Intel has introduced its first mSATA SSD drive which offers a full 6GB/s connection. The Intel SSD 525 Series offers buyers a small, fast and efficient fixed storage solution. The new drive series come in at only an eighth of the size of a regular 2.5-inch hard drive and are aimed at ultra-portable computers as well as being eminently suitable for in-flight, mobile, automotive, digital signage, embedded video and retail solutions.
James Slattery, product line manager for Intel Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group Client SSDs, said “The Intel SSD 525 Series is Intel's latest 6 Gb/s mSATA product, which brings high performance to an ultra-portable form factor targeted for Ultrabooks and a myriad of embedded solutions.” He also went on to remind us of the no-moving-parts benefits of SSD solutions; they are much more resilient to shock, vibration or jarring than spinning disks.
Intel SSD 525 Series spec highlights:
- Form factor: mSATA, PCI Express (PCIe) mini-connector, 3.7mm x 50.8mm x 29.85mm, weighs 10 grams
- Storage capacities: 30GB, 60GB, 90GB, 120GB, 180GB and 240GB
- Speed: up to 550MB/s sequential read and 50k IOPS random read,
up to 520MB/s sequential write and 80k IOPS random write performance - Controller: SandForce SF-2281
- Security: AES 128-bit encryption capabilities
- 5 year warranty
Intel says the 120 and 180GB versions of the new mSATA 525 Series SSD have already began shipping. Other sizes and volume shipments will be available during the current quarter. At the time of writing I found stock of the 120GB version of the drive at More Computers retailing for £120.46 including VAT with free delivery. We are still waiting for our Intel 525 sample to arrive at HEXUS towers...
Please note that the different capacities of drives in this series have differing performance statistics. The highlighted speeds in the list above are for the 180GB and 240GB versions of the new Intel 525 Series, smaller capacities have poorer performance.
The guys over at Anandtech have already had their 240GB version of the Intel 525 Series SSD for a couple of days and they published a review today. Anand found that the drive “is largely an updated, smaller form factor version of the 520 we met last year. The firmware updates Intel put in place on the 525 seem to improve performance over the 520, and the drive does boast lower idle power consumption although higher active power usage compared to its older, larger brother.” HEXUS also tested the 240GB Intel 520 Series SSD, mentioned in the quote, just under a year ago.
Picture of drive from Anandtech
Intel also took the chance to remind us of the bonus free SSD Toolbox management and diagnostic suite available to Intel SSD buyers and the free Intel Data Migration software to help clone over your old system software, applications and files to your shiny new Intel SSD.
