¹ 1GB = 1 billion bytes; formatted capacity is less.
² Data taken at 25°C using a 6 Gb/s SATA interface. Power measured while running MobileMark® 2007 Productivity Suite. DIPM (Device-Initiated Power Management) enabled. Power varies with capacity, 256GB drive specs shown here.
³ WRITE speed varies with capacity, 256 GB/512 GB specs shown.
⁴ 7mm drives are 2g lighter.

Designed for Windows® 7

Because our C400 SSD supports the Trim command and identifies itself as an SSD to the OS, it takes advantage of the SSD optimization features built into Windows® 7. It’s a small, but important, differentiation because SSDs manage data differently than a rotating hard drive. After Windows 7 knows it’s working with an SSD, the OS configures itself to optimize performance by canceling useless hard disk-focused tasks like defrag. The Trim command functions like an SSD clean-up utility, enabling the SSD to free up blocks occupied by deleted files, increasing write speeds and stretching drive endurance.

For more about Windows 7 and SSDs, read what Dean Klein, Micron's VP of Memory System Development, has to say in our Innovations Blog.

Where do you envision the C400 SED being used?

The C400 SED is designed to provide data security in mobile computing applications, like laptops used in government organizations and large corporations.

What version and revision of the TCG Opal specification does your drive support?

We support the TCG Storage Security Subsystem Class: Opal Specification Version 1.00 Revision 3.00 4 February, 2010.

What is the value of the C400 SED drive?

Our C400 SED drive provides all the benefits of our client SSDs, but with the added benefit of data security through strong hardware-based encryption.

Why is the C400 64GB capacity branded as the C400v?

The "v" is intended to represent value. We see this as a class of product that is meant to address the cost-conscious system designers and end consumers that are highly interested in the performance and reliability that an SSD provides over traditional storage, but are not willing to pay the higher price required for what are deemed the mainstream capacities in the market, (those being 128GB and above).

Why is hardware encryption better than software-based encryption?

Traditional software-based encryption is known for performance degradation, high implementation and management costs, and security vulnerabilities through the memory, operating system, and BIOS. Hardware encryption offers several key advantages as a data-security solution: it does not slow performance by burdening the CPU; it is more secure because authentication is performed in the hardware, independent of the operating system; and it offers easy, cost-effective integration and management.

Whose firmware is used on the C400 SED drive?

All firmware was designed, developed, and tested by Micron’s engineering teams.

Is the C400 SATA 6Gb/s SSD backward compatible with legacy SATA interface speeds?

Yes, the C400 supports the full range of SATA interface speeds, including SATA 6Gb/s, 3Gb/s and 1.5Gb/s. The drive will "auto downshift" to the appropriate interface speed upon completion of negotiation with the host.

Is the C400 available in an industrial temperature option?

No. Micron’s C400 SSD is designed with commercial temperature applications in mind. The drive supports 0°C to +70°C operating temperature ranges.

Is the C400 a good choice for enterprise applications?

The C400 is designed and optimized for the client computing segment. With that being said, there are pockets of applications within the enterprise computing space where the C400 can be a good fit. The C400 is designed with MLC NAND technology, whereas typical enterprise SSDs are designed with SLC technology due to the extended endurance and performance they provide. If the C400 is being considered for an enterprise application, Micron recommends reviewing the endurance specification in the C400 data sheet to ensure the total bytes written specified aligns with the expected application usage.

What is the Trusted Computing Group Opal specification, and why is it important?

The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) is a worldwide not-for-profit organization that develops open standards to enable data, system, and user security, as well as hardware regulatory compliance. TCG’s Storage Work Group Opal Security Subsystem Class Specification defines specifications for implementing security technologies for fixed media storage devices in the consumer and enterprise storage system market. By using a widely accepted and trustworthy industry standard such as TCG, organizations can reduce their TCO (total cost of ownership) and be better-protected against data breach.

What is the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)? Do you meet it?

FIPS is a publicly announced standard developed by the U.S. government to regulate information processing. The FIPS 140 standard relates to cryptography modules, which is relevant to hardware-encrypted drives. The C400 SED’s encryption algorithms are FIPS-certified (see the list below), but we have not completed FIPS 140-2 certification on the entire drive, a process that can take more than nine months.

• Micron 400 AES Module—Cert. #1704
• Micron 400 DRBG Module—Cert. #105
• Micron 400 RSA Module—Cert. #833
• Micron 400 SHA 256 Module—Cert. #1487

The hardware in the C400 SED looks very similar to your C400 drives. What’s different?

The C400 SED leverages the same controller and NAND that the C400 uses, but an entirely different firmware structure and organization. Featuring an AES-256 encryption engine coupled with powerful firmware algorithms, the C400 SED provides hardware-based data encryption in accordance with TCG-Opal standards for trusted peripherals and government data security.