A-Data announces 512GB SSD

A-Data Technology introduced a new solid state drive (SSD) during the CeBIT 2009 conference in Hanover, Germany, though the drive will likely not come cheap.

The new 2.5-inch, 512GB XPG SSD has a read/write speed of 230MB/s and 160MB/s, although it’ll be interesting to see if reviewers are able to get the same speeds.  The Intel X-25M SSD has read and write speeds of 250 MB/s and 70MB/s, so has faster write speed but is slower when it comes to reading data.

The SATA II-powered device has a durable, aluminum shell casing so it should be able to withstand bumps and turbulence better than regular HDDs.  A-Data will manufacture the drive so it can be used both in notebooks and desktop PCs.

Pricing and availability of the new A-Data SSD has not been released.

Manufacturers are continuing to roll out larger SSDs with faster read/write speeds, while also helping drive down the overall price of the drives.  Analysts still predict it will be years before SSDs are able to take significant market share from HDDs, but they have found a niche market in netbooks and higher-priced systems.