AMD is finally joining the solid-state drive business. Aside from GPUs and CPUs, AMD is releasing a lineup of SSDs in partnership with Toshiba-owned OCZ.
It is launching three new Radeon R7 SSDs in different storage capacities: 480GB, 240GB, and 120GB. These models utilize the A19nm NAND chips of Toshiba, Barefoot 3 controller by OCZ, and include 3.5-inch drive adapters. Each SSD comes with an Acronis disk cloning software to aid data migration and four-year warranties. As for the pricing, the entry-level model is only $99. The 240GB and 480GB cost $164 and $299.
The SSDs use "a very different firmware that was engineered specifically for this drive," according to OCZ. Not that AMD needs to compete with other SSD manufacturers already in the market but the launch of these new products now makes AMD a one-stop shop. This mean you can get SSDs from the brand aside from the usual lineup of RAMs, GPUs, and CPUs.
AMD alone may not have proven itself in the SSD arena but the brand and its partner OCZ are reliable and well known in the industry. Those people who build their own PC systems will benefit mainly from AMD's new offering.
The Radeon R7 name is after AMD's graphic cards similar naming convention. The AMD-OCZ will be grouped together with OCZ's Vertex 460 and SSDs Vertex 150 series and will also have 550MB/s and 530MB/s read and write speeds.
"The AMD Radeon brand is synonymous with performance and quality amongst PC gamers," said AMD's Director of Memory Roman Kyrychynskyi. "With the new AMD Radeon R7 Series SSDs powered by outstanding OCZ Storage Solutions IP, we bring that reputation to the SSD market with a series of drives that offer an ideal combination of performance, reliability and affordability -- great for gamers building or upgrading a rig," Kyrychynskyi added.
With this new offering from AMD, the company has another shot against its main competitor -- Intel. AMD has yet to prove its worth in the SSD game so this is interesting. It also has to compete against a number of other brands such as Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston, and Crucial.
