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Intel issues firmware update for ailing X18-M and X25-M SSDs
Wait, what's this? Intel admitting that its X18-M and X25-M SSDs do actually have the potential to slow after extended use? After the company flat out denied allegations brought forth by PC Perspective earlier this year, it has now quietly pushed out a v1.1 update for the 80GB and 160GB versions of the aforementioned devices. All we're told is that it brings along "several continuous improvement optimizations intended to provide the best possible user experience," but there's absolutely no denying what it's really aiming to fix. Intel still maintains that the likelihood of users experiencing any long-term issues are next to nothing, but we'd suggest applying the update just in case. Wouldn't want to be missing out on any lightning fast read / write rates, now would you?[Via HotHardware]Read - Intel firmware updateRead - Updated firmware review
Darren Murph04.13.2009
Intel responds to SSD performance allegations with a denial
Did you catch the news yesterday about those chronic performance problems that cropped up in a trio of Intel X25-M SSDs under review by PC Perspective? Intel apparently did, promptly responding and identifying what it believes to be the issue: the testers. The review alleged that the drives' write algorithms, intended to evenly spread wear and extend their lives, result in extreme fragmentation and major decreases in performance. Intel is saying it wasn't able to replicate the results, that "the synthetic workloads they use to stress the drive are not reflective of real world use," and that "the benchmarks they used to evaluate performance do not represent what a PC user experiences." The reviewers were largely just copying files around and installing/uninstalling applications, which sounds fairly realistic to us. We're thinking these two aren't going to agree to disagree on this one, and that there will be more updates to come.
Tim Stevens02.20.2009
Intel X25-M SSDs slowing down with extensive use?
Intel's X25-M SSD drives have certainly shown themselves more than capable enough in the usual tests and various configurations, but a long-term test report from the folks at PC Perspective is now casting a bit of doubt onto their long-term effectiveness and speediness. More specifically, they found that the sector remapping and wear-leveling algorithms that are designed to increase performance and extend the drives' lifespans were actually doing quite the opposite as the drive became increasingly fragmented after extensive use. Further complicating the matter, it seems that conventional defrag programs only make the situation worse, with the only sure way of resetting the drive's sector maps being a complete wipe of the drive. PC Perspective is quick to point out, however, that many users may well never notice the slowdown with light use, and they do have a few suggestions to minimize the problem until Intel devises a firmware fix, which is the only surefire solution.[Via Ars Technica, thanks Robert]
Donald Melanson02.19.2009