Apricorn Debuts Velocity Solo X2 ($99)

Apricorn, Inc. announced the latest addition and now the fastest of its Velocity Solo Desktop SSD Upgrade line, the Velocity Solo X2.

It’s a PCIe 2.0 x2 lane card that is capable of delivering speeds upwards of 550MB/s when used with a single SATA III (6GB/s) 2.5" SSD.

Taking advantage of two PCIe 2.0 lanes and using a Marvell 9182 chipset, the Velocity Solo X2 will enable desktop PCs and Macs to take advantage of the speeds in the SSD market.

Designed to fit into a PCIe 2.0 x2 slot or larger (typical installation will use a x4 slot), the Velocity Solo X2 enables users to add an SSD to their desktop system. Connection of the Velocity Solo PCIe 2.0 card to the SSD is via a SATA III (6GB/s) connection. It also provides an additional SATA III data connection that can be used to connect to another SSD or HDD to provide expanded  storage.

For those that have PCIe x1 slots in their desktop, Velocity Solo X1 using ASMedia’s 1061 controller chip also provides a fast upgrade solution. Priced at $49 (Velocity Solo X1) and $99 (Velocity Solo X2) the Velocity Solo family offers a solution for boosting desktop performance, whether looking to enhance performance of a new system for high end applications, or to breathe new life into an older machine.

• Boot in an instant, open applications in a flash and slash save and import times: The Velocity Solo X2 is the tool to take your desktop to the max. Upgrading your system from a standard 3.5" desktop drive to a fast SSD to run those high end computing applications, but it’s also great for improving gaming experience.
• Boot in one third the time
• Import, open and save large files up to 5x faster
• Open applications up to 20x faster
• Fast disk access during game play for a smoother gaming experience

Features

• Upgrades your system to an SSD with a SATA III connection
• Fits into a single PCIe 2.0 x2 slot in your computer
• Compatible with both desktop PCs and Apple’s Mac Pro
• Auxiliary SATA III connector for a fast connection to an additional hard drive or SSD

Install
Connect your 2.5" SSD to the Velocity Solo SATA III connector and slide into an available PCIe 2.0 x2 slot (or larger) in your desktop. Once installed, clone your hard drive to your new SSD, update your computer’s BIOS and your upgrade is complete.

The Velocity Solo is bundled with Apricorn’s EZ Gig IV Cloning Software with Data Select. A cloning program that enables to deselect data folders from the cloning process; useful for migrating from a large capacity HDD to a smaller capacity SSD or for creating a boot disk. Run your OS and applications from a fast, smaller SSD boot drive, and keep your documents and media files on your original hard drive.

"With the popularity of our original Velocity Solo Upgrade Kit, we knew that we wanted to up the ante and take advantage of the greater PCIe speeds that larger slots afforded," said Mike McCandless, VP of Sales and Marketing at Apricorn. "By creating the Velocity Solo X2, we were able to take the SSD upgrade a step further with faster PCIe speeds coupled with 6GB/s SATA III interface as well. The result: faster OS, applications, and booting, and an improvement in the gaming experience."

Apricorn’s Velocity Solo Upgrade Kits are available from online retailers and Apricorn’s website.

Pricing

• Velocity Solo X1: $49
• Velocity Solo X2: $99

Includes:

• Velocity Solo PCIe 2.0 card
• Apricorn’s EZ Gig Cloning Software for PC Download
• Mac Users – Clone using Apple’s Built-in Disk Utility

(Solid State Drive sold separately)

Warranty
Three year limited

PC System Requirements

• Full Width Desktop System with a PCIe 2.0 slot (Backwards compatible with PCIe 1.0)
• Velocity Solo compatible with SATA III and SATA II drives
• Internet Access required to download EZ Gig cloning software