Intel X25-M 34nm 80GB SSD review

So, after two months long wait, I finally got my Intel X25-M SSD. I could have gotten it a month ago, but I realized that the second generation is coming up, so I waited for this hard drive.

The part number of the hard drive is SSDSA2MH080G2C1

I got this one from Compu2000.com for $266.99 CAD + tax; it’s cheaper than NewEgg.ca which is selling at $303.00 down from $359.00 CAD (and I need to pay shipping from NewEgg too). However, since I can’t keep updating the above prices every week here, maybe I will just let you check it on your own. Here are some suggesting links for Canadian customers:

RedFlagDeals.ca

Shopbot.ca

So the first thing I did when I went home was to install this SSD into my Macbook.Physically, it feels solid and very light compared to other brands of SSDs, such as OCZ and Corsair, that I had installed for my customers at work. The main reason why I chose Intel rather than another brand was that Intel’s X25-M hits the highest score for overall practical testing. Let’s take a look at how Intel featured their own SSD:

• 10 Parallel Channel Architecture with 34nm MLC ONFI 1.0 NAND

• Sustained Sequential Read: up to 250 MB/s

• Sustained Sequential Write: up to 70 MB/s

• Life Expectancy: 1.2 million hours Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF)

However, it’s useless to look at this “official” data without the comparison of of real testing. The first one is the data pre-SSD, and the second screen-shot is the post-SSD.

Pre-SSD

Post-SSD

Can you see that? The overall score is almost 8 times of my original hard drive. Well, one reason was because my original hard drive speed was at 5400RPM. If you are using a 7200RPM drive, it should get a better score, but still I don’t think any notebook hard drive can reach half of the score of this Intel SSD yet. I am so glad that I refrained ordering the first generation Intel X25-M. Or otherwise, I will probably be blaming myself already. If you ask me for suggestions on a SSD, I will tell you to go for Intel without even the need to think about it.

PS: With Apple’s re-written OS X Snow Leopard, Intel’s X25-M SSD just totally renew my Macbook. The only concern you might have is gonna be the size of the hard drive. However, I mostly use my Macbook for web development and document processing as well as internet surfing, so 80GB is good enough for me for now; if you don’t need it that badly, then you can wait, the price will drop rapidly in the next year for sure.