Revealed at CES, Mushkin is moving into the realms of SSD, with the “Helix” range to complement their RAM product range. The Helix range currently consists of M.2 SSDs, targeted at the enthusiast and high-end desktop and laptop markets. Featuring 3D MLC NAND (from an unknown source) and a Silicon Motion SM2260 controller, the SSDs promise (according to Muskin) improved performance and endurance over previous generation 3D NAND. The drives take the form of the M.2-2280 form factor, running on a PCIe 3.0 4x bus.
The Helix range features 4 models between 250GB and 2TB in capacity. Speeds are rated at 2.5 GB/s sequential read, 1.1 GB/s write (in pseudo-SLC caching mode) and interestingly, 232K random read and 185k random write IOPS. Interesting, because the controller itself is rated for only 240/120K. Mushkin states that they have worked closely with Silicon Motion and have developed optimised firmware to break these barriers. Note that SSD manufacturers tend to quote maximum speeds for the range, so each different SKU may perform differently.
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Chart from Anandtech:
| Mushkin Helix SSD Specifications | ||||
| Capacity | 250 GB | 500 GB | 1 TB | 2 TB |
| Model Number | – | – | – | – |
| Controller | Silicon Motion SM2260 | |||
| NAND Flash | 3D MLC NAND | |||
| Form-Factor, Interface | M.2-2280, PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.2 | |||
| Sequential Read | – | – | 2500 MB/s | |
| Sequential Write | – | – | 1100 MB/s | |
| Random Read IOPS | – | – | 232K | |
| Random Write IOPS | – | – | 185K | |
| Pseudo-SLC Caching | Supported | |||
| DRAM Buffer | Yes, capacity unknown | |||
| TCG Opal Encryption | No | |||
| Power Management | DevSleep, Slumber | |||
| Warranty | 3 years | |||
| MTBF | 1,000,000 hours | |||
| MSRP | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
MSRP and availability have yet to be announced.
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Source: Anandtech, Techpowerup
