Intel 320 Series 120 GB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid-State Drive Retail Box
Description:
Intel Solid-State Drives just got better. The next generation Intel SSD 320 Series offers built-in data protection features, better performance, larger capacities and more value for your money.
Details:
Detail
Value
Binding
Personal Computers
Brand
Intel
EAN
0735858217910
Feature
The free software supports Microsoft Windows 7, Vista and XP
Format
CD-ROM
Height
6.8 inches
Length
2 inches
Weight
1 pounds
Width
5.4 inches
Label
International Concepts
List Price
$269.00
Manufacturer
International Concepts
Model
SSDSA2CW120G3B5
MPN
SSDSA2CW120G3B5
Package Quantity
1
Platform
Windows
Product Group
Personal Computer
Product Type Name
COMPUTER_DRIVE_OR_STORAGE
Publisher
International Concepts
SKU
0735858217910MCR
Studio
International Concepts
Title
Intel 320 Series 120 GB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid-State Drive Retail Box
I've had this SSD since June 2011 and all I can say is that I made the right choice. 1,03 TB of Host Writes and 811,88 GB of Host Reads, powered on 248 times, with a total of 1907 hours, and no problems whatsoever. Benchmarks I've run confirmed the advertised speeds, both read and write (write was even a little better).
Since I bought it some people have complained that under certain circumstances, if there is a power outage, after a few times (it doesn't always happen the first time, so is more likely in places that have frequent power outages) the SSD may report that it only has 8 MB of capacity. In that case you can do a secure erase and you'll get your space back, but of course, lose all the data you had in it. Intel has since addressed the problem with a firmware fix, although I've read some people say that it didn't do much to fix the problem. In my case, I never even bothered to install the firmware fix because I rarely have power outages where I live.
As a first SSD I wanted to have the best experience possible and not worry about compatibility and reliability problems that affected the other popular brands that used the Sandforce controllers. Nowadays the landscape is a little different - it seems that Sandforce has finally come up with a firmware fix for their controllers' problems ( I haven't checked to see if it actually fixes the problems though), and Crucial has gained recognition for their reliability and also performance. Samsung is also a player to be reckoned with, altough they don't market their SSDs much.
Nowadays people who are more into performance and want the latest and greatest to pair with their Sata 3, 6 GB/s capable motherboards (or with an expansion card), might want to try the 510 Series Sata 3 models, but they are still a bit more expensive. If you have a Sata 2 motherboard and want excellent read speeds and very reasonable write speeds and reliabililty, this Intel 320 series SSD is a good bet; the 120 GB model I bought has more than enough space to install Windows 7 64-bit and all of it's updates, along with your main applications and even a game or two you want to load / stream faster.
What most of these people don't realize is there is little to no difference in "real world" performance despite what the benchmarks show. My 320 120gb is every bit as fast as my Vertex 3 120gb, and unlike the V3, has NEVER once crashed. The V3 has dropped from my system (Ph II x4 965/5770 on an ASUS M5A97 Evo) more times than I can count. It doesn't get any faster than "instantaneous" and I'd much rather have rock solid reliability.
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