Intel said to release SATA 6.0 Gbps Solid State Drives Next Month

[SmogHog]

Intel's 510 Series may arrive in February instead of the G3 SSDs.

http://media.bestofmicro.com/intel,S-K-207092-1.jpg
Tech Connect reports (http://www.tcmagazine.com/tcm/news/hardware/34738/intel-said-release-sata-60-gbps-solid-state-drives-next-month) that Intel may launch its 510 "Emcrest" Series of SSDs next month rather than the previously rumored G3 SATA 3.0 Gbps SSDs. These new drives will have a 6 Gbps interface that should compliment Intel's just-released 6 Series chipsets which provide support for up to two SATA 6.0 Gbps ports.


Arriving in a 2.5-inch form factor, the 510 drives will provide read speeds up to 450 MB/s, write speeds up to 300 MB/s, and reportedly be capable of 20,000 IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) for 4 KB reads and 4,000 IOPS for 4 KB writes. The SSDs will also feature multi-level cell (MLC) NAND memory chips manufactured on 34-nm process technology (although Intel has the means to produce 25-nm chips as seen with the G3). The drives will arrive in at least two capacities: 120 GB ($279) and 250 GB ($579).


Originally it was believed that the G3 SSDs would launch in February. By comparison, these will offer read speeds up to 250 MB/s, write speeds up to 170 MB/s, and use NAND memory chips manufactured on 25-nm process technology. The G3 drives will also reportedly be capable of up to 50,000 IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) for 4 KB reads and 4,000 IOPS for 4 KB writes. Various flavors include 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch form factors, and capacities of 80 GB, 160 GB, 300 GB and 600 GB.


For now little else is known about when the 510 Series and G3 SSDs will actually launch, so stay tuned.

[Keeper]

Hmmm, is it just me or does this information seem very interesting? I think I may have to hold off of the C400 in light of this information.

[SmogHog]

The highest price for SATA 3 6gb/s SSDs per gb will probably come from Intel 510?

The first out the door and cheapest may be the Crucial C400?

The best read and write numbers may come from the OCZ Vertex 3 and others using the new SandForce controller?

The OCZ is not slated to appear before May,but if the competition is on the shelves next month it will put a lot of pressure on OCZ and SandForce to roll out sooner.

The memory and controllers are what sets these drives apart.

[singleshot71]

Well, good. Maybe I will be able to buy a last gen SSD alot cheaper now. But, I am really disappointed in those numbers. You would think that the new SSD's would outperform by DOUBLE the old gen, but not so. Looks like intel just added very little to their current SSD's and slapped a brand new price tag on it.

[SmogHog]

Coming March 1st

The folks over at VR-Zone (http://vr-zone.com/articles/intel-510-series-sata3-ssd-launch-on-1st-march/11231.html) seem to have it on good authority that Intel is planning to launch its new 510 series SSD on the first of next month. Codenamed Elm Crest, Intel is going all out with its first 6GB/s SATA3 SSD, which is being targeted at the high-end crowd. It will come in two capacities at launch, 120GB and 250GB, both in a 2.5-inch, 9mm form factor.
Intel's rating the 510 series at up to 470MB/s read and up to 315MB/s write speeds, though it's unclear if those numbers apply to both drives. Same family SSDs have been known to offer up different performance levels depending on the capacity.
The 510 series also boasts up to 20,000 4K random reads and up to 5,000 4K random writes, and is compatible with Intel's 6-series chipset. Look for the 120GB version to sell for around $280 and the 250GB for around $580, VR-Zone says.

[SmogHog]

510 Series Announced by Intel:

Intel Solid-State Drive 510 SeriesModels SSDSC2MH120A2XX, SSDSC2MH250A2XXCapacity: 120 GB, 250 GB
Components: Intel 34nm NAND Flash Memory
Multi-Level Cell (MLC)

Form Factor: 2.5-inch

Thickness: 9.5 mm
Weight: 80 ±2 grams
SATA 6Gb/s Sustained Bandwidth Performance

(Iometer* Queue Depth 32)

250 GB:

Sequential Read: Up to 500 MB/s
Sequential Write: Up to 315 MB/s

120 GB:

Sequential Read: Up to 450 MB/s
Sequential Write: Up to 210 MB/s

Read and Write IOPS

(Iometer Queue Depth 32)

Random 4 KB Reads: Up to 20,000 IOPS
Random 4 KB Writes: Up to 8,000 IOPS
Latency

Read: 65 us
Write: 80 us
Power Management

5 V SATA
SATA interface power management
OS-aware hot plug/removal
Power

380 mW (TYP)
Idle: 100 mW (TYP)
Compatibility

Intel SSD Toolbox
Intel SSD Optimizer
Intel Data Migration Software
Intel Rapid Storage Technology
SATA Revision 3.0
ATA8-ACS
SSD-enhanced S.M.A.R.T. ATA feature set
Native Command Queuing (NCQ)
command set
Data Set Management Command
Trim attribute
Temperature

Operating: 0o C to 70o C
Non-Operating: -55o C to 95o C
Reliability

Uncorrectable Bit Error Rate (UBER):

1 sector per 10 to the 16th bits read
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF):

1,200,000 hours
Shock

(operating and non-operating)

1,500 G/0.5 msec
Vibration

Operating: 2.17 GRMS (7-800 Hz)
Non-operating: 3.08 GRMS (7-800 Hz)

The Intel Solid State Drive 510 Series will be outfitted with 34nm Intel MLC NAND flash memory when introduced, although there’s a possibility future iterations will use newer, more advanced 22nm Intel NAND flash. Somewhat surprisingly, however, the drives will not be equipped with an Intel proprietary SSD controller, but rather a controller from Marvell. In a Q&A document provided by Intel, the company has this to say regarding the choice to use a third-party controller in their latest SSDs: “When Intel introduced its breakthrough SSD product line in 2008, the SSD controllers available did not meet Intel’s requirements, therefore Intel chose to develop its own proprietary controller in order to create a world-class line of compute quality SSDs. Since that time, third-party controller technology has improved considerably. Intel will consider using a third-party controller when it meets the needs of the product and Intel specifications and validation. In this case, we chose to use a third-party controller which met our needs.”
http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/intel_510_ssd.jpg

“As a game developer the number one thing we try to optimize during development isn't our game's memory usage or frames per second, but our content creator's iteration time,” said Dave Lang, CEO of Iron Galaxy, a Chicago-based game development studio. “By transitioning our team to Intel's 6Gbps SSDs, we've seen a dramatic 15 to 20 percent improvement in the time it takes one of our developers to make a change in the editor, then get to try it out in-game. Faster iterations mean more iterations, which means a better game for the consumer.”

The Intel SSD 510 Series uses proven Intel 34-nanometer NAND flash memory to deliver best-in-class sequential performance of up to 500MB/s sequential read speeds and up to 315 MB/s writes for its high-capacity model. The product is available now and comes in a 250GB capacity priced at $584 and a 120GB at $284, for 1,000-unit quantities. Both products include a limited 3-year warranty. The 120GB version is an excellent choice for dual-drive desktops, a hybrid configuration gaining in popularity. In this type of set up, the operating system, favorite applications and games are accessed from the SSD for faster boot up and accelerated application performance, while the HDD is used to store data.

In addition to solid reliability, Intel SSD purchasers have the benefit of the Intel SSD Toolbox with Intel SSD Optimizer, a free utility which provides Microsoft Windows* users with a powerful set of management, information and diagnostic tools to help maintain the health and out-of-box performance of the drive. To help ease the installation process, all Intel SSD users can download the free Intel Data Migration Software to help clone the entire content of a previous storage drive (SSD or HDD) to any Intel SSD.

Intel SSDs can be purchased from a variety of resellers, retailers or Internet e-tailers such as Newegg.com or Amazon.com worldwide. More information on Intel SSDs can be found at www.intel.com/go/ssd (http://www.intel.com/go/ssd).

[SmogHog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=785d1vXzzpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1lFXGpMDf4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3paOcXJFqzI

[Anomander]

That was impressive. Out of my price range, but something to consider down the road.

[SmogHog]

That was impressive. Out of my price range, but something to consider down the road.

There's normally a price premium for things with the Intel name on them.

Intel using more expensive 34nm memory chips doesn't help the price either.

Once Intel shifts to 25nm or 22nm they will get more chips per waffer thusly reducing production cost.

With the 25nm/22nm chips there may be slight performance lose unless future firmware can correct for this fact of life for the 25nm and lower size issue.