Intel expanded its mainstream client SSD 330 series with the addition of a new 240 GB variant. The SSD 330 series, till date, only had sub-200 GB capacities, with 180 GB leading the pack. It was believed that Intel was making sure SSD 330 steered clear of the performance-segment SSD 520 series, to prevent internal competition that could end up hurting the SSD 520, and its higher margins for Intel. It appears, though, that with large-scale price-cuts, room has been created for a new 240 GB SSD 330 series model.
Built in the 2.5-inch 9.5 mm-thick form-factor with SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and driven by an LSI-SandForce controller, the 240 GB SSD 330 comes with sequential speeds of up to 500 MB/s (reads) and 450 MB/s (writes). It has rated 4K random access performance of 42,000 IOPS (reads) with 52,000 IOPS (writes). The SSD will be sold in bulk as drive-only trays, drive-only retail packages, and retail packages with migration-kits and 3.5-inch bay adapters (for desktops). Intel is yet to release pricing details, although a price of around US $200 seems likely. In related news, the wide-ranging price-cuts reported last week, have taken effect, according to the company.
