For enthusiasts, the MLC-based Vertex 2 will come in 50, 100, 200, and 400GB capacities and use the SandForce SF-1200 controller. The drive is capable of read and write speeds of 270 and 260MB/s, respectively, and 9,500 4KB random write IOPS. OCZ will also have a Vertex 2 Pro that pairs the enterprise-grade SF-1500 controller with MLC memory for up to 280MB/s reads and 270MB/s writes, and an impressive 19,000 IOPS rating at 4K random writes. Finally, offering capacities up to 200GB, the SLC-based Vertex Pro EX boasts the same read and write speed ratings as its MLC-based counterpart, but it should perform better with random writes at 25,000 IOPS. Pricing wasn’t disclosed for the Vertex 2 drives, but OCZ says they’ll be a little more expensive than existing Indilinx-based products when they arrive in March. As you might have caught on our news coverage, the company also showed a couple of power supply units, as well as their anticipated USB 3.0 external SSD, capable of 188MB/s read and 130MB/s write speeds, and the all-new Z-Drive p88, which uses an PCI x8 interface, replaceable MLC NAND flash modules, up to eight Indilinx Barefoot controllers, and peak massive read and write speeds of 1.3 and 1.2GB/s. As expected, USB 3.0 was a hot topic at this year’s show, with several products certified for the new standard being launched – including host controllers, adapter cards, motherboards, and hard drives. Although we couldn’t stop to see each and every one of them first-hand, we did catch a glimpse of Super Talent’s USB 3.0 RAIDDrive and an USB 3.0-equipped laptop from Asus – in addition to their motherboard lineup we already knew about. The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid Notebook/Tablet drew a considerable amount of attention at Pepcom’s Digital Experience sideshow. The device starts out as a standard laptop running Windows 7 on a Core 2 Duo CULV processor, but removing the 11.6-inch display lets you use it as a stand-alone Skylight Linux tablet PC, powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon ARM processor with 16GB of flash memory. The company’s Hybrid Switch software handles the move between the main processor and the tablet processor, allowing users to start browsing a website in laptop mode and continue where they left off after they detach the screen – the whole process takes roughly 3 seconds. There were still some quirks here and there, most notably with the responsiveness of the touch screen, but it still performed quite well for a prototype. Lenovo also showed a 3D demonstration of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on its new IdeaPad Y560 using ATI’s Radeon HD 5730 mobile graphics. Other products on display included the Skylight smartbook, a couple of new netbooks in the IdeaPad S10 series, the IdeaCentre A300 all-in-one PC, and several new ThinkPad models.
