SSD makers respond to power consumption claims

Solid state disks have been a hot topic this year, with prices dropping considerably while capacity and speed claims by manufacturers continue to grab headlines. A report by Tom�s Hardware, however, has recently brought one of the often-touted benefits of SSDs to question: power consumption. While it’s almost a common belief that the solid-state approach saves power (after all, SSDs have no moving parts), their tests show how switching to SSD could actually cost you anywhere between 5% and 30% of battery life.

Their results have not gone unchallenged, of course, and today at least a couple of manufacturers have chimed in to shed some light into the matter. According to STEC, data used in the test applies to the current first-generation mass-market SSDs but not necessarily to upcoming drives, which will supposedly come with optimized drivers for better power management. Micron Technology echoed concerns that the review used legacy drives, adding that other factors should be taken into account as well, such as how an SSD-equipped computer might handle more work in the same amount of time.

All valid points, indeed, and are perhaps a reminder that sometimes is best to wait for a second (and improved) generation of any new technology. In any case, there are also other potential benefits to consider besides energy efficiency when buying a SSD, such as speed and reliability – two aspects in which solid state drives apparently excel. Check out Micron’s statement after the jump.

See Also:

• Linux and Mac OS X Eat Away at Windows, Even with XP SP3 and Vista SP1
• Smart Wallpaper Lite 3.2.0 - Change your desktop photos more easily
• Linspire chairman thinks desktop Linux is futile
• Protus Responds to Patent Lawsuit brought by j2 Global Communications
• News from around the web (07/03/08)

[Via TechSpot]