Illumina's new sequencers: HiSeq, GAIIx, GAIIe or iScan-Seq

[kmcarr]

I'd like to know which one is newer, GAIIx or GAIIe. Thanks.

The GA IIe is newer. It is built in the same enclosure and has the same fluidics as the IIx. I spoke with an Illumina Regional Manager yesterday and he confirmed that the IIe has different optics than the IIx and in his words "a smaller field of view". The IIe can collect only ~40% of the data that a IIx can, but the IIe costs only half as much as a IIx (~$250,000 USD vs ~$500,000).

The operational costs for the two instruments is identical. The library preparation, cluster gen and sequencing kits and protocols are identical. This means that the cost/read or cost/bp of the IIe will be ~2.5X higher than the IIx.

The IIe is meant for researchers whose budgets and sequencing requirements are smaller.

[Xi Wang]

The GA IIe is newer. It is built in the same enclosure and has the same fluidics as the IIx. I spoke with an Illumina Regional Manager yesterday and he confirmed that the IIe has different optics than the IIx and in his words "a smaller field of view". The IIe can collect only ~40% of the data that a IIx can, but the IIe costs only half as much as a IIx (~$250,000 USD vs ~$500,000).

The operational costs for the two instruments is identical. The library preparation, cluster gen and sequencing kits and protocols are identical. This means that the cost/read or cost/bp of the IIe will be ~2.5X higher than the IIx.

The IIe is meant for researchers whose budgets and sequencing requirements are smaller.

Thanks, kmcarr. I think it's just the market strategy of Illumina.

[NextGenSeq]

HiScan

The iScan-Seq is being released in April and it will have the throughput of the current GA-II. The name has been changed to the HiScan since the "innards" are based on the HiSeq.