Photo: Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OWC Debuts Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition As First And Fastest SandForce Based IDE/ATA Solid State Drive Available For Mac And PC Desktop/Tower Computers

Fastest 3.5" drive bay IDE/ATA SSD solution on market offers up to 41X faster performance than conventional drives, 7% over provisioning for virtually no speed degradation, RAID-like data protection, and up to 100X higher reliability than standard hard drives- Two upgrades in one...extreme performance in IDE/ATA machines today, fully 2.5" 3G SATA compatible for future performance of up to 285MB/s.Available in five models - 40GB, 60GB, 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB - with prices starting at $129.99

January 5, 2011, Las Vegas, NV -- Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today its new Mercury Extreme™ Pro Legacy Edition Solid State Drive (SSD) line as the first and fastest SandForce® processor based SSD available for pre-Intel® PowerPC® based Macs, PCs, and other desktop/tower computers that utilize an internal IDE/ATA drive. This announcement establishes OWC as the most comprehensive U.S. manufacturer of industry leading SandForce processor based SSDs available today with OWC Mercury Pro brand SSD models available for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade. OWC will be demonstrating the new Mercury Legacy Pro and other first-to-market OWC Mercury Pro SSDs in booth #3935, LVCC North Hall, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which begins tomorrow in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fastest IDE/ATA Drive Available For Legacy Desktops/Towers
With performance up to 41X faster than today’s traditional hard drives, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition offers desktop, tower, and users of other computers that utilize internal IDE/ATA drives the fastest internal drive performance available today. It eliminates tedious drive spin up wait time and delayed system responsiveness by providing near instant data access, system boots, and app loads.

Complete Solution For Easy Install In 3.5" Drive Bays
For easy Plug and Play install into standard 3.5" IDE/ATA drive bays, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition comes complete with a mounting sled and a SATA to IDE/ATA connector cable. Utilizing the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition as a future upgrade in a SATA bus equipped computer and experiencing the drives true performance potential of up to 285MB/s is a simple matter of removing the connector cable.

Five Models Starting At $129.99 MSRP
The new OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition is available immediately in five capacities compatible with pre-Intel PowerPC based Macs, PCs, and other desktop/tower computers that utilize an internal IDE/ATA drive:
  • 40GB Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $129.99
  • 60GB Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $179.99
  • 120GB Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $279.99
  • 240GB Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $579.99
  • 480GB Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $1599.99
For more information on the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition line, including reseller inquires, visit:http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_Extreme_Pro/Legacy_EditionFor more information on the complete OWC Mercury Pro SSD line, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/

Doesn’t Slow Down With Use Like Ordinary SSDs
Ordinary SSDs offer fast read/write performance during first initial uses, but then experience significant write speed degradation over repeated usage. Independent simulation tests by leading drive performance experts (http://macperformanceguide.com/SSD-RealWorld.html) confirm OWC Mercury Pro brand SSD’s ultra-efficient Block Management & Wear Leveling technologies are able to eliminate virtually any reduction in data transfer speeds over heavy long term usage of the drive and without dependency on less than effective OS TRIM management.

Up To 100X Greater Data Protection
Utilizing SandForce DuraClass™ technology, the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition is able to provide up to 100X higher data protection than provided by ordinary SSDs as well as leading enterprise class hard disk drives. By combining the highest level of Error Correction Code (ECC) and SandForce RAISE™ (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology along with 7% over provisioning, the Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition provides RAID like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity. “The Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition SSD line is like getting two upgrades for the price of one,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “It can be used in IDE/ATA based computers today thanks to the included installation kit; and then used as a future upgrade in a SATA based machine to unleash the full performance potential of the drive and the machine.”

OWC Mercury Pro: Most Comprehensive Industry First SSD Line For Macs And PCs
In addition to the Mercury Extreme Pro Legacy Edition line being announced as the first and fastest SandForce processor based IDE/ATA SSD available for pre-Intel PowerPC based Macs, PCs, and other desktop/tower computers, OWC is also unveiling four other industry first Mercury Pro SSD model lines at the CES show:
• OWC Mercury Aura™ Pro Express, the first SSD available for ordering for all 2010 Apple MacBook Air models.
• OWC Mercury Aura Pro MBA, the first high performance SandForce processor based SSD available for all 2008-2009 Apple MacBook Air models.
• OWC Mercury Aura Pro 1.8", the first and fastest SandForce processor based SSD available for netbooks, subnotebook, and other computers that utilize an internal 1.8" sized SATA drive.
• OWC Mercury Legacy™ Pro, the first and fastest SandForce processor based IDE/ATA SSD available for pre-Intel PowerPC based Mac notebooks, PCs, and other notebook/laptop computers.

For more information on the complete OWC Mercury Pro SSD line, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/.

About Other World Computing (OWC)
Other World Computing (OWC) has been providing quality hardware products and support to the computer industry since 1988 and features one of the largest online catalogs of computer, iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad™ enhancement products through its e-commerce portal www.macsales.com. As a member of the Apple Developer Program, OWC also provides extensive US based technical support for Macintosh users around the world as well as Internet access via www.fastermac.net and www.owc.net

OWC’s industry awards and recognition include: Crain’s Chicago Business 2009 “Fast 50” List of 50 Fastest Growing Companies in the Chicago Area; Inc. 5,000 “Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America” list honoree 2007-2010; Reseller Ratings Elite Member 2009 & 2010; Better Business Bureau Top Rating of A+ 2010; Reflex Packaging Commitment to Excellence Recycling Award 2009; Computerworld MagazineTop Green-IT Companies for 2008; and McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 Business Champion Award. In March 2010, OWC’s corporate campus was designated as LEED Platinum by the Green Building Certification Institute (http://eshop.macsales.com/green/index.html). Platinum is the highest achievable LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program level, which began in 1998. Out of more than 14,000 LEED projects engaged worldwide since the program's inception, OWC is one of less than three hundred to achieve the Platinum standard. In September 2010, OWC’s headquarters earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR rating for building operations that perform in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.
Company Contact:
Bill Herring
512-412-4009
bherring@macsales.com
Agency Contact:
Andy Marken
408-986-0100
andy@markencom.com