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    Intel 530 Series SSDs Coming Soon

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by WhatsThePoint, Jul 2, 2013.

  1. WhatsThePoint

    WhatsThePoint Notebook Virtuoso

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  2. djembe

    djembe drum while you work

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    From what I've seen, the 530 still uses a similar Sandforce controller as the 520. I'm more interested in the upcoming 1500 & 2500 models, as they may possibly be based on a power-optimized version of the Intel controller used in the 3700 & 3500.
     
  3. felix3650

    felix3650 Notebook Evangelist

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    Nice drives, however Intel needs to tone down a bit on their prices. 152$ for 80GB? Are you kidding me? And with an older Sandforce SF2281 controller? I'll pass.
    Maybe those Pro 1500 could be interesting if they provided eMLC NANDs and become affordable enough :p :)
     
  4. WhatsThePoint

    WhatsThePoint Notebook Virtuoso

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  5. djembe

    djembe drum while you work

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    oh, well. Looks like they're still using Sandforce on all but the data center SSDs.
     
  6. WhatsThePoint

    WhatsThePoint Notebook Virtuoso

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    From everything I've read the Intel SSDs with the SandForce 2281 controller have been excellent and reliable performers.

    Have you heard otherwise?

    Consumer grade Intel SSDs with Intel controllers have had issues so be carefull of what you wish for.

    The next generation SandForce 3000 controllers may just be the one everyone will covet.
     
  7. djembe

    djembe drum while you work

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    Something Anandtech has been highlighting since they reviewed the Intel DC S3700 was steady-state (worst-case) performance, and Intel's latest controller (for the S3700 & S3500) does that better than any other ones. It's not that Sandforce is bad. I was just hoping to see a consumer version of the Intel controller, since it hits that highlight.
     
  8. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    Just my two cents, but both of my Intel drives (320 with Intel controller, 330 with SandForce controller) have been working just fine these past years (2 for 320, 1 for 330). Hell, I even ran the 320 without a firmware update for the better part of a year, so I should have gotten the 8MB firmware bug already (but didn't).

    Even though the 330 has performed fine for me (aside from SandForce's issue with non-compressible data), personally I wouldn't buy an Intel drive again until they started using their own controllers again. For the prices they charge, I'd rather go over to Samsung and their 840 Pro...
     
  9. R3d

    R3d Notebook Virtuoso

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  10. felix3650

    felix3650 Notebook Evangelist

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    Seems strange that they put a 490MB/s write speed on all of their capacities. The higher density models can go faster than that but they chose to cap them too. Maybe it's got to do with the fact that 20nm NAND is being used. Also no mention of a Sanforce controller in the product datasheet.
    Anyway, I just hope that prices of the 525 models fall. The 240GB model really tempts me, especially those 5000 P/E cycles... :rolleyes:
     
  11. djembe

    djembe drum while you work

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    The Sandforce controller is obvious if you read the product spec sheet. They list both compressible performance (490 MB/s write speed) and incompressible performance (170-230 MB/s write speed). Only Sandforce differentiates this way. Also, in the promo video, you briefly can see the controller chip with the Sandforce logo on it.
     
  12. WhatsThePoint

    WhatsThePoint Notebook Virtuoso

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  13. Bullrun

    Bullrun Notebook Deity

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    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 3, 2014