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    Intel SSD 320 G3 Performance

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by chenavd, Mar 22, 2011.

  1. davepermen

    davepermen Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    other than that, write speed for the 160gb one is 170MB/s instead of 100MB/s, which is quite a nice improvement.
     
    davepermen, Mar 28, 2011
    #51
  2. tilleroftheearth

    tilleroftheearth Wisdom listens quietly...

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    Yeah, for the 160GB's maybe, but for the 80's:

    See:
    http://en.expreview.com/2011/03/23/world-exclusive-review-intel-g3-ssd-80gb/15569.html/10


     
    tilleroftheearth, Mar 28, 2011
    #52
  3. davepermen

    davepermen Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    i was talking 160gb
     
    davepermen, Mar 28, 2011
    #53
  4. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    MaX PL, Mar 28, 2011
    #54
  5. chimpanzee

    chimpanzee Notebook Virtuoso

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    Just saw the released spec addendum of the 320 series and I am a bit disappointed.

    1. the endurance(RANDOM WRITE) has been improved for only 30% or so instead of 2x as those leaked info
    2. the base latency is getting worse(about 10%)
    3. The sweet spot of this line is only 160G and 300G. The 600G has an unexpected drop in IOPS comparing with these two. The lower capacity ones are expensive with very few improvement in performance.
     
    chimpanzee, Mar 28, 2011
    #55
  6. sgogeta4

    sgogeta4 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Pretty meaningless until we see the actual pricing since you will find the X25-M on sale for a lot cheaper than it's original MSRP (more than $100 cheaper than when it came out).
     
    sgogeta4, Mar 28, 2011
    #56
  7. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    MaX PL, Mar 29, 2011
    #57
  8. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    Yup, I am planning to buy a 160GB G3 too. It will be my first SSD. :)


    --
     
    ramgen, Mar 29, 2011
    #58
  9. Abula

    Abula Puro Chapin

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    Abula, Mar 29, 2011
    #59
  10. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    Phil, Mar 29, 2011
    #60
  11. Abula

    Abula Puro Chapin

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    The only thing that i dont like about it is that they tested with past generation chipset, i7 740qm.

    I doubt they ran the tweaks suggested here in NBR, so idk how accurate the test will be post tweaks.
     
    Abula, Mar 29, 2011
    #61
  12. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    It makes sense to me to use a SATA 2 chipset since most of the SSDs are SATA 2.

    If you mean the Intelppm tweak, in my experience that only affects install times, which they didn't measure. All other benchmarks have the CPU coming out of the idle state anyway.
     
    Phil, Mar 29, 2011
    #62
  13. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    I am sure it is way better than my Hitachi 7K500. :)

    I am not really looking forward to buy the absolute fastest drive on the market. I am getting an intel due to its reliability and I don't care if it is 15% slower than any other brand.


    --
     
    ramgen, Mar 30, 2011
    #63
  14. INEEDMONEY

    INEEDMONEY Homicidal Teddy Bear

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    For someone who doesn't have a SSD, this is pretty good. Much more attractive price. Performance looks great and as others have said Intel is very reliable. According to that review of the 320GB stacks up pretty well to the competitors. I'm not going to fret over a super small difference in performance.

    But I can understand if you already have one that this may not seem attractive.
     
    INEEDMONEY, Mar 30, 2011
    #64
  15. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    MaX PL, Apr 4, 2011
    #65
  16. process

    process \( ಠ_ಠ)/

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    says 10 pack on the buy.com website, whats up with that?
     
    process, Apr 4, 2011
    #66
  17. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    yeh i know, but the pricing seems like its for a single unit.

    i'll likely wait to see amazon's pricing though as they're usually lower than buy.com
     
    MaX PL, Apr 4, 2011
    #67
  18. INEEDMONEY

    INEEDMONEY Homicidal Teddy Bear

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    Amazon has the prices up now here
     
    INEEDMONEY, Apr 4, 2011
    #68
  19. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    yeh i know. sorry.

    i guess i was referring to their pricing when theyre widely available, which i feel will be lower.
     
    MaX PL, Apr 4, 2011
    #69
  20. INEEDMONEY

    INEEDMONEY Homicidal Teddy Bear

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    Maybe, but I doubt it will be much. But i'm keeping my fingers crossed. It's either one of these or the c300 for me which should also be going down in price.
     
    INEEDMONEY, Apr 4, 2011
    #70
  21. dan h

    dan h Notebook Geek

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    The one on buy.com is an OEM version. It comes in a brown box with just the drive, installation instructions, two stickers and nothing else. That price is probably as cheap as it will get for a while. I'm basing this off the suggested price per thousand units of $289 published in various reviews.
     
    dan h, Apr 4, 2011
    #71
  22. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    is that all thats needed to fit in a 2.5" laptop slot?

    no other cables or brackets, right?
     
    MaX PL, Apr 4, 2011
    #72
  23. dan h

    dan h Notebook Geek

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    Yes that's all you need if you plan on doing a fresh install of Windows. If you plan on cloning your old hard drive, then you probably need the connecting cables. From what I have read from various articles in regards to this matter, the best way to ensure your new ssd is properly installed with the right partition alignment is to do a fresh install of the OS.
     
    dan h, Apr 4, 2011
    #73
  24. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    well despite what i said earlier, i think i'm ready to order one from buy.com

    youre right in that theyre only selling it for $4 above cost so we likely wont see a discount below $293 for a while.
     
    MaX PL, Apr 4, 2011
    #74
  25. Cloudfire

    Cloudfire (Really odd person)

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    Order which one? M4? 510? 320? Vertex 3?
    EDIT: Oh, 320. Nice. Lucky you :)
    I have to wait another month before going crazy with my $$$ :D
     
    Cloudfire, Apr 4, 2011
    #75
  26. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    ehhh i backed out.

    now i'm considering the 128gb c300 for $200 at newegg with coupon EMCKFKJ22.

    32 gigs less for 33% less price is a good tradeoff i feel.

    edit:

    got the C300.
    still have 3 days to decide whether to order another and have 256gb for $400.
     
    MaX PL, Apr 4, 2011
    #76
  27. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    ramgen, Apr 4, 2011
    #77
  28. MaX PL

    MaX PL Notebook Deity

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    yeh theyre crazy with that pricing unless its a result of limited supply.

    its a few dollars more than 160gb g2 pricing. ridiculous.
     
    MaX PL, Apr 4, 2011
    #78
  29. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    ramgen, Apr 11, 2011
    #79
  30. Cape Consultant

    Cape Consultant SSD User

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    I am oh so close to popping for the same thing, a 160GB.
     
    Cape Consultant, Apr 11, 2011
    #80
  31. Cape Consultant

    Cape Consultant SSD User

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    I guess my only question is would I notice the difference from a 320 to a 510? I am a heavy user, but casual. Open and close programs. Surf 20 sites at once. Photos, etc. Nothing hard core like video editing. But I really do like fast so I can save time.

    The prices are close enough that it is not a big issue. But reliability is. My guess is both are so close in reliability it wold be hard to ever tell the difference, yes?
     
    Cape Consultant, Apr 11, 2011
    #81
  32. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    If your notebook is SATA II I don't think you'll notice the difference.

    Keep in mind though that your Corsair Nova will probably be slightly faster than the Intel 320 with launching programs. For the rest it will feel the same.

    PS. nobody knows how reliable these drives are because they are too new. In theory Intel X25m > Intel 320 > Intel 510.
     
    Phil, Apr 12, 2011
    #82
  33. Cape Consultant

    Cape Consultant SSD User

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    thanks. Yes, it is SATA II and recently the new drive I received from Corsair as replacement BRICKED itself but good. I am sick of it. this is why Intel.

    I love opening programs fast. I wonder if I could really tell the difference between the Nova and the 320? Is it the read speed that makes you say that or something else?
     
    Cape Consultant, Apr 12, 2011
    #83
  34. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    It's the 4K random reads in CDM and the application open times in the laptopmag review.

    Maybe C300 is a good alternative. Crucial uses IMFT NAND and the controller is now used by Intel.
     
    Phil, Apr 12, 2011
    #84
  35. Cape Consultant

    Cape Consultant SSD User

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    nice read. Thanks.
     
    Cape Consultant, Apr 12, 2011
    #85
  36. ramgen

    ramgen -- Morgan Stanley --

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    ramgen, Apr 13, 2011
    #86
  37. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    It's interesting to see that all mayor reviews sites have only reviewed the 300GB 320. I can't find any decent review of the 80GB, 120GB or 160GB.

    Normally the smaller versions are slower. I'd be very interested to see how the smaller versions compare with the X25m, C300, Sandforce and Samsung alternatives.

    I wonder if the lack of reviews is because Intel doesn't feel to comfortable about showing the performance. After all these drives use slower 25nm NAND and they've seen the OCZ's 25nm debacle.

    Here's the HDTune IOPS read benchmark 320 vs. X25m

    Intel 320 300GB
    [​IMG]

    Intel X25m 80GB
    [​IMG]

    X25m 80GB beats the 320 in every filesize. ( source)
     
    Phil, Apr 13, 2011
    #87
  38. chimpanzee

    chimpanzee Notebook Virtuoso

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    Nothing to wonder. It is right there in their specification documents. I mentioned it on the day of their release.

    The only model I would consider for the 320 line is the 160/300GB. Even the 600GB which is supposed to be faster due to size is actually SLOWER(50% of 300GB) in IOPS when doing a full LBA span random write benchmark.

    Size less than 160 also is not too impressive(comparing with G2).

    Intel being a company with a strong engineering culture is quite serious about these things, sure some marketing practice here and there is unavoidable but they are the most opened one among all the SSD vendors I have seen. You know what you get.

    And nothing is stopping anyone to buy those models from retail and test, I doubt Intel is putting a big gun on Anand etc. head
     
    chimpanzee, Apr 13, 2011
    #88
  39. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    I wasn't wondering about the specifications. I was wondering what the reason was that Intel didn't send any of the smaller models to a review site. And with all due respect, I don't think you have the answer to that.
    Of course not but I find it interesting that all the review sites got a 300GB and no one got a 80GB or 160GB.

    It's just a matter of time until we'll see the first real world reviews of the 80GB and 160GB.
     
    Phil, Apr 13, 2011
    #89
  40. chimpanzee

    chimpanzee Notebook Virtuoso

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    That is marketing in practice. 300GB is the best in the line up. When you send something free(I assume) for reviews, it is natural to use the best one. We saw the same thing in the C300 case where the benchmarks I have seen are all 256GB which is noticeably different from the 128GB.

    This kind of practice happened in other industry as well(say automobile).

    The different between Intel and others I have seen so far is that they tell you that there is a difference(if anyone want to spend a few minutes time to read, don't even need to test) in a very serious manner.
     
    chimpanzee, Apr 13, 2011
    #90
  41. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    No need to explain the obvious. I understand marketing and that the 300GB is the best performer.

    I find it interesting that the smaller drives have been selling for a couple of weeks now and we haven't seen one review. And I was wondering about the real reason for that. (not expecting you to answer that question)
     
    Phil, Apr 13, 2011
    #91
  42. chimpanzee

    chimpanzee Notebook Virtuoso

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    wondering for the obvious ? one can only wonder.
     
    chimpanzee, Apr 13, 2011
    #92
  43. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    It doesn't seem like you're understanding me... The fact that the 300GB were send first doesn't explain the lack of 80GB and 160GB reviews.
    Have you read anywhere that the 320 has lower IOPS than the X25m?
     
    Phil, Apr 13, 2011
    #93
  44. chimpanzee

    chimpanzee Notebook Virtuoso

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    And I tried to explain and you said you don't need the obvious. So do you really want to know why or you already know the reason ? This is what I see(opinionated).

    The reviewers get free drive to test so they test whatever Intel(or whover) gave them.

    They are not doing the job of a serious reviewing as they should buy the full line up(in fact they should not receive free stuff from vendors) then test all of them, in all brands.

    As for the second question, I am at lost of what you want to ask.
     
    chimpanzee, Apr 13, 2011
    #94
  45. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    I don't know the reason. It could be a matter of time. Or maybe it's the fact that Intel doesn't want the public to find out about the lower performance than X25m. Who knows. I'm just speculating here because obviously I don't know the real reason. I don't think you know the reason either.

    Just marketing? Well the Intel 520 240GB is faster than the 120GB but that didn't stop them from sending review units out for both. OCZ did the same with the 120GB and 240GB Vertex 3. With the C300 I've seen the 256GB review being followed shortly by the 128GB. With the Intel 320 we see 300GB reviews everywhere and no reviews of the smaller versions. Yet.
     
    Phil, Apr 13, 2011
    #95
  46. chimpanzee

    chimpanzee Notebook Virtuoso

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    There is only one way that Intel can prevent the public to find out, don't sell the product. Otherwise, someone like you may go out and purchase it and reveal the truth. Afterall, you said it is available, no ?

    IOW, I am confused on what you are speculating ? That Intel deliberately not sending free smaller version ? Most likely than not they are.

    again it is the reviewers' job to decide what to test(especially it is not a preview), if they are not, they failed.
     
    chimpanzee, Apr 13, 2011
    #96
  47. Phil

    Phil Retired

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    And that is what will happen over time. I'm looking forward to see the outcome.
     
    Phil, Apr 13, 2011
    #97
  48. Abula

    Abula Puro Chapin

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    Well the X25m 120GB is starting to go up in price.... Intel X25M 120 GB $275, i kinda expected to go down in price since the 320s are out, but seems there is still demand form them. At this point the Crucial C300 seems like much better all around.
     
    Abula, Apr 13, 2011
    #98
  49. chimpanzee

    chimpanzee Notebook Virtuoso

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    I am a bit disappointed too. Again speculation here:

    For the 'knowledgeable' consumers they want the 34nm version. For typical corporations, they need the G2(as it is unlikely that they have qualified 320 which is too new). So demand is still high(may be higher due to the No 25nm movement) and supply is winding down.
     
    chimpanzee, Apr 13, 2011
    #99
  50. chimpanzee

    chimpanzee Notebook Virtuoso

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    Or better yet, just buy a number of them and give us a real world benchmark/review so we don't need to see the 'Anand is only synthetic benchmark thing' again.

    We shall have our NBR review of all current SSDs that show real world performance difference.
     
    chimpanzee, Apr 13, 2011
    #100
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