INTEL RELEASES SMALL CACHING SSDS BASED ON OPTANE 3D XPOINT TECHNOLOGY

Intel has finally launched a product using its fancy 3D XPoint non-volatile memory tech, that is designed to be almost as fast as DRAM (used for RAM), but at the price of NAND (used in SSDs). The Intel Optane Memory SSD is an M.2 form-factor PCIe NVMe SSD in 16GB or 32GB capacities, designed to be used as a super-fast cache. Leveraging 3D XPoint’s superior latency compared to traditional TLC/MLC NAND found on most SSDs, the Intel Optane Memory SSD can give your PC a boost on file intensive operations when used with a 7th-generation Intel Core CPU, 200-series chipset, Windows 10 and Intel’s Rapid Storage Technology drivers. Those with older CPUs and motherboards need not apply. How much of a boost you’ll get - we’re not sure, but come April 24 we will know more. Intel plans to sell the 16GB Optane Memory SSD for US$44 and the 32GB variant for US$77.