The time to switch to faster data access has come. With all the heavy applications and need for a better and faster computer, data access is among the main factors.
More and more people are going for the new Solid State Drives (SSD) over the 7200rpm hard drives in the market today.
The Intel X25-M SATA Solid State Drive (SSD) delivers leading performance in industry standard 2.5" form factor while simultaneously improving system responsiveness for mobile applications over standard rotating drive media or hard disk drives. By combining Intel's leading NAND flash memory technology with the innovative high performance controller, Intel delivers an SSD for native Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drive drop-in replacement with enhanced performance, reliability, ruggedness and power savings.Since there are no rotating platters, moving heads, fragile actuators, or unnecessary delays due to spin-up time or positional seek time that can slow down the storage subsystem significantly, the Intel X25-M SATA SSD enables fast read/write access times and a significant I/O and throughput performance improvement as compared to rotating media or hard disk drives.
Amazon.com Product Description:
Amazon.com Product Description The future of computer storage is here! With the Intel X-25M Mainstream SATA Solid State Drive, you'll experience dramatically faster disk performance and greater durability than traditional hard drives. Since it uses NAND flash memory instead of spinning platters for storage, there's no waiting for disks to spin up, and there are no moving parts to worry about breaking down.
 Experience blazing fast disk performance with the X-25M drive. |
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The X-25M is an SATA hard drive with a capacity of 80 GB in a 2.5-inch form factor that will work anywhere a regular 2.5-inch hard drive does, such as in notebook computers and external enclosures.
But don't think that the X-25M is your normal drive. Instead of using spinning platters like traditional hard drives, the X-25M is a Solid State Drive (SSD) and uses flash memory for storage, giving you dramatically faster data access. If you need more disk space, the X-25M also comes in a 160 GB version.
Performs Even Faster than Other Solid State Drives
Intel has been making memory chips for decades, and this experience is on clear display with the X-25M drive. This drive uses Intel's Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND Flash Memory that delivers better performance than other SSDs thanks to an advanced architecture and technologies such as Native Command Queuing, which enables up to 32 simultaneous operations. The result is sustained sequential read speeds of up to 250 MBps, sustained sequential write speeds of up to 70 MBps, and a read latency of just 85 microseconds.
And by using the SATA interface that offers data throughput of up to 3.0 Gbps, you can duly take advantage of all the speed. What all this means for you is that applications launch instantaneously, files copy in less time, and your overall productivity is significantly increased.
Higher Reliability and Silent Operation
Compared to traditional hard drives, the X-25M is both faster and more durable. Since it doesn't have spinning disks or writing heads, there are fewer parts to fail. It is also less susceptible to vibrations and shock and is completely silent. The X-25M is rated at 1.2 million hours mean time before failure (MTBF) for superb reliability.
Lower Power Consumption is Good for the Environment
The X-25M also consumes far less power than traditional drives, which saves you money and makes it an environmentally friendly choice. When installed in a laptop, you'll experience better battery life, so you can work longer on those cross-country plane trips. Additionally, the drive is certified RoHS compliant for its use of non-hazardous materials.
The Intel X-25M Mainstream SATA Solid State Drive supports Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) commands as well as additional SSD monitoring. It is backed by a three-year limited warranty.
The X-25M has no moving parts for faster and more reliable performance.
Lowest Used Price: USD 195.00
Lowest New Price: USD 399.99
- 80 GB Solid State Drive provides outstanding performance and durability in a 2.5" form factor
- No moving parts for faster performance and higher durability
- Sustained sequential read speeds of up to 250 MBps and write speeds of up to 70 MBps
- SATA interface provides up to 3GBps data throughput
- Backed by a three-year warranty
Model: SSDSA2MH080G105901460
Original Language: English
OS X Systems Drive
I recently installed the X25-M in my late 2009 MacBook Pro Unibody. I installed this as a second drive using the DualDrive (google it) kit available elsewhere. I'd avoid the DualDrive until they clean up their act and bother to include some instructions, etc (other alternatives are available) - but about the Mac with the X25-M.
I set this up to hold everything except my /Users directories - system, applications, library, etc. And the result is - wow. Applications open (and close) unbelievably quickly - Microsoft Word in under a second, Safari in something like .25 seconds, others somewhere in the middle. It's not like I spend all day opening and closing applications - but the impact on overall snappiness is quite amazing.
I also went to the trouble of mapping my ~/Library file and placing it on the SSD as well. This library is hit quite often by applications so I was looking for just a little more pickup in speed. On reconsideration I'll probably undo it. While there may be a slight increase in speed - it appears to be confusing some apps like iTunes, etc who don't know how to deal with the relocation of the Library.
All in all if you have a few hundred $'s to spend and don't care about having an optical drive (the DualDrive uses that space to install the SSD) - this is a great upgrade.
P.S. Boot speed also amazing. I haven't measured it - but I know I used to dread a reboot and the associated application launches, etc - now it's no big deal.
4 Stars only cause the price / size factor is still a little painful.
This is the future.
I installed this drive after using a universal hard drive adapter to ghost my OS to it. Plugged it into the SATA and the computer booted up in about 5 seconds. I run a data base program about 2 gig in size and there is no lag in opening records. Thank You Intel. BOK, BOK.
Fast and silent
The X-25 has been very good for a first generation product. It's very fast and using it for the boot drive in my system made the system silent most of the time. The only downside is cost, but that is soon forgotten and all that is left is the incredible speed and silence.
Intel has now introduced the G2 version with TRIM to "recondition" the cells periodically. If you are buying an X-25 today make certain you get the G2 version even if it's a few bucks more.
Faster
I buyed this SSD to replace my HDD Hitachi in my Laptop Lenovo T61. It is VERY fast! Now I can load my system in only 15 seconds.
A pair of these on a Clevo D900F
Like Paul from several posts below this one if you sorted reviews by "newest first", I have a Sager NP9280 (Clevo D900F) ([...]). As if the only desktop I7 processor on a laptop form factor in the world wasnt fast enough, I have a pair of the Intel X25-m's installed in RAID0. Mine is not as snappy as Pauls is, but boot time (to exclude P.O.S.T.), IS 13 seconds, however, mine is installed on a good operating system (Windows 7), not VISTA, which is not (or ever will be) allowed on some networks. Windows7 has features specific only to this operating system (not available on others) that make it work better with SSDs (google TRIM). While it costs 0+ for each drive, or two for 0+, yes, its worth it, over time. There is a review on this very thread that a lady states that an SSD saves her roughly 45minutes per day.
sounds rediculous, but if your source of income can be made more efficient by having the slowest part of the computer replaced with something modern (not to mention better battery life and lower operation temperatures, better ruggedness, etc), this is a no brainer, specially if your work requires you on the computer.
I have a pair of Raptors (10,000rpm drives) in RAID0 as well on my Q6600 quad core desktop, boots in 33seconds. While the SSDs run circles around it as far as read times, its write capabilities is just noticeably faster. IE, I can open up 5mb photoshop files on the laptop in ~2seconds, which takes my desktop ~15seconds. I dont have anymore applications that need more than 2seconds to do simple tasks.
For laptop users, this is the single item you want to upgrade if you are thinking of making a new purchase, if you still want to get a new laptop, make sure SSDs are an option (specifically INTEL X25, dont accept knockoffs, make sure its INTEL).
The main reason is speed, the solid state drives are said to be able to access a data within 35-105ms compared to the 5,000-10,000ms for the conventional Hard Drives. Even a little kid could see the difference between these numbers. Now is the time to switch to SSD.
One of the fastest Solid State Drives in the market today is the Intel SSDSA2MH080G1C5 X25-M 80GB MLC 2.5-Inch 9.5mm Solid State Drive. If features an 80GB capacity on a 2.5inch form factor that performs above the rest and durable enough to withstand years of use. It has no moving parts ensuring the most silent operation a user can get and low power consumption. Intel’s has again come up with another solution not only for the users but also for the environment.
It consumes lesser energy than conventional drives, faster, more durable and of course protected with a 3-year warranty. What more could you ask for?
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