The market for consumer solid-state drives just got slightly more diverse.
Lexar Media announced Monday its latest line of solid-state drives (SSDs), the Crucial M225 SSDs. Lexar has been a known flash storage device maker, while Crucial is a known brand for computer system memory, or RAM.
The M225 SSDs come in three versions, 256GB, 128GB, and 64GB, and offer throughput speeds up to 250MBps in reading and 200MBps in writing.
These drives utilize a SATA 2.0 (3Gbps) interface and feature MLC NAND flash components housed in an industry-standard 2.5-inch drive enclosure. This means they are compatible with all laptops and applications where traditional 2.5 SATA hard drives are used.
For non-traditional applications, together with the M225 SSDs, Lexar also introduced the $30 Crucial SK01 External Drive Storage Kit that turns an M225 SSD into a portable storage device via a USB port or makes it compatible with desktop computers. The kit includes a 2.5-inch USB 2.0 external enclosure, a 3.5-inch SATA 3Gbps hot-swappable drive bay, and a 5.25-inch drive bay bracket.
The new Crucial SSDs are available now and cost $600 for the 256GB version, $330 for the 128GB version, and $170 for the 64GB version. All these drives and the external kit come with a five-year limited warranty.