Sun is adding oomph to entry-level enterprise storage arrays with solid-state drives.

Not to worry, the flash-packing storage devices play a supplementary role in the Sun Storage 7310, acting more like cache to improve performance. That cache can swell up to 600 GB, which in concert with with up to 64GB of DRAM, is meant to significantly improve I/O rates.

Mass storage–up to 96 TB worth–is comprised of traditional 7200 RPM SATA drives. Sun envisions that IT shops will be smitten by the application performance boost and power savings of this hybrid approach. The company claims that the 7310 uses three times less power savings than a traditional disk-based array.

Sun’s Storage 7310 Unified Storage System (specs here) is available now. It will set you back $40,165 US for a base configuration.

Kudos to Sun for helping to bridge the hard drive SSD chasm in enterprise storage.