First Look: RunCore Pro-V

Keeping pace with their growing product line of storage products, RunCore has introduced the Pro-V (MLC) and Kylin-II (SLC) series of SSDs. Benchmark Reviews is testing the 200GB RunCore Pro-V SSD for this article, which is expected to reach speeds of 260 MB/s for sequential reads and 260 MB/s sequential writes. The RunCore RCP-V-S2520-MCN kit is built from the SandForce SF-1200 controller on the inside; outside, the RunCore Pro-V shows off a rough aluminum grain finish on a metal casing that gives the drive a durable look.

Best suited for notebook and desktop computer installations, the RunCore Pro-V SSD could also be utilized for mission-critical backups or high-abuse data systems. RunCore ProV-series Solid State Drives have been designed with a focus on high-performance operational and data transfer speeds, and includes encrypted data protection and improved NAND wear-leveling through the SandForce SF-1200 controller. Although RunCore Pro-V SSDs do not offer any integrated USB Mini-B port, there are several new 2.5" SATA enclosures that utilize SuperSpeed USB-3.0 standard for high-performance portable file transfers.

Standard 2.5" drive bay mounting points are pre-drilled and threaded into the RunCore SSD chassis, which allows for quick upgrade or addition into any existing notebook or desktop system. The mounting positions matched up to the drive bracket on my notebook computer, and after only a few minutes of drive cloning I was quickly loading the Microsoft Windows-7 O/S without a hitch.

Unlike most Hard Disk Drive (HDD) storage products, SSDs are nearly impervious to impact damage and do not require (or benefit from) any kind of special vibration dampening or shock-proof enclosures. RunCore utilizes a standard two-piece metal enclosure for their Pro-V models, which reveals the internal components after removing four small counter-sunk Phillips-head screws located at the bottom of this SSD. RunCore SSDs have a label covering one of the chassis screws, and removing the enclosure cover will remove consumer protection with it. Benchmark Reviews will reveal all of the internal components on our next section anyway, so just be patient and save your product warranty.

Thanks to the SandForce SF-1200 SSD controller architecture (detailed in the next section), the RunCore Pro-V Solid State Drive suggests transfer speeds of 260/260 MBps read/write for high-performance enthusiasts. Now that you're acquainted with the basic exterior features for this RunCore SSD, it's time to peek inside the metal enclosure and inspect the Pro-V's internal components...

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