Should deliver faster performance, but reliability could become a concern

Dec 5, 2011 07:51 GMT  ·  By

Originally scheduled for release in November of 2011, Intel’s 520 SSD series is supposed to become available shortly, sporting most probably a SandForce SATA 6Gbps controller, according to a recent report that hit the Web.

The first rumors regarding Intel's plans to utilize SandForce controllers in their SSDs appeared quite some time ago, and now a series of recently leaked documents published by The SSD Review seem to confirms these reports.

While the SandForce name is not mentioned anywhere in the docs, if we are to take a look at the performance specs provided by Intel, these seem to be extremely similar with those that we have come to see from second-generation SF-based SSDs.

These include sequential read and write transfer rates in excess of 500MB/s as well as a maximum 4K random access performance rated at 85,000 IOPS.

That last number seems to be a dead giveaway for an SF-2281 controller that is also used by the likes of OCZ, Corsair, and others, for their high-performance SSDs.

Intel, however, will pair this with a custom firmware, which we hope will improve the reliability of the drives.

Intel designed the Cherryvile SSDs to spread the series in capacities when compared to the previous Elm Crest drives, so the maximum storage available will be set at 480GB compared to the previous 250GB of the 510-Series.

Furthermore, the Cherryville line of solid state drives will also witness the introduction of a lower 60GB model, which should be a great option for user seeking a fast boot drive for their system.

More info regarding the performance of the 520-Series SSDs, code named Cherryville, is available in the documents pictured in this article.

No details regarding pricing are available at this point in time, but The SSD Review seems to believe the release of the drives is imminent, suggesting that there are some chances to see the drives arrive by the end of this year.

Photo Gallery (5 Images)

Intel 510-Series SSD
Intel 520-Series SSD Cherryville detailsIntel 520-Series SSD Cherryville details
+2more