Intel`s next SSD, 520 - Includes Sandforce

I'm using 107GB's of 250GB right now, the 180GB looks awesome.

 

Yup, 180 GB is my target too. Hope it comes to newegg sometime soon.


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I'm at 140/160GB right now. If I want something that will actually last me two or more years, I need to go 250GB.

I can't believe how expensive the 520s are. Are all SATA6 drives that expensive?

 

Those prices are pretty much on par with other Intel consumer SSDs as well as some other SSDs.

 

Cool, now that they are released, can't wait for someone to post some reviews or feedback about this awesome SSD =)

Any of you ordering one already?

 

It looks like someone has ordered and received 2 Intel 120GB 520 series SSDs and set them up in a Raid0 array.

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh423/doorules/gg.jpg

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh423/doorules/Capture88.jpg

http://i546.photobucket.com/albums/hh423/doorules/Captureppp.jpg

This info is from posts in thessdreview.com forums

Also see:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?275469-Cherryville-SSD-520/page6

 

Thanks man.
The same user who tested the Intel 520 also uploaded pics of the 520.
It is confirmed Sandforce. But it really sad that it is the exact same controller used by a bunch of other, included Vertex 3. Intel is VERY late to the party imho... Not much upgrade from 510 then, if Intel haven`t found a clever way to increase performance. We will see
It`s a pity he haven`t tested the 520 alone though

 

This is the first time I hear of these news, it's not all that surprising since Intel have used 3rd party controller before, made by Marvell. But SandForce ? I guess they are in the business of selling NAND more then anything.

 

I thought they once mentioned Anobit, didn't really think they would actually use SF controllers.. Worse of all, a SF2281, that's seriously late..

I wonder what Intel is up to.. Will this 520 series be worth our money compared to other SSDs out there?

 

These 520 series are short term SSDs.

King Crest models are slated for April but who knows actually when they'll arrive.

SandForce isn't officially talking about timeframe for availability of their 3rd generation controller, but my guess is we'll know more around the middle of the year.

The SF-2000 series controllers are already limited on the sequential side by 6Gbps SATA as well as the ONFI 2.x interface. Both need to be addressed to improve sequential performance, which we likely won't see until 2013. In other words, I wouldn't expect to see improvements in highly compressible sequential transfers with the 3rd generation SF controller.

There is tons of room for improvement in small file, random read/write performance. Plan on seeing a significant improvement there from the third generation SF controller. This is mostly a function of adding extra processing power in the controller itself. I'm hearing numbers as high as 2x current random IO performance.

SandForce is also planning on improving write speeds when dealing with incompressible data. Larger internal data structures, a faster processor and some other firmware architecture tweaks can enable better performance here. SandForce tells me that improving performance when dealing with incompressible data is its top priority at this point.

 

King Crest got pushed back to Q3.

 

speculation by someone with a blog

as with all things intel,nothing for sure until annouced

the folks that might actually have real info are under NDAs as currently being observed with the 520 series.

 

I don't plan on buying this since I just got an 830, but has anyone benched a single 520 yet?

 

Confirmed that I won't buy this drive than...
I was looking for an intel controller (or might be marvell as well).


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In a previous post I supplied a link where 520 SSD owner Doorules posted benchmarks and drive information.

There's bechmarks with 2 120GB drives in Raid0 and also those of a single 120GB 520 SSD.

Scroll down the linked page for the 1st DooRules post and start there.

Cherryville - SSD 520 - Page 6

 

Thanks. Seems like pretty pedestrian benchmarks, maybe the real world performance kicks butt though.

 

About 80% of daily disk access is in 16K,8K and 4K reads and writes with most of them being writes.

So the 4K numbers in benchmarks should be of greater concern.

The big sequential numbers seen in benchmarks are important about 1% of the time.

Disk access can be checked with Microsoft's DISKMON

 

The only thing I ever look at is 4k scores. I was expecting something special.

 

Wow these look sweet.

 

Somehow, I feel it's not going to be such a great device, but I'm still putting hope. Otherwise, I'd get myself a Chronos Deluxe 120GB SSD.

WhatsThePoint, you mentioned that CherryVille will be short term SSD, but what's to look forward to KingCrest? I know nuts about SSDs, mind telling me? =x

 

intel is messing up with 520s, crazy.. we still don't have a release date, HOWEVER the following store, and some others are already SELLING it (yes, in stock.... what are you doing intel????)

Intel 180GB Series 520 SSD - SSDSC2CW180A3K5 Hard Drive - Hard Disk Drives - HDD Digital Media Player PVR Headphones

 

It's possible that Intel wants to sell outside the US first, then bring it back here (?). I don't understand it (or why Sandforce is used) either.

What was wrong with the Marvel controller that made Intel go to Sandforce?

 

Nah, I don`t believe any of these random "in stock" shops. We haven`t seen any official release from Intel or any reviews from the people who get the drives before we do, aka Anandtech etc. I believe it when I see them listed at newegg or Amazon.

All the other drives that got SF later, like the other series from OCZ, had some kind of formal release with the media. It just doesn`t seem right, but then again, we don`t know. Perhaps Intel want to keep their late to the party drive on a low instead of creating a big noise about it

 

Here is a comparison between Intel 520 240GB vs Vertex 3 IOPS:

Intel 520 240GB vs (Vertex 3 IOPS 240GB):
Sequential Read: 550MB/s vs (550MB/s)
Sequential Write: 520MB/s vs (500MB/s)
Random IOPS 4K Read: 40 000 vs (55 000)
Random IOPS 4K Write: 70 000 vs (65 000)
Maximum IOPS 4K Write: 85 000 vs (85 000)
Life expectancy: 1.2 million hours vs (2 million hours)

Meh?

Source: Intel 520 Cherryvile SSD’s on their way |
http://www.ocztechnology.com/res/manuals/OCZ_Vertex3_MAX_IOPS_Product_sheet.pdf

 

Firmware and NAND memory used are what separates one SandForce 2281 from another.

There is only one controller that enables throttling, and that is SF.
It can be set to varying spans (1yr, 2yr, 3yr, etc)
It can be disabled as well. it is up to the mfr. by SFs own admission, it is a manufacturer configurable parameter.

The technology is going so fast with the shrinks and the controller upgrades that we are only realizing a percentage of the performance that is to be had with existing gear.

Things like applying ECC in conjunction with MSP can revolutionize performance, and with existing gear. If you were to look at the data that comes off an SSD before ECC is applied, it is amazing. it is basically unreadable. Then you apply things like MSP and different signal processing algorithms, and it is readable, even though there are tons of errors.
but the advances are in the ECC and the MSP, not the controller.

It isnt about being right or wrong, but this: there is a ton of performance being left on the table with these devices as the rapid pace of controller technology speeds up. But the core thing is still the firmware.

Performance vs Endurance is where the Intel 520 SSDs may differ from most other SF 2281 SSDs.

Intel has always beem more about reliability than being on top of the pack in performance.

 

I'm not knowledgeable about SSDs but based on your post, the IOPS 4k Read is lower as compared to the Vertex 3 IOPS, therefore it's slower right?

I understand that the life expentancy would be shorter due to the die shrink.

Maybe the Intel 520 is focused more on reliability as mentioned by WhatsThePoint.

But I really wonder what's going on with Intel, no official announcements made yet. I've been waiting for the SSD to be released since long time ago, sigh..

Maybe I should go for the Mushkin Chronos Deluxe huh?

 

Lower 4K speeds would indicate that the drive will take (slightly) more time to find a random piece of data located randomly on the drive. the 520 still matches the Vertex 3 IOPS in terms of seq. read (reading a block of consecutive data) and outpaces it in seq. write (it can write large blocks of data faster).

However, you won't notice any of these difference in real-life usage; the differences in SATAIII drives imo are just in benchmarks (and hardware reliability). With either the 520, Vertex 3 IOPS, or anything else really, you'll think "Holy crap, that's fast!!".

 

The whole 520 series SSD lineup went on sale here in Seoul,Korea 01/31/2012

?? 520 Series (60GB) ???? :: ????? ?? ! ??? (????) - Danawa.com

1,130 KW = $1.00 US

All Korean prices include taxes.

 

U gonna buy 1?

Wonder which will be better, the Intel 520 or the Mushkin Chronos Deluxe..

If the Intel 520 delays any further in my country, I'll go for the Mushkin.. Hopefully the Intel 520 is widely available by March

 

Probably not. going to buy one.

I'm very happy with my OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS SSDs with the eMLC Toshiba 32nm NAND.

 

I was afraid to buy any OCZ SSD because of the problems that may arise.

So far, you've been trouble free using your OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS?

Toshiba NANDs are durable and faster than others right?

The Intel 520 utilise Intel's self NAND flash memories right?

 

According to the markings on the NAND (29f16808ccme2), they are Intel NAND chips.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble but the only thing that is only for Intel with this drive is their firmware. The NAND is used by a bunch of OEMs, including OCZ with their Vertex 3 and Corsair with their Performance 3 series. The only true SSD manufacturer that goes solo and makes their own parts is Samsung. Big kudos to them

 

meh really man I am seeing a few people listing 520ssds in their signatures in a lot of forums, make a quick search you will see it... I am not understanding, it is not enough they mess up with the controller, right now they are messing up with the release...

 

Ya, I agree.. Samsung is currently the bang for buck as mentioned by many. Furthermore, its performance is great, not forgetting that it's reliable so far..

graz`zt, you're right.. Intel has really messed up with their release date for the Intel 520 SSD release, sigh.. I've been waiting for so long.. Maybe, we should go for other SSDs?

Would every SSD degrade in performance after long term of use especially when it is at least half filled already?

 

Which problems are you refering to?

My next SSDs will probably be OCZ Vertex 4 with the Everest 2 Indilinx Controller due out in June 2012.

OCZ Everest 2 Performance Preview | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews

OCZ Highlights Performance of New Everest 2 Platform Code Named Vertex 4- CES 2012 Update - The SSD Review

 

Heh hehe seems interesting Australia has had this drives in stock before the Americas

 

I can't wait that long, that's y I'm deciding on a Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 120GB or a Intel 520 120GB SSD provided that the Intel 520 gets released ASAP.

What I fear of OCZ is the occurence of BSODs and failures, do they happen so frequently?

 

Thanks Whatsthepoint. Never seen those articles before. Looks like the Everest controller is catching up with the Sandforce and surpassing it a little. Especially interesting that it doesn`t suffer from the uncompressed dilemma SF controllers are... Very interesting indeed

 

man, this is unacceptable from intel, seriously, I don't think I will be buying 520 anytime in future...

people started to post problems about 520 BEFORE the release date, can you believe this????

Intel 520 Series 120G SSD random BSOD's - please help

 

Just bought a Intel 320 drive thats SataII, do you think i should return it and wait for the 520? Or exchange it for the 510 cause its SataIII?

 

If you're coming off from a HDD and using a SSD for the first like (like myself), SATAII is plenty fast. You'll really only notice the difference between SATAII and III in benchmarking.

 

people I am writing this for the good of all, STAY AWAY FROM 520!!!

yes it is in stock even in macmall right now, and not released yet... implies just one thing, intel is beta-testing the drive (I guess this is the first time in hardware history right?) and I don't think they cured the sandforce issue either, people are already complaining

 

Looking at the Intel forum, I can see 1 dude complaining. He have problems with random BSODs (typical SF problem), see here

I have a slight feeling that this SSD is just a diversion, release something new for the heck of it and to satisfy customers who are only interested in benchmarks or just have to have the SF, while Intel is working on the real replacement, codenamed "King crest". It is supposed to come out in Q2 2012, so very soon. I just don`t understand why they have shipped out the drives to stores and started selling them all in silence while leaving the customers confused



EDIT: A new updated roadmap found. Q3 this year it is. 20nm too. Goodie

 

^^ yupp, I think I will wait king crest and don't even touch a 520, no idea what are they doing, and this is so NOT like intel... very very very confusing

 

Common sense should tell anyone with a wee bit of PC hardware experience not to be the first kid on the block with the newest toys.

All of the usual suspects we rely upon for our credible reviews are still bound by the Intel imposed NDA.

One person with BSODs doesn't necessarily mean it's the drive;it could be a corrupt system,pilot error or anything else under the sun.

All in all,I like to smile with my morning coffee,at the amusing posts I read every day in forums.

The people I know with 520 SSDs are only complaining about performance and not one about BSODs.

They want a firmware update for better drive performance because they consider their benchmark numbers to be low.

To the member that posted earlier that bought a 320 SSD,IMO you should return it and get a SATA III drive to go in a system that supports it.

If you don't want a drive with the SF 2281 controller then give a good look at the Corsair Performance Pro SSDs.
Corsair Performance Pro SATA 3 256GB SSD Review - Marvell Controller With a Punch - The SSD Review

 

Im going from a 7200rpm western digital scorpion black (think it writes up to 3gb/s) to Intel 320.

 

You'll be impressed by the speed of any SSD then (II or III). I upgraded from a Seagate Momentus 7200RPM HDD to the 320. Boot time is around 15s to login, 25s to a useable desktop. Office apps, Firefox/Chrome, and MATLAB open immediately after clicking them.

 

Do you think the M4 would run faster? 2011 MBP, core i5 2.4, 8GB.

Bought a 160GB 320 but havent opened it yet cause today the same store just put on the 128GB M4 for $190.

$1.63/GB vs $1.48/GB.

Not a huge difference but if the M4 will run faster, i might as well exchange it and get $75 back.

 

Definitely, the M4 is SATA III and the 320 is SATA II. Don't know the exact read/write speeds, but it'll run circles around the 320. Didn't realize it was cheaper, though.