I might as well buy a premium laptop. The 64GB Photofast is $400!

There are millions of laptops sold with SSD drives. So why can't I just buy an Intel or Toshiba SSD drive?

Is it really worth buying a $400 64GB SSD, versus the $50 Toshiba 60gb 4,200rpm hard drive?

/end rant.

PS- Just wanted to say that this forum is awesome. You guys are very knowledgeable, but obviously have a lot of disposable income

 

Hello everyone:

I purchased the Photofast 1.8" 50-Pin IDE V4 128G ssd for my Dell X1, because of its high speed ratings (128MB/s read, 90MB/s write) as listed in its specifications - note those ratings are for ATA133/ATA-7/UDMA-6, where the Dell X1 IDE will run at UDMA-5, so the results will be less.

Here are my scores:

w/ Photofast 50-IDE V4 128G (rated at 128MB/s read, 90MB/s write @ UDMA-6), Windows XP SP3
CrystalDiskMark 2.2 (C) 2007-2008 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
--------------------------------------------------

Sequential Read : 85.043 MB/s
Sequential Write : 38.246 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 77.890 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 26.593 MB/s
Random Read 4KB : 11.180 MB/s
Random Write 4KB : 2.814 MB/s

Test Size : 100 MB
Date : 2010/01/26 23:29:08

My concern is: on my X1 the write speeds cap out at 38MB/s on this drive; however, ATA100/ATA-6/UDMA-5 supports burst write speeds up to 90MB/s. Why is this drive not performing faster on this machine? Is it a defect/limitation of the X1, or is it a defect/limitation of the drive? - I need your help to answer this question.

Intel IDE chip info (used on X1) can be found here: www.intel.com/assets/pdf/datasheet/301473.pdf
ATA100 standard can be found here: http://t13.org/FTPSite/Default.aspx; log onto ftp site with given password and search for d1410r3b-ATA-ATAPI-6.pdf

Could you help me with:
1. Help me troubleshoot this capped write speed - I'm trying to determine if the X1 can sustain write speeds greater than 38MB/s; based on a previous post using a different SSD it appears that it can, and I want to verify it;
2. Post your benchmarks for all SSDs running on your X1 - be sure to indicate the exact SSD model, because they vary in read/write speed ratings, and OS version.

Thanks! All the best, Mass

 

Hello ricoFR69:

Could you repost your results of this test please? A screen capture of the test results would be helpful; please include the exact model of the SSD.

Thanks. All the best, Mass

 

Also random write looks kind of low.
Is it V4 drive for sure and not V3 or V2?

 

The Mtron 1.8" SSD can be purchased here for $229.99 - http://rocketdisk.com/listProducts.aspx?q=ProductLine&ID=8 - as always! The full Product Spec Guide is also right there on the product pages to download as a PDF. As far as we know, it is still the only SLC SSD in its product category.

On eBay there are 2 adaptors that are very popular with Netbook owners. The item numbers are 250400188551 and 250400171185.

 

Actually, according to Photofast product pages G-Monster 1.8 IDE V4 does not use indilinx controller, so that explains the low performance. 1.8 IDE V3 has indilinx, but apparently is no longer in production.