Kingston Digital launches next generation SSD Technology for corporate client system use 

• New 96 GB drive extends existing range of capacities to cater for different needs and usage
• “Always on” garbage collection function allows SSD to be optimized in both TRIM and non-TRIM supported operating systems
• New Kingston SSDNow V+100 offers 25 percent performance increase over the previous generation thanks to improved controller

Sydney, Australia – Nov 15, 2010 — Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the launch of its next generation SSDNow V+ solid-state drive (SSD), the Kingston SSDNow V+100. The new V+100 provides corporations with a viable solution to extend the life of currently installed client systems while meeting user performance expectations.

The new range is not OS dependent and features enhanced ‘garbage collection’ making it a solid upgrade path to extend the life cycle of older client systems. The V+100’s drive performance has also been increased by 25 percent, enabling more efficient data transfer over the previous generation. In addition, a new 96 GB capacity has been added to the family offering a broader range of choices to enterprise customers.

“Kingston SSDNow drives have been extremely well received in the worldwide IT marketplace. Our customers have explained they need an SSD solution that ideally sits both price- and capacity-wise between the 64GB and 128GB drives,” said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. “The feedback through our innovative customer facing programs have yielded the 96 GB V+100 as the perfect solution to meet these needs considering an SSD upgrade path is the preferred execution model rather than spending more on a new system in most corporate environments.”

“Managing costs while also meeting increased performance demands are the major factors driving more and more global IT decision makers to upgrade their PC assets with an SSD drive rather than purchasing new systems,” said Mark Peters, Senior Analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group. “Kingston’s new SSDNow V+100 Series also enables a greater ‘straddling’ of operating systems; its compatibility (including the ‘garbage collection’ feature) with both XP and Windows 7, means that users can enjoy immediate benefits of cost-effective performance improvements for their XP systems and/or as they move to Windows 7.”

The new Kingston SSDNow V+100 also has an enhanced ‘always-on’ garbage collection feature, which cleanses redundant data from the drive to prevent performance degradation and maintains the drive over its life cycle. Since the ‘garbage collection’ scheme operates independently from the OS, it works with both modern, TRIM-supporting systems such as Windows 7, as well as older legacy OS’ such as Windows Vista and XP that do not support TRIM. This means the drive can maintain optimal performance levels without additional upkeep costs or manual software maintenance.

Due to an improved controller that enables more efficient data transfer, the new SSDNow V+100 drive has shown a 25 percent performance improvement over the existing V+ drive when tested with the PCMark Vantage benchmark.

Backed by a three-year warranty, free tech support and legendary Kingston reliability, the new series with a 2.5” form factor is available in 64GB, 96GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com/anz. To help IT decision makers quantify the financial benefits of upgrading to SSDs, Kingston Technology has created the Kingston SSDNow ROI calculator. To find out more please visit: http://www.kingston.com/anz/ssd/default.asp.

Kingston SSDNow V+ 180 Features and Specifications:
• Sequential Speed1: 230MB/sec. read; 180MB/sec. write
• Capacity2: 64GB, 96GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• PCMark Vantage3:
64 GB – 35,046
96 GB – 34,971
128 GB – 35,073
256 GB – 34,795
512 GB – 34,697
• Performance: PCs boot 3 times faster than a standard HDD; applications opened 2.5 times quicker; enhanced productivity makes users more efficient
• Silent: Runs silent and cool with no moving mechanical parts
• Ease of Upgrade: Upgrade times can be reduced by up to 4 hours
• Support: Simplicity, speed and endurance of SSDs decreases calls to IT departments, freeing up staff to focus on core responsibilities
• Shock Resistant: No moving parts so the SSD handles rougher conditions than a hard drive
• Supports TRIM: TRIM notifies the SSD which data blocks are available to be written to
• Supports S.M.A.R.T.: Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology
• Guaranteed: Backed by a three-year Kingston warranty, free tech support
• Power Specs: .8W (TYP) Active / 0.05W (TYP) Idle
• Storage Temperatures: -40° C to 85° C
• Operating Temperatures: 0°C to 70° C
• Dimensions: 69.85mm x 100mm x 9.5mm
• Operating Shock: Operating 2.7G
• Vibration: Non operating 20G
• Weight: 64GB, 96GB, 128GB, 256GB=128g; 512 GB=150g
• Life Expectancy: 1 million hours MTBF

1 Based on internal testing. Performance may vary based on system settings.
2 Some of the listed capacity on a Flash storage device is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. As such, the actual available capacity for data storage is less than what is listed on the products. For more information, go to Kingston’s Flash Guide at kingston.com/flash_memory_guide.
3 Test System: Intel® DG45ID Desktop Motherboard; Intel® Core 2 Quad Q9550 CPU at 2.83GHz; 4GB system memory; on-board SATA 3Gbps with AHCI-enabled; Windows® 7 Professional x64

Pricing and Availability
Manufacturer: Kingston Digital
Product Name: SSDNow V+ 100
RRP:

Website: www.kingston.com/anz
Australian Distributors: Avnet Australia Pty Ltd, Ingram Micro, Simms International Pty Ltd., Synnex Australia PTY Ltd.
New Zealand Distributors: Ingram Micro NZ, Synnex NZ, Simms NZ
Warranty: Kingston Flash memory is backed by a three-year warranty and free technical support.
Availability: Now

To discuss this product on Kingston Blog, please go to www.kingston-blog.com. To try the game Challenge Your Memory, please go to www.kingston-blog.com/challenge_your_memory/en/. To get the freshest information on Kingston, please go to http://twitter.com/KingstonFEPR.

To find out if your Kingston product is genuine, Kingston also provides an online verification site: www.kingston.com/anz/verify. To try the game Search for Genuine Kingston, please go to anti-counterfeit.kingston-blog.com. For the interesting animation: The Adventures of Rex, please visit: www.theadventuresofrex.com.

About Kingston Digital, Inc.
Kingston Digital, Inc. (KDI) is the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the worlds largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Established in 2008, KDI is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, USA. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com/anz.