Other World Computing has launched a new upgrade SSD, the Mercury Electra 6G. The drive is SandForce-based, and designed for SATA 3.0 ports running up to 6Gbps. This allows sustained read rates of 556MBps, or slightly slower writes at 523MBps. Both speeds are said to be up to seven times faster than stock PC hard drives.
OWC describes the drive as “near bus saturating” whether connected via SATA 3.0 or 2.0. On a 3Gbps v2.0 bus however, sustained speeds drop to 284MBps for reads, and 268MBps for writes.
A basic Electra 6G model costs $230, and includes 120GB of space. Choosing the middle tier bumps storage up to 240GB, but raises the price to $480. The top-end model holds 480GB at a price of $930.
