KingFast 120GB F3 Series mSATA 3.0 KF1310MCF MLC Synchronous Fixed TRIM [F/W 5.0.4] Solid State Drive Review @ ModSynergy.com
By: Michael Phrakaysone
If you've been keeping track of prices on memory and storage solutions, you might have noticed that they have been gradually dropping. Not only are DDR3 memory prices falling, storage mediums such as the conventional spinning hard disk are finally dropping in price from the recent price hikes that have affected customers and given hard drive manufactures huge profits.
The manufacturers were claiming that the higher prices that we saw were caused by the floods that affected Thailand late last year, where a good number of these hard drives are produced, although I only believe in parts of their story. In my opinion, I believe the manufactures (and partly the media) used the floods as an excuse, exploiting the situation in order to charge extra for a longer period of time.
The negative that came of out of the hard drive situation became a positive for Solid State Drive awareness and acceptance. It made way for the SSD to increase its awareness as a viable option for hard drive replacement because SSD manufactures took this opportunity to implement deals to place their SSD's price in line with the price hikes of conventional spinning hard disks. The price hikes to hard drives were ridiculous at one point because the amount of money you spent on a one, you could have purchased an SSD instead, and the noticeable improvement you would have gained would have shocked you and made you a customer for life.
SSDs continue to fall in price and some offer incentives such as main-in-rebates to entice customers to buy their products. Some customers though are not sure what brand is best to pay for. Most people who know a bit regarding SSDs know that there are a handful of companies that offer them, but always flock to the popular big brands. But what about the companies you don't know about? Do you just turn a blind eye and not give them a chance? Aren't most of these computer products made in China in the first place? What if it was possible to obtain just as high quality of a product but not pay more based on the brand name?
This leads me into introducing the KingFast brand. New Shenzhen Kingfast Storage Technology Co., Ltd. is a Chinese company based in Shenzhen, China founded in 2008 by experts in the field of digital data storage technology. They are one of the leading professional manufacturers of the solid state drive in China today, and do everything in-house from the beginning of research and development, to full-fledge production while their products pass international certifications for as FCC, CE, ROHS to ensure product quality. It doesn't hurt that they also work with first-tier companies around the world as well.
Always looking to review the products from companies that most have never heard of and looking for the unique products that customers might want to own, I jumped at the possibility in reviewing the newest member in the KingFast family, the F3 Series mSATA 3.0 SSD.
Sporting 120GB of Intel MLC Synchronous NAND flash memory while making use of the SandForce SF-2281 controller, read on to know more about the KingFast brand and what you can expect from their SSD's. With a three year warranty on the KF1310MCF, read on to see new results with the latest fixed TRIM firmware version 5.0.4.
About New Shenzhen Kingfast Storage Technology Co., Ltd.
New Shenzhen Kingfast Storage Technology Co., Ltd. is a Chinese company based in Shenzhen, China founded in 2008 by experts in the field of digital data storage technology. They are one of the leading professional manufacturers of the solid state drive in China today and do everything in-house from the beginning of research and development to full-fledge production and products pass international certification such as FCC, CE, ROHS to ensure product quality. It doesn't hurt that they also work with first-tier companies around the world.
KingFast F3 Series KF1310MCF Product Overview
The KingFast F3 Series KF1310MCF is a mSATA SSD that operates through the SATA 3 6Gbps interface. This mSATA SSD is designed for use in ultrabooks, thin notebooks, netbooks and PC motherboards that offer the mSATA connector for use as a boot/cache drive. A cache drive is when you use an SSD such as this one in conjunction with a regular spinning hard drive to improve read and write access times, increasing overall system performance. Aside from those applications, mSATA SSD's are perfectly suited for use in tablets and embedded systems based on the tiny stature.
The KingFast F3 Series KF1310MCF is an mSATA 3.0 based SSD that measures 51 x 30 x 3.5mm (L x W x T) making it the size of two Canadian quarters (25 cent coins). I reckon this is smaller than some USB key drives and also super lightweight coming in at around 7 grams, and 25g when paired with the included mSATA to 2.5" SATA adapter.
Components play a big part in the quality of a product and KingFast knows this. The F3 Series KF1310MCF sports the reliable SSD controller from SandForce. This is not our first time across the SF-2281VB1-SDC controller because this same processor was seen in past reviews of the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S and Patriot Memory WildFire SSD.
KingFast F3 Series KF1310MCF Product Specifications
About SandForce
‘SandForce Flash Storage and SSD Processors are designed to provide innovative and differentiated solutions for standard NAND flash memory to reliably operate in enterprise storage environments. SandForce Flash Storage and SSD Processors with DuraClass technology provide SSDs with best-in-class reliability, performance, and power efficiency.’
‘SandForce® Flash Storage and SSD Processors use DuraClass™ technology with RAISE™ and patented and patent pending DuraWrite™ to drive ubiquitous deployment of volume flash memory into primary and I/O intensive data storage applications. SandForce Driven™ SSDs dramatically optimize mission-critical application reliability, IT infrastructure ROI, green power preservation, and everyday computing user experiences.’
About SandForce SF-2200/2100
‘Today’s award-winning SandForce Driven™ SSDs are well known for their performance and features. The SandForce® SF-2200/2100 - the second generation of SandForce SSD Processors - continue accelerating SSD deployment in enthusiast and mainstream client computing platforms. The SF-2200/2100 is an ideal solution for portable storage applications where power consumption, boot-up time, application performance, responsiveness, and small form factor are important.
The Client SSD Processors have integrated enhanced DuraClass™ Technology that is architected to leverage today’s densest SLC and MLC NAND flash memory. They deliver best-in-class performance, endurance, security, and power efficiency in a “DRAM-less”, single chip solution.’
Features:
- Second generation SSD Processor with enterprise-class features for cost-sensitive client environments
- 6Gb/s SATA III with NCQ support
- Best-in-class, consistent read and write performance (500MB/s, 20K Random Writes IOPS) for client applications
- Automatic double encryption (AES-256, 128), TCG OPAL and password at the drive level ensures secure data protection
- Supports the latest 3xnm & 2xnm SLC & MLC flash memory with Asynch/Toggle/ONFi2 interfaces
- DuraClass™ technology provides best-in-class endurance, performance, and low power
- Optimized, single-chip eliminates need for external memory saving cost, power and space
- High integration supports up to 512GB on a 2.5” or 1.8” drive
- Power balancing optimizes energy consumption (# active flash devices) vs. performance
- Ultra low-power mode to maximize battery life
- RAISE™ provides RAID-like protection for single SSD client systems
- Highly intelligent block management & wear leveling optimizes SSD longevity
- Complete solution provided through ASIC, FW, turnkey reference designs, tools, documentation and support
First Impressions
This review will mark our first foray into the mSATA based solid state drive. Most of our SSD reviews have been of the 2.5" variety, but there has been lots of buzz about mSATA because of the size dynamic. The wave of new ultra-thin notebooks (driven by Intel), netbooks, and some PC motherboards (Intel based) support this attractive form factor that allows the user to have the mSATA SSD as a boot or caching drive. New Intel motherboards such as the 6/7 series come with Intel Smart Response Technology that allows you use an SSD in conjunction with the regular spinning hard disk.
Being the first KingFast SSD product I've ever reviewed, I was anxious and energized going into this review. Not knowing anything beforehand about the product leaves me with an open-mind and unbiased viewpoint.
The design of the box is environmentally sensible because it's compact and easy to dispose of. Comprised out of a paper outer shell, a well thought out cardboard enclosure seals the SSD out of harm's way with foam padding for security. No plastic is used within the packaging meaning it's even easier to recycle. There was not even a hint of damage to the package being travelled through China to Canada.
The actual design of the outer packaging is simple but looks respectable. A classic black color design always works and this is done right with balance and doesn't have empty spaces that throw off the design. The top left contains the blue, orange, and white logo with a leading line across to the right hand side with the word KingFast SSD. The acronym SSD is placed on corners of the box to attract attention. About the only thing missing on this box is a sticker or indication of the controller being from SandForce. The SSD controller is an important piece of information and I thought that it would have been included somewhere on the packaging, however, it was not.
The front contains the model number and size of the SSD, features and quick specifications. The KF1310MCF (m-SATA 3.0) has a max sustained read/write of 559/514MB/s, operates on the SATA III 6Gbps interface, over voltage and over current protection, and supports TRIM. On the rear of the box is the contact information of Shenzhen Kingfast Storage Technology Co., Ltd.
Inside the box there is a enclosed corrugated insert which is simple but effective. It contains the KingFast logo on the front and folds open in three parts that contains the product in foam protected inserts. In the box there is the KingFast 120GB KF1310MCF mSATA 3.0 SSD, KingFast mSATA to 2.5" SATA adapter and two screws for mounting the SSD into the adapter. The last piece is a KingFast warranty card for three years warranty.
Editors Note: The addition of the KingFast mSATA to 2.5" SATA adapter is a wonderful bonus to this package and was a pleasant surprise to say the least! I'm not aware of any other SSD manufacture who bundles such an adapter with their mSATA SSD. For KingFast to bundle their mSATA adapter with their mSATA SSD is excellent for the customer and gives them added flexibility. These adapters alone run for at least $20-25. Brilliant move KingFast!
In this case, with a mSATA drive such as the KingFast KF1310MCF, the form factor is an advantage because you don't really need any extras. All you really need is the SSD as you simply pop open your ultra-thin notebook, netbook, or PC motherboard, locate the mSATA connector (as shown in the gallery) and pop the SSD in. In our case, the included KingFast mSATA to 2.5" SATA adapter makes it easier for us to test the product on our test machine.
Visual Overview
The 120GB KingFast KF1310MCF mSATA 3.0 SSD doesn't come in an enclosure like other 2.5" and larger units, meaning there is nothing to break open. This makes it easy to show you the internals of the SSD because it's all visible. Being smaller than two adult sized fingers, you must handle it with care and prevent it from falling. Although there is no mechanical moving parts, all the tiny and intricate solder work for the Intel MLC NAND flash chips, transistors, protection, and PCB might break if not handled with care.
In the front of the KF1310MCF there lies a KingFast sticker that gives the description of the product, model number, and size of the device. This sticker sits on top of the MLC NAND flash memory. There are two NAND flash chips on top, and two chips on the bottom in the form of Intel 29F32B08JCME2.
Since this is the 120GB version of the KF1310MCF, each of the four chips are 32GB each in size and manufactured by Intel Corporation, with only 120GB (before formatting) being used and the rest reserved for firmware and SandForce controller functions. These chips are MLC NAND flash chips and are produced under the 25nm process and are of the costlier and performance based synchronous selection. Synchronous NAND flash memory are faster than their asynchronous counterparts. These are rated for a program-erase cycle of 5000 before the wear begins to deteriorate the integrity of the storage, however, that is where the SandForce SF-2281 SSD controller comes in to extend the lifecycle of the SSD with its block management and wear leveling algorithms. Other companies may use NAND flash memory that is only rated for a program-erase cycle of 3000, so it is nice to see KingFast using longer lasting memory.
This processor is the SandForce SF-2281 and is used to support features such SATA 6GB/s with Native Command Queuing support, TRIM, automatic data encryption AES-128, 48-bit LBA, APM, and has a host of algorithms that control and extend the life of the SSD with features such as Garbage Collection, read and block management for wear leveling purposes.
Above and near the gold plated mSATA connector is the Q.C sticker which states that the product has passed all tests and was rigorously checked in the factory to ensure quality. When the gold sticker is removed it reveals the SandForce SF-2281VB1-SDC SSD controller that is the brains of the SSD.
Flipping the KF1310MCF over we see the remaining Intel 29F32B08JCME2 MLC synchronous NAND flash chips. You can tell it's machine finished since all the solder and contacts are flawlessly finished with no goops or mess. There seems to be no mistakes on this board and everything looks of high quality. There are no re-works on the board, the last thing you want to see on a PCB.
Now let's go over the included KingFast mSATA to 2.5" SATA adapter. The bare PCB allows you to operate any mSATA SSD and connect it to any machine using the standard SATA interface. What is interesting to note (when viewed in the gallery) is the words Intel and Asus printed on the board between the mSATA and SATA connector. There's not a whole lot of components on the board because there's not much converting needing to be done between the interfaces. SATA and mSATA are pin for pin the same, just on a much smaller scale. You have components which handle power such as the Richtek RT9042 positive voltage regulator and other components to regulate power. Then you can see the traces that connects the mSATA to the SATA host controller on your motherboard. About the only fault I can see with this is the mounting points were hand soldered on the back end. This is evidenced by the imperfections, and inconsistency of the solder. Fortunately this doesn't really matter since this is just a mount.
Performance Benchmarks and Real-World Tests
ATTO Disk Benchmark is a trusted and established application that tests raw data in compressible form within the drive being tested. It's demonstrated over the years to supply steady and consistent results, one of the reasons why ATTO Disk Benchmark is the preferred benchmark in order to give a baseline score of maximum throughput performance. Most SSD manufacturers' maximum sequential read/write speed claims are done with ATTO Disk Benchmark for this very reason.
The numbers you see here are the best case scenario numbers you can expect from this SSD. The default transfer size of 0.5 to 8192KB was selected to be tested along with a length of 256MB.
All remaining benchmarks used here such as AS SSD and CrystalDiskMark are testing with (for the most part) Incompressible data, which some SSD drive controllers may or may not struggle with. That is why on occasion you see the disparity between numbers that are in ATTO Disk Benchmark compared to those of other benchmarks. If the numbers are drastically different, you can draw the conclusion that the particular SSD drive controller suffers when reading/writing incompressible data.
For example, in AS SSD benchmark, the write numbers are much different than those of seen on ATTO Disk Benchmark, and the reason is because one is testing Compressible data, while the other Incompressible data. Without further ado, let's see what the KingFast KF1310MCF can do in our Intel based 2012 PC build. Full specifications on our test bed can be found here.
I also found a new and interesting SSD benchmark called Anvil's Storage Utilities that I will start to use from this point on because it tests a variety of scenarios and combines many of what the other benchmarks do separately into one full fledged benchmark with more flexibility. The SSD is tested under different queue lengths for read and write testing, it reports on access times and also IOPS performance. The version I am using is RC2. More information can be found here regarding Anvil's Storage Utilities.
URL: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?273661-Anvil-s-Storage-Utilities
Editors Note [SandForce 5.0.4 = TRIM fixed]: This is Sandforce firmware 5.0.4 that addresses and fixes broken TRIM functionality. This affected any SandForce SSD's that had firmware 5.02 or 5.0.3. Broken TRIM on these SSD's firmware means the SSD performance would degrade over continued normal usage without the user knowing a thing, even if it was being reported as working. The performance drop would continue the more you used the SSD, TRIM wasn't able to do what it needed to keep performance at optimum levels. The guys from TweakTown were the ones that found this issue first. It's best to read their article to know more about this issue.
TweakTown Article URL - Broken TRIM SandForce Firmware
KingFast was contacted about this issue and responded the best they could. They initially provided the Sandforce Field Updater software and Sandforce 5.0.4 firmware for us to flash our KingFast SSD's, but it was unsuccessful after many attempts.
Apparently they had issues re-coding and creating another firmware for our specific SSD's signature and serial numbers, thus we ended up shipping the drives back to be flashed by KingFast themselves, and it was sent back to us with the new firmware. We are assured that all new batches of SSD's will have the latest firmware installed from the factory.
The Results
The following results will alternate between the before and after firmware upgrade to fixed TRIM Sandforce firmware 5.0.4. It is best to go back to our original review of the KF1310MCF to see the original comments and observations on performance, and compare it with the ones seen below with the new 5.0.4 firmware. The comments seen below are directly related to the new firmware results.
Original review: http://www.modsynergy.com/review251.htm
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
AFTER firmware 5.0.4 (0-Fill Compressible)
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
AFTER firmware 5.0.4
BEFORE firmware 5.0.2
I calculated with the stop-watch that boot up time into a brand new Windows 7 installation takes only around 12 seconds, whereas using a 10,000RPM hard drive took between 30-40 seconds. SSD's like the KingFast KF1310MCF makes an amazing difference!
The newest TRIM fixing firmware of 5.0.4 on the KingFast KF1310MCF 120GB mSATA 3.0 SSD provided increased performance in just about every aspect, and in all benchmark applications run. It already made the impressive performance even better! Though it should be said in certain areas (in this case IOPS performance suffered a bit in Anvils Storage Utilities benchmark) that performance actually decreased due to the differences in the firmware. Sandforce actually knows of this bug and situation, and hopes to restore performance in a later firmware.
The newest firmware upgrade allows the KingFast KF1310MCF to experience greater performance, and I'm very happy to see the increased boost with the latest firmware. This shows that TRIM was indeed not working as it was supposed to, that performance was being degraded each time benchmarks were ran. This is clearly evident just by looking at the overall results and how performance was improved. Areas such as 4K performance in AS SSD benchmark, netted greater gains than previously seen. Healthy gains seen in just about every area is something customers should have seen from the start as seen in ATTO Disk Benchmark. Hopefully Sandforce can keep an eye on their firmware's integrity better in the future.
ATTO Disk Benchmark is one area where you can clearly see the differences in performance of the two firmware's. With the new firmware, performance actually increases earlier in the queue lengths, meaning better overall performance. Check out the Read column as the queue lengths grow, the performance from the new 5.0.4 firmware totally dominates the broken TRIM firmware, and the increases are substantially larger. These aren't small increases that don't make a difference, they are really large increases that are really noticeable.
For example, if you look at queue length 16.0 with the old firmware, the read score was 263567 (or ~263MB/s), with the new firmware it is now 330664 (or ~330MB/s), an increase of almost 70MB/s. And it's the same like this (give or take) throughout the queue lengths. This is mind boggling that performance with the old firmware was suffering like this.
In AS SSD benchmark, the total score increased by a full 53 points using the newest firmware! This amount of overall score increase is even more than I saw with the new firmware on my CoreRise Comay Venus 3S SSD review. Performance in 4K queue lengths, both read and write improved very much, even access times were actually lower too.
In HD Tune you can see a visual difference in the improvements made by the new firmware. You can look at the graphs alone and see that it's read benchmark results as cleaner and allows for a higher sustained performance throughout the capacity of the drive. The plot on the graphs are tighter and less squiggly than before, meaning before it was a little inconsistent. These new results mean a faster average speed, higher burst rate, higher minimum speed, and overall faster performance.
On the flipside, in HD Tune's write benchmark results, the plot graph looks worse with the new firmware. It's funny because with the new firmware you still end up getting a higher minimum transfer rate, a higher maximum transfer rate, a higher burst rate, better access times, but the average speed suffered. This area in this benchmark suffered for some reason. But as you continue seeing the other results in HD Tune, you see the new firmware coming out on top for the most part.
Even Anvil's Storage Utilities benchmark netted large overall gains of almost 187 full total points in the incompressible test and netted more than 51 points in the compressible test. Remember when I said IOPS performance suffered with the new firmware? Well in this benchmark at least was where it happened.
In the 0-Fill compressible test, the write 4K QD16 score of a previously excellent score of increased to 91,730.44 IOPS from the already insanely 91,178.26 IOPS fell to 83,503.04 with the new firmware. That sounds bad right? Well it depends how you look at it. I ended up looking at it as performance was being distributed somewhere else.
As I said before, the overall total score actually did improve by a great margin, so though performance fell in terms of 4K QD16 performance, the performance actually increased substantially in the 4K queue length area. People should look to 4K performance because this is what the Windows operating system uses natively, it uses 4K sectors. With the old firmware, 4K write performance scored only 13,902.98, with the new firmware, that increases to now 20,693.59. So in some ways, it's actually better this way.
I said previously with the old firmware that the 120GB KingFast KF1310MCF comes short of offering performance from that of our highest performing unit in the Patriot Memory Wildfire, however, this new firmware closes the gap in that regard. The fact that the KingFast KF1310MCF is targeted towards a different market (in netbooks, ultra-thin notebooks) than the Patriot Memory, not to mention the fact that it's the size of two Canadian quarters compared to the much larger 2.5" Patriot Memory Wildfire, while being able to hang in with the best and not be completely outclassed says a ton.
And if you factor in the price of this 120GB drive being only $95USD, I feel the KingFast KF1310MCF is impressive. In AS SSD benchmark, the KingFast KF1310MCF is 136 points away from the Patriot Memory Wildfire SSD, however, its substantially more inexpensive. For its intended target audience of being a small mSATA 3.0 offering meant for ultra-thin notebooks, notebooks, netbooks, and desktops with the included mSATA to 2.5" drive adapter, the KF1310MCF offers compelling performance for the price and more flexibility of machines you can install it on.
I see no reason why a regular consumer would ever look to upgrade once they ran the KF1310MCF. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop open super quick and every execution is lighting fast. SSD's even make anti-virus and spyware programs finish much faster due to its significantly lower access times.
Something unexpected was that the KF1310MCF managed to best the numbers of its Max Sequential Read/Write (Compressible) numbers of 559/514MB/s in the ATTO Disk Benchmark. It managed in our Intel Core i7-2600K/Intel DP67BGB3 combo an impressive 558MB/s read and 530MB/s write, more than what the specifications call for, and a much more than what the previous broken TRIM firmware managed.
CrystalDiskMark achieved a respectable 275MB/s read, and 188MB/s write sequential speeds, a moderate increase from the past firmware. Don't forget about the 4K test because this one also determines real world performance making use of the NCQ and AHCI support of the SSD. The KF1310MCF manages a healthy increase of 92.02 MB/s write for 4K, up from the old 59.71MB/s score with the old firmware.
Access time numbers were improved with the new firmware and decreased overall resulting in faster performance. Though still a little slower than the Patriot Memory Wildfire and its Toshiba Toggle-Mode Synchronous NAND memory. However, I would say the KingFast KF1310MCF did a fine job at hanging in with the Wildfire, even if they are targeted in different markets and physically different. In no way was I let down, the new firmware made the overall performance improve.
You have to remember something though. The specifications on the SandForce SF-2281 controller states that it provides "best-in-class, consistent read and write performance (500MB/s) for client applications". Well KingFast wasn't about to play it safe and just offer performance of up to 500MB/s.
Likewise with the manufactures who have experience and expertise, KingFast increased these values into 559/514MB/s, and the results show that not only are the numbers attainable, they are beatable, which isn't always the case. This is to be commended and shows that KingFast isn't fooling around. They are serious in making a splash into the SSD market. They are serious about people recognizing the KingFast brand, and the KF1310MCF is only just one of those products that's going to help them achieve their goal.
Conclusion
Walking away from my very first examination of the 120GB mSATA 3.0 KingFast KF1310MCF SSD, I have to say that this has been a positive experience and I feel there is a lot of potential from what I see in KingFast.
Being targeted as a answer for use in ultrabooks, notebooks, netbooks , PC motherboards, tablets and embedded systems, KingFast did not skimp on their choice of components. They selected an established and not budgetary means of an SSD controller in the form of a SandForce controller, they chose to employ quality name brand NAND in the form of Intel's 25nm flash memory, and utilized the faster option in having their memory synchronous in design. They did not opt to make use of cheap and inferior asynchronous memory or an SSD controller that no one knows about. It's clear what kind of manufacture KingFast is by the level of components they use.
The additional bonus of the KingFast mSATA to 2.5" SATA adapter was a wonderful idea by KingFast to give customers the added flexibility. These adapters alone run for at least $20-25 and KingFast put it into the bundle for free, which I can appreciate. This alone is an unlikely addition because I'm not aware of any other SSD manufacture who bundles this adapter with their mSATA SSD. The only imperfection I found on this adapter was the hand soldered mounting point, though it has nothing to do with how it operates.
Performance coming from 2-inches long and 1.1-inches wide mSATA SSD was very good and mind boggling coming from a small chip. We are lucky to be in the era of technological innovation.
I found that customers from the USA/Canada can purchase the KingFast KF1310MCF SSD from M-FACTORS. They are an authorized KingFast reseller located in Santa Ana, California. They have the 120GB model selling for $95USD, and the 60GB model for only $59USD at the time of writing, making both affordable. Shipping is extra, but a flat rate of $5.95 for US shipments is cheap. Shipping to Canada starts from $9.25 which isn't bad at all.
With that said, I can without difficulty recommend the KingFast KF1310MCF mSATA 3.0 SSD to those in search of an upgrade that will provide them performance like no other when upgrading their ultrathin, notebook, netbook, or PC from their old spinning hard drive into the future that is the SSD. I've been impressed enough to award the KingFast KF1310MCF mSATA 3.0 SSD our Editor's Choice award before, and that remains more so with the latest firmware!
