Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Leaving a review here mostly because I see two 1 star reviews because of poor customer service, and nothing with the product itself.For the record, I did order from ANTOnline and was told the item was "in stock."After a week the drive had not shipped, I sent an email asking for a status and was told the item had not yet shipped from the supplier.ANTOnline should be avoided, possibly banned from Amazon, since they are actively misleading customers with "in stock".(I canceled my order and placed the order through NewEgg).The version of this drive I have is after the initial batch, which has a bug with setting a password lock on the drive.
My first SSD is in my Dell 1330M XPS laptop.No only has it proven to make a large impact on battery life (I don't even bother plugging in the laptop when given presentations that run from an hour to 90 minutes), it has made a huge impact on application speed.I've had developers approach me after a presentation and ask me about the specs of my laptop because compiling code in my demos was very fast (Visual Studio 2008).
I've put this Intel SSD in a new desktop system, along with an iCore7 and 12 GB of RAM.Windows 7 scores the drive at a 7.8 (7.9 is the max as of this writing).In addition to very fast code compiling, a podcast I produce has gone from taking an hour to edit (mostly waiting on audio plugins to do their thing) to 10 minutes.
If you only use a PC to surf the net, send email, and play farm games on FaceBook, you have no need for this drive.You also probably aren't reading this review, so I can assume you do use the PC for more than websites.If you do any work with video or audio this drive is a must have - the time it saves will pay for itself.If you develop software, this drive is highly recommended if you can afford it - it will improve your compilers speed but how important that is varies by the type of software you write.I can say that doing game development, with may graphic and model assets to compile, this drive has been amazing.
I have not tried other SSD drives, so this is just me citing the research done by others such as Tom's Hardware and Anatech.Much of the speed of the SSD comes from it's controller and how well that controller decides where to write data.The PC spends most of the time reading and writing small bits of random data, and most SSD specs are listing continuous read / write speeds.How well the controller can play traffic cop will be the key in real world performance.When deciding to go Intel vs. another (cheaper) name, consider how much time and effort you are willing to spend on trouble shooting issues.I'm not saying the others have issues, just that the chance is greater because this is new tech and smaller companies can't test their products as extensively as Intel.
To summarize, as Ferris said, "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking out up."
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Intel 2.5 Inch 160 GB X25-M Mainstream SATA II MLC Solid-State Drive - Retail Package SSDSA2MH160G2R5Product Description: The future of computer storage is here! The Intel X25-M Mainstream SATA II Solid State Drive (Retail) provides faster disk performance and greater durability than traditional hard drives. Since it stores data using NAND flash memory instead of spinning platters, the X25-M will never keep you waiting for disks to spin up. For further convenience, there are no moving parts to worry about breaking down.
X25-M Solid State Drive (Retail) features:
160 GB of solid state storage.
No moving parts for better reliability and performance.
Silent operation.
Lower battery consumption than traditional drives.
With no moving parts, the X25-M Solid State Drive provides silent and reliable storage. View larger.
The Intel SSD Toolbox lets you easily optimize the performance of your drive. View larger. A New Kind of Storage for Faster Data Access The X25-M is a SATA II hard drive with a capacity of 160 GB. Additionally, it's in a 2.5-inch form factor that will work anywhere a regular 2.5-inch hard drive does, such as in notebook computers and external enclosures.
But don't think that the X25-M is any old drive. Instead of using spinning platters like traditional hard drives, the X25-M is a Solid State Drive (SSD), and it uses flash memory for storage, giving you dramatically faster data access. If you need less disk space, the X25-M also comes in a 80 GB version.
Performs Faster than Other Solid State Drives Intel has been making memory chips for decades, and the company's experience is clearly displayed with the X25-M drive, which uses Intel's Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND Flash Memory. This delivers better performance than other SSDs, thanks to an advanced architecture and technologies such as Native Command Queuing, which enables up to 32 simultaneous operations. The result is sustained sequential read speeds of up to 250 MBps, sustained sequential write speeds of up to 70 MBps, and a read latency of just 85 microseconds.
And thanks to the drive's SATA interface that offers data throughput of up to 3.0 Gbps, you can take advantage of all that speed. What all this means for you is that applications launch instantaneously, files copy in less time, and your overall productivity is increased.
Optimize Performance with the Intel SSD Toolbox Intel offers the Intel SSD Toolbox with Intel SSD Optimizer, so you can easily optimize and manage the performance of your drive. Simply download the Intel SSD Toolbox and you'll get a powerful set of management, information, and diagnostic tools to help you maintain performance at "fresh out-of-the-box" levels. The Intel SSD Toolbox with Intel SSD Optimizer is specially designed to run on Microsoft Windows 7, and it also works with Microsoft Windows Vista and XP.
Higher Reliability and Silent Operation Compared to traditional hard drives, the X25-M is both faster and more durable. Because it doesn't have spinning disks or writing heads, there are fewer parts to fail. It is also less susceptible to vibration and shock and is completely silent. Providing superb reliability, the X25-M is rated at 1.2 million hours mean time before failure (MTBF).
Lower Power Consumption is Good for the Environment The X25-M also consumes far less power than traditional drives, which saves you money and makes this drive an environmentally friendly choice. The drive is certified RoHS compliant for its use of non-hazardous materials. Additionally, when it's installed in a laptop, the X25-M will give you better battery life, which means you can work longer on cross-country plane trips.
The Intel X25-M Mainstream SATA II Solid State Drive supports Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) commands, as well as additional SSD monitoring.
The X25-M is backed by a three-year limited warranty.
What's in the Box Intel X25-M Solid State Drive (SSD), manual, sticker and 3.5" desktop drive bay adapter, screws and installation guide.
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