14 DAY TRIAL // Servers and data centers still use hard drives, for the most part, but SSDs can definitely help access and move data faster, so Intel is actively promoting their use in such scenarios. The Solid-State Drive DC S3700 Series is the latest means to do that.
There are two types of DC S3700 SSDs: a set with 2.5-inch form factors and another set that measures 1.8 inches.
The former drives come in 100 GB, 200 GB, 400 GB and 800 GB capacities, while the latter only come with the 200 GB and 400 GB storage space.
In the same order, the prices range from $235 / 235 Euro to $1,880 / 1,880 Euro (in 1,000-unit quantities), and $495 / 495 Euro to $965 / 965 Euro. All drives get 5-year limited warranties.
Intel DC S3700 employ the SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, or SATA III as it is otherwise called. The maximum read speed is of 500 MB/s, while the top writing speed is of 460 MB/s.
Speaking of which, the 4KB random read performance is of 75,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second), and the write performance is 36,000 IOPS tops.
This all boils down to a typical sequential write latency of 65 microseconds and high Quality of Service (QOS) of less than 500 microseconds, 99.9 percent of the time.
All in all, the new solid-state drives from Intel can go a long way to improve the performance of servers and data centers, especially in multi-threaded configurations.
The Intel High Endurance Technology (HET) is a useful addition too, as it gives MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash chips all the same endurance as SLC chips (single-level cell).
Finally, Intel chose to implement 256-bit Encryption Standard (AES) security, at hardware level.
Mass production of the SSD DC S3700 Series will start by the end of the year (2012), meaning that worldwide availability will ramp up in early 2013.