Intel has recently unleashed their latest solid state drive – the Intel SSD 730 Series, a high performance SSD which is perfect for enthusiasts, gamers and workstation users. The Intel 730’s NAND and Intel Controller features Data Center DNA for reliability and is optimized for extreme performance. Check out its specifications, benchmarks, price and where to buy below.
The Intel SSD 730 replaces the 530s released last year. It features Intel’s 3rd generation PS29AS21CA controller and 20nm MLC NAND Flash. The controller is said to be overclocked at 50% while the NAND is 20% faster compared to its predecessor. It comes in 240GB and 480GB capacities and has a Random 4KB Read/Write speed of 86,000/56,000 IOPS and 89,000/74,000 IOPS respectively. It’s Sequential 128KB Read/Write speeds are 550MBps / 270MBps for the 240GB, and 550MBps / 470MBps for the 480GB.
The Intel SSD 730 is able to handle 70GB of writes per day, unlike other SSD which can only handle 20GB writes per day, making it suitable for heavy users. It also features RAID Performance scaling, making it possible to achieve extreme storage performance for the most demanding usage models with RAID 0 configurations combining two or more Intel SSD 730 Series drives with an Intel platform supporting Intel Rapid Storage Technology for throughput exceeding 1,000 MB/s.
Intel SSD 730 Specifications
Intel SSD 730 Benchmarks
Hybrid SSHD (2TB) | Intel SSD 530 Series (480GB) | Intel SSD 730 Series (480GB) | |
---|---|---|---|
AS SSD Test Scores | |||
Random Read IOPS | 392 | 54895 | 89154 |
Random Write IOPS | 318 | 60168 | 74532 |
Sequential Read (MB/s) | 170 | 485 | 500 |
Sequential Write (MB/s) | 200 | 293 | 461 |
Read Access Time (ms) | 14.03 | 0.184 | 0.07 |
Write Access Time (ms) | 11.02 | 0.216 | 0.04 |
ISO Copy | 113 | 287 | 371 |
Program Copy | 50 | 185 | 214 |
Game Copy | 78 | 207 | 289 |
Overall Score AS SSD | 54 | 823 | 1146 |
PCMark Vantage Test Scores (MB/s) | |||
Windows Defender | 31 | 254 | 449 |
Gaming | 18 | 327 | 444 |
Importing Pictures | 71 | 356 | 486 |
Windows Startup | 27 | 232 | 381 |
Video Editing | 75 | 177 | 329 |
Media Center | 242 | 259 | 433 |
Adding Music | 14 | 96 | 303 |
Application Loading | 9 | 103 | 321 |
PCMark Vantage Storage Suite | 7558 | 44130 | 83354 |
EA Origin: Repair 10GB of Game Files (sec) | 61 | 27 | 27 |
The Intel SSD 730 is basically designed to compete with other high performance solid state drives like the Samsung 840 Pro / 840 Evo and OCZ Vertex. And based on the reviews I read, it wasn’t able to blow away its competitors. But it was able to put itself near the leading SSDs like the Samsung 840 Pro.
Price and Where to Buy
Its official released date is on March 18. But both the Intel SSD 730 249GB and 480GB are now available for (pre) order. Intel is also offering a 5 year warranty for both the 240GB and 480GB. You can get a 240GB for as low as $239.99 and the 480GB at $469.99 (lesser than suggested retail price price).