14 DAY TRIAL // It looks like Intel didn't let Easter go by without a new product release, so out came the SSD 330 Series of storage devices made of MLC NAND Flash chips.
Intel continues to hold that solid state drives are the best thing that can happen to anyone's personal computer, assuming the PC doesn't already have one.
We'll leave it to prospective buyers to decide whether or not this really is the case.
At any rate, the Santa Clara, California-based company has formally introduced the Solid State Drive 330 series, Intel SSD 330 Series for short.
The capacity options are of 60 GB, 120 GB and 180 GB, while the data transfers can reach up to 500 MB/s when reading and 450 MB/s when writing.
The spec list goes on with random read performance of up to 22,500 Input-Output Operations Per Second (IOPS) and random write capability of 33,000 IOPS.
"An SSD is still the single best upgrade you can make to your existing PC, and the Intel SSD 330 Series gives users the latest Intel SSD technology at a price to meet their budget," said James Slattery, product line manager for client SSDs, Intel Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group.
"Backed by Intel's rigorous testing process, the Intel SSD 330 Series offers our users the speed they need at a great price, backed by world-class manufacturing, reliability and tech support."
The SSD 330 Series drives have the 2.5-inch form factor and are constructed out of MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory chips.
Speaking of which, the chips themselves are made with the 25nm manufacturing process technology.
All in all, Intel states that the newcomers will be good both in single-drive and multi-drive configurations, even though the random performance isn't as high as, say, that of OCZ's Vertex 4.
Finally, the prices aren't all that inaccessible, all things considered. The 60 GB unit has a tag of $89, the 120 GB drive costs $149 and the 180 GB unit bears a price of $234. That's 68 Euro, 114 Euro and 178 Euro, respectively. Sales are already underway and the warranty is 3 years.