Intel Optane SSD

Optane SSD DC P4800X. © Intel.

Intel and Micron Technology have been working together since 2012 on a new non-volatile memory technology, called 3D XPoint, claimed to outperform the flash NAND technology used in all current SSDs. Intel is about to launch its first product with this new technology. The launch was originally slated for the end of 2016, but was postponed for unspecified reasons. The Intel Optane SSD DC P4800X is a PCIe card that holds 375GB of memory. It will sell for US$1,520 (CA$2,050), or US$4,05 per GB, which is far more than a traditional SSD. However, as always, the price is bound to drop, and preliminary tests seem to confirm touted performance, which is impressively superior to that of the flash NAND memory. It’s also the first iteration of the SSD with 3D XPoint memory; further improvements are bound to come.

⇨ AnandTech, “The Intel Optane SSD DC P4800X (375GB) Review: Testing 3D XPoint Performance.”