Intel 520 Series SSD to Utilize SandForce Controller

[tecmo34]

Today, we learned more information on the upcoming release of the Intel 520 Series SSD from information released by The SSD Review.

Intel 520 Series SSD to Utilize SandForce Controller : Read more

 

[lordvj]

PRICING?

 

[wolfram23]

So basically all SSDs are going to be nearly identical, with a small variation in flash type used?

 

[Zenthar]

Given the number of issues reported with many vendors using SF (the more widely known being OCZ), is that a good move on Intel's part which has a good track record (except the 8MB bug perhaps)?

 

[perfectblue]

But sadly intel is not the only one offering reliable SSDs nowadays. With the likes of crucial, samsung, etc it is a tough market for intel.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

I hope the 520 comes with a decent SandForce controller free of any major issues. That would be a major accomplishment.

 

[alidan]

makes me question intel on this part, as sandforce is cheap high performance, but not known for quality at least as far as i read.

 

[amk-aka-Phantom]

Ummm... but this is awesome! I'm about to buy an SSD right now, getting it shipped from Taiwan. Price?! If that thing has a sensible price tag on it, I'm canceling my order!

 

[willard]

[citation][nom]wolfram23[/nom]So basically all SSDs are going to be nearly identical, with a small variation in flash type used?[/citation]
OCZ has its own controller it's getting ready to launch. We'll have to wait and see if it can compete with Sandforce.

That said, if everyone is using essentially the same controller and delivering essentially the same speed, then they'll be forced to differentiate their products elsewhere. If I were a betting man, I'd say elsewhere is probably going to be price.

New technology is always expensive (anybody else remember DVD burners going for $4k?), but standardizing parts of the process will usually drive costs down as manufacturing becomes more streamlined.

 

[OntarioHero]

[citation][nom]willard[/nom]OCZ has its own controller it's getting ready to launch. We'll have to wait and see if it can compete with Sandforce.[/citation]

You mean Octane with OCZ's own Indilynx controller. It's already released and the reviews are generally positive.

Anyway I'm kinda disappointed with this news. I don't know why intel decided to give up on their own controller, in 510 and now 520. I wonder if the recent firmware problems with 320 series had anything to do with it.

 

[megasamsung]

Tomorrow RIM launches it's first Android phone

 

[ojas]

Looks like a good thing that i've put off buying an SSD for Q3 2012...only choice i had was Intel (due to warranty+reliability reasons), so it's kind of good that they're putting out fast SSDs...though i too wonder about the reliability of the SandForce thing, like others here have said as well.

 

[nikorr]

It looks good on the paper.

 

[ahnilated]

And the quality of Intel SSD's is going to go right out the window with the sandforce controller.

 

[Filiprino]

Crucial is another company that doesn't use SandForce, so not all will be using SandForce.

 

[OntarioHero]

What the hell - the only source for intel using SandForce is ramblings of thessdreview.com articles? Their first article on the subject speculated on intel+SandForce partnership on very flimsy evidences and downright false information (320's inhouse controller does encryption just fine!). Their second article is citing the fact that there are sandforce based SSDs out there that can do 120, 240 and 480GB, which happened to line up with intel's upcoming offerings. Their 3rd article is just reiterating the same thing, but somehow with more conviction.

It could very well be that intel will use Sandforce or some other non-inhouse controller for 520, but I think it's too early for that headline.

 

[yapchagi]

what? r they stupid or something? no one is gonna buy sandforce.

 

[resetrsx]

[citation][nom]yapchagi[/nom]what? r they stupid or something? no one is gonna buy sandforce.[/citation]

Why? I personally like Sandforce. When it breaks, you get to throw it into the sand with a lot of force.

 

[danwat1234]

Sandforce is reliable nowadays and Intel needs a controller that can actually compete with Sandforce in terms of performance, Intel's 510 falls on it's face with performance. So, Intel has to use Sandforce until they can come up with a better controller themselves.

 

[apache_lives]

[citation][nom]danwat1234[/nom]Sandforce is reliable nowadays and Intel needs a controller that can actually compete with Sandforce in terms of performance, Intel's 510 falls on it's face with performance. So, Intel has to use Sandforce until they can come up with a better controller themselves.[/citation]

Atleast the Intel SSD's actually work without being erratic

 

[apache_lives]

[citation][nom]willard[/nom]OCZ has its own controller it's getting ready to launch. We'll have to wait and see if it can compete with Sandforce.That said, if everyone is using essentially the same controller and delivering essentially the same speed, then they'll be forced to differentiate their products elsewhere. If I were a betting man, I'd say elsewhere is probably going to be price.New technology is always expensive (anybody else remember DVD burners going for $4k?), but standardizing parts of the process will usually drive costs down as manufacturing becomes more streamlined.[/citation]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5147/the-ocz-octane-review-512gb

 

[Energy96]

[citation][nom]Zenthar[/nom]Given the number of issues reported with many vendors using SF (the more widely known being OCZ), is that a good move on Intel's part which has a good track record (except the 8MB bug perhaps)?[/citation]


The issues sandforce controllers were experiencing in the last quarter were all resolved through firmware updates. There remains to be a few compatibility issues specifically with some OCZ drives but most of these have been fixed with motherboard BIOS updates.

People still stuck on the "sandforce is unreliable" bandwagon need to keep up with current events. Sandforce controllers are currently every bit as reliable as any other controller but offer higher performance than most others.

I've had a 240gb Mushin Chronos Deluxe (sandforce) for almost 3 months and I have had zero issues at all with it and it see's fairly heavy use.

 

[belardo]

This will have to be a wait and see. So far, nothing has yet to be the X25's in reliability.

 

[blazorthon]

I liked the fact that Intel didn't use SandForce in their drives. In a market that is dominated by one technology it was nice that a huge company had drives that used their own technology. Especially considering that SandForce takes a performance hit with data that can't be compressed much or at all. That just happens to describe most of the data I have, unfortunately.

 

[tanjo]

So there will be two line ups? The new fast and the old reliable series.