Corsair has launched its third-generation Force solid-state drives, delivering SATA 6Gb/s speeds to value-minded consumers. Powered by the same SandForce SF-2281 controller as OCZ's Vertex 3, the Force Series 3 can reportedly hit speeds of up to 550MB/s sequential reads and 520MB/s writes, with up to 85,000 IOPS during 4KB random writes. By comparison, the original Force drives peaked at 280MB/s and 50,000 IOPs. The Vertex 3 240GB lists the same maximum transfer rates as the Force 3, except it supposedly offers 15,000 less IOPS.

Despite claiming similar performance to the Vertex 3 (which most would consider to be today's quickest consumer SSD), Corsair is pushing its latest drives with incredibly aggressive pricing. The 60GB is set at $139, the 120GB costs only $219 while the 240GB is $499 -- all of which are bundled with a 3.5-inch adapter and backed with a three-year warranty. As of writing, the 120GB Vertex 3 is going for $299.99 at Newegg, while the 240GB is $529.99. The Force Series 3 will launch worldwide this month, so keep your eyes peeled for a review.

A-Data revealed its latest contribution to the flash market alongside Corsair's announcement today. Unsurprisingly, the company's new S511 also employs an SF-2200 processor, and we wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it were an SF-2281. A-Data's lineup also consists of 60GB, 120GB and 240GB models with a peak throughput of 550MB/s reads and 520MB/s writes, along with 60,000 IOPS during 4KB random writes. They'll also come with a 3.5-inch adapter and are priced roughly equivalent to the Vertex 3 based on euro to USD conversions.