Kool Tools: Sonnet's Fusion PCI Flash Drive
Sonnet's (www.sonnettech.com) Fusion PCIe Flash Drive is a rugged, pocket-size solid-state drive (SSD) storage device with 256GB or 512GB storage capacity.
The Sonnet flash drive serves as an alternative to USB thumb drives and portable SATA-based hard disk drive and SSD storage products. It connects to a compatible Mac or Windows computer, or at the end of a Thunderbolt device daisy chain, via an attached 0.5-meter Thunderbolt cable.
Measuring 1.75 inches wide by 4 inches deep by 0.8 inches tall and small enough to fit in a user's pocket, the Fusion PCIe Flash Drive's enclosure is crafted out of aluminum. This is designed to transfer heat from the SSD and allowed Sonnet to design the device without a fan to enable silent operation. The design also enabled the device to be bus-powered and require no power adapter.
The new drive will be available in June at an manufacturer's suggested retail price of US$499 for 256GB and $799 for 512GB.
Sonnet designed the Fusion PCIe Flash Drive around the latest generation M.2 PCIe SSD module, which is the fastest standard SSD type now available, and a 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2 interface that provides the bandwidth necessary for the device to sustain ultra-high file transfer speeds — fast enough to support 4K workflows. Capable of transferring files at over 1200 MB/s, the Fusion PCIe Flash Drive's SSD module incorporates a PCIe Gen 3 flash controller.
The Fusion PCIe Flash Drive was designed for anybody requiring high-speed storage capabilities, and it is especially well suited to serve as an ultra-fast shuttle drive or a take-anywhere drive for editing 4K video at offsite shoots. OS X users may install the operating system on the Sonnet device to create a fast boot drive, while OS X and Windows users can use the Fusion PCIe Flash Drive for instant-access media storage or as a high-performance scratch disk.