Pros & Cons
-
- Very fast reads, exceptional write performance for an SSD.
- Almost no heat.
- Silent.
-
- Expensive.
- Write performance sometimes inferior to fast rotating storage.
In the past, I've been loath to recommend SSDs, except for in environments that require rugged equipment or low power use. But given the overall performance of the 2.5-inch Intel X25 80GB Solid-State Drive, I'm much more bullish. The MLC NAND technology delivers high capacity, but traditionally it has been slower than SLC (single-level cell) flash memory. In my testing, though, the device lived up to Intel's aggressive performance claims, for the most part. The overall performance was astonishing, particularly in RAID 0. And, if we can believe Intel's estimates, firmware improvements the company has made should give an SLC SSD in a constant-use server environment a five-year life—as good or better than that of rotating storage. The high cost ($595 direct in 1,000-unit quantities, with end-user prices likely well north of $600) makes it far too expensive for mainstream systems, but hard-core performance enthusiasts willing to lay down some serious green should take a close look.