Intel intros the first Optane SSD for desktops

Until now, the Intel Optane SSDs were only available for the enterprise sector. Fortunately, gamers and other consumers with special needs (and a budget to match them, of course) can finally grab one of these top-of-the-line pieces of hardware. These drives use the 3D XPoint(TM) technology, which is much faster than the NAND flash memory employed by the mainstream SSDs on the market. 

The new Optane SSD 900P series comes in three flavors - a 280 GB model that uses the rather standard U.2 15 mm form factor (known as a 2.5-inch drive to most users), and two HHHL (CEM3.0) (half-height/half-length PCI-Express) models with a capacity of 280 GB and 480 GB. Numbers aside, Intel claims the performance of new drives is "up to four times faster than competitive NAND-based SSDs" and they provide up to 22 more endurance than the average mainstream SSDs available these days.

Moving on, these are some of the numbers pushed aside in the previous paragraph:

• Sequential read - up to 2500 MB/s 
• Sequential write - up to 2000 MB/s
• Random read - up to 550,000 IOPS
• Random write - up to 500,000 IOPS
• Latency (for both read and write operations) - 10 µs
• Endurance rating - 8.76 PB (480 GB model) or 5.11 PB (280 GB models) lifetime writes
• MTBF - 1,600,000 hours

All the Optane SSD 900P models feature 256-bit AES hardware encryption and enhanced power loss data protection, being covered by a five-year warranty period.

Newegg should have these SSDs in stock tomorrow and, for a limited time, all the buyers of the new Intel Optane SSD 900P drives can claim an exclusive in-game Star Citizen ship (pictured below). The 280 GB models retail for US$389.99, while the 480 GB Optane SSD 900P has a price tag that reads US$599.99.