Specifications, Availability and Pricing

The PhotoFast V4S is a 2.5" SSD that uses the Indilinx Barefoot controller with 64MB cache. This is a pretty common theme these days, but the V4S has an interesting twist. The memory used is not the standard MLC that we have seen with countless other Indilinx controlled drives, but high end SLC memory that is reserved for the enterprise market.

SLC still writes faster than MLC since it doesn't need to clear the block before a write operation happens. At the same time, clearing the block adds wear to the memory so SLC drives have a longer lifespan than MLC.

At 499 USD the V4S is designed for professional use and there won't be too many people purchasing these for their notebooks, even though they would make great drives for personal use. DVNation carries the PhotoFast G-Monster V4S and has them in stock at this time. If you are looking for a significant quantity be sure to check out the distributer site, PhotoFastSSD.com.

When it comes to performance, the V4S is advertised to have 270MB/s read and 190MB/s write. At this time the V4S has the highest rated read speed on the market. It would seem that PhotoFast needs the next generation of SATA to arrive sooner rather than later since they are hitting a ceiling with the current limits of specifications.