Intel releases new enthusiast-grade Optane 905P SSDs

Intel has just released the Optane 905P SSDs, the latest additions to their enthusiast grade Optane line-up of drives. The 905P range is based on the previous 900P series, which was released last year, but the new SSDs offer improved performance and twice the capacity compared to the earlier models.

The latest 905P drives are based on 3D X-Point technology, which is a new type of solid-state, non-volatile memory developed by Intel and Micron. Compared to NAND flash, which is used in traditional SSDs, 3D X-Point offers up to 10 times better performance and up to 1,000 times better endurance. 

The 905P is available in two different variants, and the top model comes in the form of PCI-e add-in card, which offers 960 GB of storage and is capable of 2600 MB/s sequential read and 2200 MB/s sequential write performance. The random read and write performance of the drive is rated at 575,000 IOPS and 555,000 IOPS respectively, which is a significant improvement over the 900P’s 550,000 IOPS read and 500,000 IOPS write. This means that the drive is more than five times faster than SATA-based SSDs and 1,000 times faster than traditional hard disk drives all while requiring only 6W of power at idle and 16.4W at load. Lastly, just to fit in with the trend, Intel has included RGB lights in the shroud of the drive for an extra visual appeal.

The second variant is a traditional 2.5” drive utilizing the U.2 PCI-e 3.0 x4 interface. This model is available in 480 GB capacity and offers performance similar to that of the larger drive while drawing little less power, i.e., consuming 3.3W at idle and 12.8W during full load. The casing of the drive is a simple black enclosure which acts as a heat sink as well. 

As for the pricing, the Optane SSD 960 GB PCI-e variant is available for US$1299, while the 480 GB U.2 variant can be obtained for US$599.