Intel has officially announced their latest high-performance SSD 730 Series solid state drives which are scheduled for launch on 18th March. The latest SSD 730 Series would be built from the same DNA as featured on Intel's high end enterprise product portfolio with the addition of an overclocked flash controlled and NAND to deliver better performance to enthusiasts.
Intel Unveils High-Performance SSD 730 Series Solid State Drive
The Intel SSD 730 series would replace the SSD 530 series which were launched last year and bring along them some new architectural changes. Powered by Intel's third generation PS29AS21CA controller (SATA 6 GB/S) and 20nm MLC NAND flash, the SSD 730 Series come in two variants which include a 480 GB model and a 240 GB model. Both of these products are aimed directly towards professionals and enthusiasts who need the best I/O capabilities in their PCs.
Both the NAND and the third-generation Intel controller have been infused with data center DNA for quality and reliability, and factory tuned for extreme performance. Delivering low latency and consistently high throughput, the 730 Series helps PCs respond quickly. The drive is protected by a 5-year warranty, ensuring peace of mind with stunning performance.
The Intel SSD 730 Series is available today for pre-order, and will be available for purchase starting on March 18. Get more information on the 730 Series, including where to pre-order. via Intel
The 480 GB model has a sequential read and write speed of 550 MB/s and 470 MB/s respectively, 89K IOPS (4K Random Read), 74K IOPS (4K Random Write) with an endurance of 70 GB per day backed by a warranty which lasts 5 years. The 480 GB model has a power draw of 1.5 W idle and 5.5 W load and is priced at $469.99 MSRP.
The 240 GB model has a sequential read and write speed of 550 MB/s and 270 MB/s respectively, 86K IOPS (4K Random Read), 56K IOPS (4K Random Write) with an endurance of 50 GB per day backed by a warranty which lasts 5 years. The 480 GB model has a power draw of 1.5 W idle and 3.8 W load and is priced at $239.99 MSRP.
Equip your next build with an Intel Solid-State Drive 730 Series and get:
- Optimized Performance. We specially qualified components and pushed factory performance tuning limits by boosting the controller speed by 50 percent and NAND bus speed 20 percent. The result, 50µs read latencies, consistently high transfer rates of up to 550 MB/s sequential reads, and up to 89,000 IOPS random reads.
- Data Center DNA. Gain extreme endurance—up to 70 GB of writes per day compared to the industry typical 20 GB per day—and enjoy peace-of-mind dependability throughout the life of the drive with advanced firmware algorithms, delivering performance consistency across all data types.
- RAID Performance Scaling. Achieve extreme storage performance for the most demanding usage models with RAID 0 configurations combining two or more Intel SSD 730 Series drives with an Intel platform supporting Intel Rapid Storage Technology for throughput exceeding 1,000 MB/s.
- Quality and Reliability. 3rd generation Intel controller, optimized Intel firmware, and 20nm NAND technology provide dependable up-time for intensive storage workloads—backed by a limited five-year warranty.
Both SSDs feature the same enclosure with the Intel Skull logo which empathizes its enthusiast built nature. The drives are factory overclocked and could be further tuned by professionals using the Intel XTU (Extreme Tuning Utility) as demonstrated earlier. Reviews of the SSD 730 Series can be found in the links from several tech sites provided below:
Intel SSD 730 Series Reviews Round-Up:
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ TechReport
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ Anandtech
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ SSDReview
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ Tomshardware
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ StorageReview
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ PCWorld
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ TweakTown
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ TechSpot
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ PCPerspective
- Intel SSD 730 Series Review @ HotHardware
Intel SSD 730 Series Specifications Sheet (Courtesy of Anandtech):
| Intel SSD 730 | Intel SSD 530 | Intel SSD DC S3500 | Intel SSD DC S3700 | |
| Capacities (GB) | 240, 480 | 80, 120, 180, 240, 360, 480 | 80, 120, 160, 240, 300, 400, 480, 600, 800 | 100, 200, 400, 800 |
| NAND | 20nm MLC | 20nm MLC | 20nm MLC | 25nm MLC-HET |
| Max Sequential Performance (Reads/Writes) | 550 / 470 MBps | 540 / 490 MBps | 500 / 450 MBps | 500 / 460 MBps |
| Max Random Performance (Reads/Writes) | 89K / 75K IOPS | 48K / 80K IOPS | 75K / 11.5K IOPS | 76K / 36K IOPS |
| Endurance (TBW) | 91TB (240GB) 128TB (480GB) |
36.5TB | 140TB (200GB) 275TB (480GB) |
3.65PB (200GB) 7.3PB (400GB) |
| Encryption | - | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| Power-loss Protection | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Intel SSD 730 Series Performance:
| Hybrid | Intel SSD | Intel SSD | |
| SSHD (2TB) |
530 Series (480GB) |
730 Series (480GB) |
|
| AS SSD Test Scores | |||
| Random Read IOPS | 392 | 54895 | 89154 |
| Random Write IOPS | 318 | 60168 | 74532 |
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | 170 | 485 | 500 |
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | 200 | 293 | 461 |
| Read Access Time (ms) | 14.03 | 0.184 | 0.07 |
| Write Access Time (ms) | 11.02 | 0.216 | 0.04 |
| ISO Copy | 113 | 287 | 371 |
| Program Copy | 50 | 185 | 214 |
| Game Copy | 78 | 207 | 289 |
| Overall Score AS SSD | 54 | 823 | 1146 |
| PCMark Vantage Test Scores (MB/s) | |||
| Windows Defender | 31 | 254 | 449 |
| Gaming | 18 | 327 | 444 |
| Importing Pictures | 71 | 356 | 486 |
| Windows Startup | 27 | 232 | 381 |
| Video Editing | 75 | 177 | 329 |
| Media Center | 242 | 259 | 433 |
| Adding Music | 14 | 96 | 303 |
| Application Loading | 9 | 103 | 321 |
| PCMark Vantage Storage Suite | 7558 | 44130 | 83354 |
| EA Origin: Repair 10GB of Game Files (sec) | 61 | 27 | 27 |
