A so far unannounced Intel 330 SSD has appeared on various online web retailers such as Sabre PC, Amazon UK and Insight.com. A screenshot of the Intel 330 SSD as listed on Sabre PC can be seen below:
Popular retailer MacMall.com also had the Intel 330 listed, but have since removed information and title tags from the page, a Google search still reveals the original page title and some information though:
The Intel 330 model naming matches with a leaked roadmap of Intel SSDs from last year, and website Digitimes.com reported just last week that an Intel 300 series release is expected for May based on insider information provided to them.
Intel 330 SSD Specs
The Intel 330 will come with three capacity options: 60GB, 120GB and 180GB.
The specs for the 120GB Intel 330 model version are listed on Sabre PC as the following:
| Capacity | 120GB |
| Features | Sequential Reads: 500MB/s, Sequential Writes: 450MB/s, Data Security with AES 256-bit hardware encryption, Limited SMART attributes |
| Data Read | 500 MBps |
| Data Write | 450MBps |
| Connector Type | 7 pin Serial ATA |
| Form Factor | 2.5” |
| Interface | SATA 3.0 (6.0Gbps) |
| MLC | 25nm |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Price | $149 |
The IOPS performance are not reported on Sabre PC, but according to information Sweclockers found on a Swedish retail site the 180GB version of the Intel 330 stands to be the fastest:
Chart source: Sweclockers.com
There’s no direct evidence that the Intel 330 will use a SandForce controller, but based on the size capacities and the fact the recent Intel 520 switched from Marvell to SandForce it seems this will be the case. SandForce controllers offer the fastest speed but are also challenged by stability, aka more frequent blue screens for the end user. Intel prides themselves on reliability and claimed with the Intel 520 they had worked hard on the firmware to ensure a reliable drive and backed it up with a 5-year warranty. Based on information from Sabre PC, Intel will offer at least a 3-year warranty on the 330.
The Intel 330 is going to come in cheaper overall than the 520 series. For instance, the Intel 520 180GB version retails for $274.99 with a suggested retail price of $413 on Amazon.com. Meanwhile, the 180GB version of the Intel 330 is listed at $234 on Sabre PC. The Intel 330 will not offer quite the performance of the higher end 520, but is sure to be a fast performer and squarely targeted at capturing more of the consumer space. Look for this new SSD to hit store shelves in the second half of May.
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