Fusion-io ioXtreme PCI Express SSD, Tested and Burned In
The first time we looked at Fusion-io's ioDrive product, we offered the notion that it was a "disruptive technology", something that had the potential to set the industry on its ear. Of course the ioDrive is an enterprise-class product that showed the significant potential of PCI Express direct-attached SSD storage but its cost structure was such that the mainstream market couldn't possibly even begin to justify it, no matter what the upside performance looked like. And then of course we heard of Fusion-io's more consumer-targeted play, the ioXtreme, which debuted at E3 this past summer. Obviously, E3 is a consumer electronics entertainment venue so it became abundantly clear that Fusion-io wasn't only productizing their technology for the enterprise space but for the enthusiast, workstation professional and power user as well.
Today we've got a full deep-dive look at Fusion-io's ioXtreme PCI Express Solid State Drive. Weighing in at a pricey $899 for 80GB (standard card), it's definitely still a high ticket item but it's at least approachable now, for those of you that have the need for speed as they say. Just how much speed? And what about RAIDing a couple of these bad boys together? We aim to quantify that for you, as well as a couple of the product's early release caveats, in the pages ahead.
