What is this – some kind of flashy, 3-bit consumer SSD? Eh, Seagate?

Seagate has a new line of Nytro consumer SSDs coming using 3-bits/cell flash.

These 2.5-inch form factor consumer SSDs are typically positioned as PC/notebook disk drive upgrade products, providing a data access, app load and boot time performance boost for such disk-bound products.

A 256GB Nytro 141 appears to be available for $85.99 on SuperBiiz although it does not appear on Seagate's website and the company has not announced it.

Tom's Hardware has obtained a 141 product line data sheet which tells us a lot more.

According to that datasheet, there are two Nytro 141 product versions. The capacity optimised one has 256GB, 512GB and 1TB options. The endurance-optimised ones use some flash for over-provisioning and the three capacity points are 240GB, 480GB and 960GB.

Both use a 6Gbits SATA interface, with TLC (3bits/cell) flash, and their read and write latencies are 25μs and 40μs respectively. Peak random read/write IOPS are 92,000/88,000 and peak sequential read/write bandwidth is 560/535 MB/sec. The sustained numbers are lower.

Nytro 141

These SSDs have a five-year limited warranty and the capacity model replaces the old 600 Client series of consumer SSDs launched in May 2013 with 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities. The endurance-optimised Nytro 141 will will take on the role of the old 600 Pro low-end server SSD.

Both 600 SSD products used the 6Gbit/s SATA interface. A later 1200 and 1200 High Endurance line of products used the 12Gbit/s SAS interface and were and are not aimed at the same market.

We expect the Nytro 141 capacity line to come with system disk-to-SDD image copy software and, possibly, a backup facility. Expect an announcement in the next few weeks. ®