Intel Rolls Out SSD Built For Speed

Intel, which has become noticeably more productive on the solid-state processor front in the last 18 months, on 28 February added to its product line an entirely new SSD series aimed at high-performance users and high-end game enthusiasts.

The new 510 series features fast 6G bps SATA (Serial ATA) throughput and is designed to work optimally with second-generation Intel Core processors. It also employs a fast new SSD (solid-state drive) controller that enables data-read speeds as high as 500MB per second and a sequential write speeds of up to 315 MB per second, said Troy Winslow, Intel’s director of NAND flash product marketing.

New drives

The new drives, which follow on the heels of mini-SSDs (310 series) that Intel announced in January at the Storage Visions conference, are being introduced at the Intel Solution Summit this week in Las Vegas.

The Intel 510 uses 34-nanometre MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash memory. The smaller 310s use a 3 Gbps SATA interface and are aimed at mobile-computing devices and embedded applications.

The 510 SSDs are available in 120GB capacities at $284 (£174)each (price per 1,000 units) and in 250GB versions ($584 each per 1,000 units).

Intel’s strategy, being played out now, is to anticipate the quickly developing demands of the IT market and diversify its SSD designs for specific sectors that include gaming, video, portable PCs and embedded deployments, among others.

Purpose-built SSDs

Intel introduced its first SSDs, the X25-M and X18-M at its Developer Forum in August 2008. The chip maker has been putting out new purpose-built solid-state drives every two or three months since then.

Intel also was a founding member of a new SSD technical standards group, which started work in the fall of 2010.