Recording and editing video requires handling gigantic files, and in professional environments storage space can't be missing under any circumstances. However, it's those same professionals who want to have the best of both worlds in a single product, without risking the integrity of their work. The folks at Sony offer an alternative with their new 480 and 960 gigabyte SSDs, which deliver durability between 16 and 32 times higher than what you'd see in an average SSD.
If you haven't yet bought a solid-state drive, you've likely noticed a slight increase in their prices. Demand keeps rising, manufacturers are in the middle of a technological transition, and market giants take the opportunity to apply a premium to their stock. Of course, that doesn't benefit the consumer, but in the professional environment other parameters come into play, and no matter how steep the initial investment, the plan is to recover it as efficiently as possible. Experts who record and edit video have relied on traditional hard drives for decades, and they're basically waiting for SSDs to become a more direct replacement. One of the biggest concerns is durability, but the folks at Sony say they've solved that...
The New Sony SSD Series
The new Sony SSD Series G comes in two models: 480 (SV-GS48) and 960 gigabytes (SV-GS96). The Japanese giant doesn't hesitate to highlight the durability of its units, which reaches a total of 1,200 and 2,400 terabytes written (TBW) respectively. If we compare these numbers with the lowest average of 75 TBW, Sony's SSDs are between 16 and 32 times more resistant. In fact, Sony says that for the SV-GS96, those 2,400 terabytes translate to ten years if you completely fill the SSD five times a week. Its connection mechanism allows 3,000 insertions (six times more than the SATA standard indicates), and it's protected against shocks or power interruptions.
The performance of both models is nothing to sneeze at: 550 MB/s in read and 500 MB/s in write. While there are faster units on the market, Sony has found a very good balance with its SSDs. If you want one, you'll have to pay $287 for the 480 GB version or $539 for the 960 GB version. Expensive? Maybe, but if we don't have to replace these SSDs for ten years, they pay for themselves. Their launch is in May.
