The SSD 330 Series is Intel’s latest entry SATA 6Gb/s SSD that gives consumers looking to upgrade existing systems affordable access to SSD performance. This new SandForce SF-2281-based SSD offers improved performance over the existing SATA 3.0Gb/s Intel SSD 320. The new SSD will come in capacities including 60GB, 120GB, and 180GB and offer read speeds of 500MB/s and write speeds of 450MB/s.
Update: Intel SSD 330 Review
The SSD 330 Series is Intel’s latest entry SATA 6Gb/s SSD that gives consumers looking to upgrade existing systems affordable access to SSD performance. This new SandForce SF-2281-based SSD offers improved performance over the existing SATA 3.0Gb/s Intel SSD 320. The new SSD will come in capacities including 60GB, 120GB, and 180GB and offer read speeds of 500MB/s and write speeds of 450MB/s.
A new SSD can extend the life of an aging workstation, and Intel is marketing the SSD 330 to consumers and IT managers looking to get another year or two out of existing systems with a value-oriented SSD. The Intel SSD 330 series will be offered in 60GB, 120GB and 180GB capacities and provides a standard 2.5-inch form factor for drop-in interchangeability with SATA hard drives. Compared to a traditional hard disk drive with spinning disks and moveable parts, SSDs offer a more rugged, low-power storage solution making the SSD 330 a logical upgrade path for aging mobile systems as well.
Intel SSD 330 Specifications:
- Capacity: 60/120/180 GB
- LSI SandForce SF-2281 Controller
- Intel 25nm MLC NAND Flash Memory
- Form Factor: 2.5-inch
- Thickness: 9.5 mm
- SATA 6Gb/s Bandwidth Performance
- Sustained Sequential Read: 500 MB/s
- Sustained Sequential Write: 450 MB/s
- Random 4 KB Reads: 22,500 IOPS
- Random 4 KB Writes: 33,000 IOPS
- Power – Active (MobileMark 2007 Workload):
- 850 mW (TYP)
- Idle: 600 mW (TYP)
- Temperature
- Operating: 0 C to 70 C
- Non-Operating: -55 C to 95 C
Improved Performance Over Hard Drives
The SSD 330 Series uses a SATA 6Gb/s interface, doubling the bandwidth of the SATA 3Gb/s Intel SSD 320 by switching from the old Intel SATA 3Gb/s controller to the new SATA 6Gb/s LSI SandForce SF-2281. The SF-2281 offers up to 500 megabytes-per-second (MB/s) sequential read speeds and up to 450MB/s sequential write speeds for faster data transfers. This is the same controller setup also found in Intel’s high-performance SSD 520. Intel’s testing shows random read performance reaches 22,500 IOPS and 33,000 write IOPS with the SSD 330’s 25nm NAND Flash Memory. This performance will boost application and overall responsiveness on older systems, another area where the SSD 330 significantly outperforms typical consumer hard drives and most other valu-oriented SSDs.
Available today, the Intel SSD 330 Series has a suggested channel price of $89 for a 60GB drive, $149 for a 120GB drive and $234 for a 180GB drive. It is backed by a 3-year limited warranty. The Intel SSD 330 reseller box includes SATA and power cables, a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch drive adapter, screws and installation guide to help the user upgrade their PC. Both the Intel SSD Toolbox 3.0 and Intel Data Migration Software support the Intel SSD 330 Series and are free downloads from Intel.
Intel’s SSD Product Families
The SSD 330 is part of its SSD 300 Family, aimed at entry-level, mainstream client users. Intel offers four product families with distinct specifications and markets. The Intel SSD 500 Family offers higher-performing client SSDs for computer and gaming enthusiasts. The Intel SSD 700 and Intel SSD 900 Families are targeted for data center applications.
