14 DAY TRIAL // Since the mSATA-compatible SSD 525 series of solid state drives isn't the sort of thing that all PCs can use, Intel has released drives featuring the more versatile 2.5-inch form factor.
The SSD 335 line of solid state drives isn't ancient, but it isn't exactly new either. One might also say it isn't exactly a drive series though, since it only has one member.
Intel has just released a second model though, called SSDSC2CT180A4K5 and, as some might understand from the name, equipped with 180 GB capacity.
The drive body design has been changed, and it will be applied to all new 240 GB units as well.
As the photo may reveal, the perimeter of the drive has a brace running alongside it, without removing the 2.5-inch, 9mm-thick compatibility. The print art evokes circuit boards.
It isn't exactly relevant in the grand scheme of things, since storage devices like this are seldom left out in the open.
Still, an aesthetic accent never hurts, so long as the price is unaffected to any relevant extent.
That said, the specifications are what people might expect from an MLC NAND-based (multi-level cell) solid state drive with a SandForce controller.
The SandForce SF-2281 chip is used, leading to a sequential read speed of up to 500 MB/s and a writing speed of 450 MB/s.
As for the random throughput, it is 52,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second).
For those in need of a reminder, the speeds are the same as on the 240 GB drive, as is the rest of the feature set (20 nm MLC by IMFlash, the form factors, the SATA 6.0 Gbps support).
Intel wants $179.99 in exchange for each 180 GB SSD 335 drive, and will offer a 3-year warranty for each purchase. The sum is equivalent to 131.74 Euro, but the EU price will probably be closer to 180 Euro.