Intel Announces X18-M, X25-M 80GB SSDs

Intel announced this week it has begun shipping the X18-M and X25-M Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drives for laptop and desktop computers.

The 1.8-inch X18-M and 2.5-inch X25-M are based on multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash technology and are available in 80GB capacities. Their read and write speeds are up to 250MB per second and up to 70MB/s respectively. Samples of upcoming 160GB versions will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.

The SSDs offer “several advantages over hard drives including faster overall system response and boot and resume times”.

“With no moving parts, SSDs run cooler and quieter and are a more reliable option than hard drives. In addition, SSDs remove input/output (I/O) performance bottlenecks associated with hard disk drives that help maximize the efficiency of Intel processors”, the chip maker says, adding that lab tests show the Intel X18-M and X25M increase storage system performance nine times over traditional hard disk drive performance.

The Intel X18-M and X25-M are priced at $595 for quantities up to 1,000.

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