Plextor builds M2S SSD on Marvell SATA 6.0 Gbps controller

It’s becoming clearer and clearer which SSD actors will be the most active in 2011. SandForce and Marvell are two of them, both trying to attract new partners all the time. The last is storage expert Plextor that adopts the Marvell 88SS9174 controller for the M2S SSD series.

Marvell 88SS9174 is the same SATA 6.0 Gbps controller we find in Intel 510 and Corsair Performance 3. Plextor has presented the new M2S series that will start shipping in Europe in the near future. Beside Marvell’s SATA 6.0 Gbps controller we find 128MB DDR3 buffer and MLC NAND flash at capacities of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB.

Plextor M2S supports both TRIM and has its own cleaning technology integrated into Marvell’s SSD controller, which will make sure performance is on top even after long time of use. Performance varies between the models since it is dependent on the number of active memory channels, which in turn depends on the number of NAND flash circuits.

Both SandForce and Marvell are making new partners and we look forward to hearing more from other controller makers like Indilinx, JMicron and possible newcomers.