Other World Computing (OWC®) announced today it has begun developing OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) Solutions that will feature the SandForce® SF-2000 second generation processor announced today and being demonstrated by SandForce at Storage Networking World next week. OWC’s 8x and 16x PCIe SSD cards will be available with up to eight SSDs for capacities up to 3.2TB, offer up to 4GB/s sequential Reads/Writes and up to 480K IOPS, provide 28% over provisioning for data reliability, and double data encryption for security assurance. Exact pricing and model configurations for the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) cards will be announced in early 2011.

Highest Performance For Demanding Enterprise Applications
The OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) cards will be an ideal solution for I/O intensive enterprise servers, storage arrays, and high-end workstations in the financial, telecom, web/mail, gaming, public security, retail, and professional media creation/editing industries. With robust Native Command Queuing to enable up to 32 concurrent operations, OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) cards will deliver significantly higher Input/Output Operations per Second (IOPS) and throughput performance – up to 480K IOPS – than other SSD technology on the market today, as well as dramatically outperform traditional hard disk drive solutions.

Faster Writes To Keep Pace With Reads
Because it’s critical to have balanced read and write speeds to provide highest enterprise class system performance, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) cards maximize the throughput of PCIe 2.0 technology bandwidth so write speeds can achieve the highest level of read speeds up to 4GB/s. Also, by utilizing the second generation SandForce SF-2000 series processor with non-512B sector support, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) cards will maintain high performance in SAS environments.

Built In Hardware RAID Engine
Whether users are seeking the pure speed of RAID 0, or the protection of redundancy via RAID 5 or 10, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe SSD cards will use an advanced on-board RAID engine to offer the convenience of optional RAID levels. And while advanced TRIM is fully supported, the DuraClass advanced internal data and wear leveling management technology reduces the need for it, thereby eliminating TRIM set up and maintenance issues in RAID environments.

Reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Unlike traditional hard disk drives, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) cards will have no moving parts, resulting in a quieter, cooler running, and lower power consuming storage solution. Now the same server workload can be handled in a more cost efficient manner over a longer usage period, thereby reducing TCO.

Field Upgradable For Future Expansion
The OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) cards utilize interchangeable drive modules in place of permanent, surface-mounted NAND to allow customers to upgrade their card in the field and maximize their initial investment.

Continued Use Of Proven DuraClass Technology
While offering a variety of new features over its existing award-winning consumer class Mercury Extreme Pro line (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internal_storage/Mercury_Extreme_SSD_Sandforce), the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe SSD cards will continue to utilize SandForce DuraClass™ technology. The ultra-efficient block management & wear leveling built into every OWC SSD has been proven to prevent write speed degradation commonly experienced by other SSD brands. Along with consistent, reliable speed, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe SSD cards will provide up to 100X higher data protection than provided by ordinary SSDs as well as leading enterprise class hard disk drives. By combining best in class Error Correction Code (ECC) and SandForce RAISE™ (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Enterprise PCIe SSD cards will provide RAID like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity.

“Utilizing SandForce processors in our SSDs keeps us steadfast in our 22 year commitment to developing products that offer the highest performance available,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “We’re very excited to be among the first SSD manufacturers that will feature this next generation of processors designed specifically for uncompromised enterprise use.”

“We are pleased Other World Computing, as one of our Trusted SSD Manufacturers, is expanding their product line to add the leading edge enterprise class performance our newest processor family offers,” said Kent Smith, Senior Director of Product Marketing at SandForce. “OWC brings a proven and well regarded reputation of leveraging the exceptional performance and reliability of SandForce technology to market.”

Other World Computing (OWC®), a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today a new 40GB model to its award-winning OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD™ line as the most affordable high performance SandForce® Processor based Solid State Drive on the market. Designed and made in the U.S. from imported parts, the new OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 40GB SSD’s special introductory pricing of $99.99 makes it the lowest priced SSD on the market to offer three key high performance features:

Industry leading sustained Read AND Write speeds over 260MB/s (with peak speeds up to 285MB/s).
Best in class error correction (ECC) and SandForce RAISE™ redundancy with 7% over provisioning.
SandForce DuraClass™ technology with ultra-efficient Block Management & Wear Leveling for long term durability.
The OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD line, which has won Editor’s choice awards and review comments like “Eye popping speed with consistent performance over time”, “Best write speeds we’ve seen”, and “The fastest SSD to hit our test bench yet” from leading performance testing sites like Tweaktown, Hot Hardware, MacPerformanceGuide, Maximum PC, Storage Review and Benchmark Reviews, is available for immediate ordering in nine configurations from 40GB to 480GB starting at $99.99. All models are Macintosh® and PC compatible and install easily into notebooks, as well as into desktops/towers with an OWC Multi-Mount adapter kit sold separately.

For more information on the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD line, including Reseller inquiries, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/internal_storage/Mercury_Extreme_SSD_Sandforce For more information on the OWC Multi-Mount drive adapter kit useful for securely installing smaller form factor (2.5″ & 3.5″) hard drives and SSDs into larger sized (3.5″ & 5.25″) drive bays in Apple Mac Pro, Apple PowerMac, PC desktop, and PC tower computers, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/owcpages/multimount/multimount.html

Doesn’t Slow Down With Use Like Ordinary SSDs
Ordinary SSDs offer fast read/write performance during first initial uses, but then experience significant write speed degradation over repeated usage. Independent simulation tests by leading drive performance experts (http://macperformanceguide.com/SSD-RealWorld.html) confirm the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD’s ultra-efficient Block Management & Wear Leveling technologies are able to eliminate virtually any reduction in data transfer speeds over heavy long term usage of the drive and without dependency on less than effective OS TRIM management.

Longer Notebook Battery Runtime
Because the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD uses as little as 1/3 the power compared to the most power efficient 2.5″ hard drives and up to 1/2 less power than other leading brand SSDs without any performance sacrifice, notebook users can now maximize their “unplugged” mobile use time while desktop/tower users can enjoy the benefits of a more energy efficient system.

Video Highlights Performance Gains
The OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD models are an ideal way for typical Mac or PC desktop and/or notebook computer users to dramatically increase the performance of their existing machine. In several side-by-side comparison tests (http://eshop.macsales.com/Video/SSD/Performance_Test) the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD was able to boot the OS and load six apps up to four times faster than the factory stock configuration. And even older machines equipped with an OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD saw an up to 2.5 times faster performance gain over newer machines with faster processors and more RAM.

“Throughout this revolutionary product’s evolution, it has scored numerous industry achievements,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “From being initially announced as the fastest SSD on the market, to offering the highest capacity found in a SandForce-based SSD, to now offering the most affordable high performance model available on the market, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD line continues to make headlines for all the right reasons.”

Don’t you just love those smug Mac users talking about how easy it was for them to create a photobook of their latest vacation and how they did it in like, “2 minutes; that’s it!”? I know, you secretly wished you had a Mac so you too could be sporting on the iPhoto but you’re stuck with a PC. Well, don’t worry, ’cause you don’t have to wait an eternity for Microsoft to make a good iPhone clone because Rocketlife did it for them.

Rocketlife is an online photo processor that lets you make calendars, cups, posters, and, yes, photobooks. With just some of your photos, Internet Explorer, a broadband connection, and some creativity, Rocketlife is going to set you up with one sweet photobook…in just minutes. Now you can be like our reviewer, Rebecca, and take your sweet time to nail down that awesome custom look if you want, but it’s not required. Either way, Rocketlife offers a pretty impressive option to iPhoto-wishing PC users to use. Take a look at Rebecca had to say in her review. You may never look at iPhoto again!

Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech) announced today the NewerTech MAXPower® G4/7448 Single and Dual Processor Upgrades starting at $399 for Power Macintosh G4 AGP Graphics/Sawtooth, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital/Audio, or Quicksilver model computers. MAXPower Processor Upgrades are the world’s only available and shipping G4 7448 processor upgrades, delivering better performance than even new Intel-based Macintosh systems as well as up to 40% faster performance over competing 7447A processor upgrades.

In both standard benchmark applications, as well as in real-world application testing, the results show the incredible performance gains of the MAXPower G4/7448 Processor equipped PowerMac G4s. In a real-world Adobe Creative Suite Photoshop action test, the MAXPower was actually FASTER than the latest 2.33GHz iMac Core 2 Duo system. When compared to an Intel Core Solo 1.5GHz equipped Mac mini, MAXPower Processor Upgrades delivered up to 4.6 times faster performance during intensive CPU usage.

MAXPower G4/7448 Processor Upgrades utilize state-of-the-art, latest generation Freescale 7448 processors and are 100% compatible with existing hardware, application software, and OS 9.2.2 and OS X 10.3.5 or later with NO operating system modifications needed. By upgrading an existing PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics/Sawtooth, Gigabit Ethernet, Digital/Audio, or Quicksilver model with a MAXPower Processor Upgrade, users can enjoy faster performance better than the latest Intel based Macs while maintaining their original system investment.

Performance increases are achieved with a strategic set of engineering enhancements, including 1MB of on-chip L2 cache fully pipelined for two-cycle throughput, a full implementation of AltiVec™ technology featuring enhanced support for out-of-order instruction, and the use of 90 nanometer silicon on insulator (SOI) CMOS process technology to dramatically increase clock and bus speeds while reducing power requirements.

MAXPower Processor Upgrades are easily installed in 10 minutes or less and offer a hassle-free solution to obtaining a huge boost in G4 performance. Now, instead of buying an expensive new system plus the additional cost and hassle of installing software and hardware upgrades to work with the new system, PowerMac G4 owners can continue to use and enjoy their current system with the highest performance available.

“Apple built the PowerMac G4 to last and our new MaxPower G4/7448 Processor Upgrades give these systems an unprecedented level of processing power,” said Larry O’Connor, President of Newer Technology. “Using less power and running cooler than the competition, no other G4 processor upgrade even comes close to MAXPower’s capabilities. When you consider the cost of not only a new computer, but also the cost of software needed to get best use from it, NewerTech’s MAXPower upholds our long standing reputation of cost-effective solutions which make a NewerTech enhanced system ‘Better than New’.”

MAXPower G4/7448 Processor Upgrade Highlights:

• Up to 12X MORE processing power
• Up to 40% FASTER than 7447 processor upgrades
• Runs FASTER and COOLER while using LESS power than other processors
• Fast 1MB L2 1:1 on-chip cache for GREATER processor throughput
• Plug and Play – 100% compatible with existing hardware and software
• Use with Apple OS 9.2.2, All Apple OS X 10.3.5 & later
• Easy to install – user installable in 10 minutes or less
• Full 128-bit implementation of AltiVec™ technology
• Expanded DFS power management capability
• 64-bit bus interface

“We are so confident in user satisfaction of these products as well as product quality, we offer a 30-day 100 percent money back guarantee in addition to the three-year warranty these products include when purchased from our distributor, Other World Computing, or any NewerTech authorized reseller,” added O’Connor.

NewerTech MAXPower G4/7448 Processor Upgrades are available in four configurations: 1.8GHz single, 2.0GHz single, 1.7-1.73GHz DUAL, and 1.8GHz DUAL. MSRP pricing starts at $399.00. NewerTech MAXPower Processor Upgrades are available immediately from Other World Computing and other resellers. For more information, visit the MAXPower page.