
The Corsair SSD Toolbox
Publié le 05/06/2013Par Mike Clements
La gamme Force Series LS propose une prise en charge de SATA 3 6 Go/s pour des performances optimales avec les systèmes les plus récents et une compatibilité maximum, grâce à sa rétrocompatibilité avec SATA 1 et 2. Sa finesse, 7 mm d'épaisseur, le faible dégagement de chaleur et sa solidité font de ce disque de stockage un élément idéal, pour les ordinateurs de bureau comme pour les ordinateurs portables ultra-fins de dernière génération.
Force Series LS features SATA 3 6GB/s support for optimal performance with the latest systems, and it’s backward compatible with SATA 1 and 2 for maximum compatibility. The thin 7mm height, low heat generation, and solid-state reliability make it ideal for everything from desktop PCs to the latest ultra-thin laptops.
Haven't yet moved to SATA 3? Like all Corsair components, Force Series LS SSDs are designed to last through several system upgrades. Adding a Force Series LS today means that you'll still get fast and dependable storage performance now, and your SSD will be ready for your next upgrade.
Force Series LS has a height of 7mm, so it will fit into newer ultra-slim notebooks and laptops.
Force Series LS SSDs feature support for the Windows® 7 TRIM command. This allows them to store only the data they need and perform memory optimization to ensure the fastest possible write speeds.
Because SSDs have no moving parts, they can handle shock, vibration and temperature changes far in excess of traditional hard drives. That's important for desktop PCs, and essential for laptops.
Traditional mechanical hard drives spin at thousands of revolutions per minute. This takes power, and generates noise and heat. Since SSDs have no moving parts, there's no noise or vibration, and the lower power consumption helps keep things cool inside your PC.
Corsair SSD Toolbox is our exclusive software for managing your Corsair solid state drive and maintaining its performance. It's a free download for owners of Corsair SSDs, and it works under Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8.
Much has been written about overprovisioning and its implementation on SSDs. In short, overprovisioning, or OP, is a portion of storage space on an SSD that is reserved for use only by the SSD controller. The three most common uses for this space are wear leveling, the replacement of bad blocks, and read-modify-writes. Overprovisioning serves to help increase both the longevity and performance of SSDs and it is a very common practice among SSD manufacturers.
However, some users would like to be able to buy their SSDs without the built in overprovisioning and make the decision to OP, or not to OP for themselves. They prefer the flexibility of deciding for themselves when to OP and how much space to use based on their specific needs. Corsair has announced and is now offering SSDs without this overprovisioned space.
Corsair SSDs with overprovisioning space typically have used 7% of the total SSD storage capacity. This means that users now have a choice with these new drives to use them with or without overprovisioning. Users can manually overprovision the drives if they wish or, they can leave them at their full capacity with no overprovisioning and enjoy the extra space.
For users of 256GB SSDs, this means they can have an extra 16GB of storage capacity on their drive over the equivalent 240GB overprovisioned SSD. Of course, RAID users will benefit even more as the number of drives is increased.
In reading some of that aforementioned information about overprovisioning, I've found a great deal of very useful information over at Anandtech. Here's a diagram from one of Anand's SSD articles highlighting how overprovisioning works.
Our initial offerings in the non-OP drive arena are in the Force Series GS and the Neutron Series with more to come. For more information on our SSD lineup, please visit our Corsair website SSD page.
To OP, or not to OP. That is the question. Whether tis nobler to the PC performance...
Corsair proudly brings you the Corsair SSD Toolbox. This helpful utility provides users with several powerful and useful tools for use with Corsair SSDs. Let's take a look. Download the Corsair SSD Toolbox HERE.
The Corsair SSD Toolbox will run on:
We have provided a detailed help file which can be accessed by clicking on the question mark symbol shown here circled in red on the upper left side of the screen.
After you select firmware update the tool will scan your drive and check for firmware updates. If there is an update available, the dialogue will prompt you to update the firmware or cancel the operation.
Note: Firmware updates can only be executed when the SSD controller is in AHCI mode. Firmware updating via this toolbox is enabled for The Corsair Series Force 3, Force Series GT, Force Series GS, Neutron Series, and Neutron Series GTX SSDs. Earlier and EOL Corsair drives with firmware updates can be updated manually using the tools supplied on our website.
Note: Corsair recommends that users update their OS drive as attached storage when possible. Some systems will require the SSD to be disconnected briefly before the new firmware version will appear in the Drive Information window.
Additional functions can be activated with the column of buttons down the left side of the toolbox. Corsair is now producing SSDs that do not have factory overprovisioning. For users that desire to manually overprovision their drives, we have provided a function for this. Overprovisioning your drive can contribute to maintaining better performance and adding longevity to your SSD.