Intel unveils 750 Series PCI Express SSD

Yesterday Intel took a daring step forward and dropped SATA in a consumer-class SSD for the first time, as the new 750 Series features a PCI Express 3.0 bus and non-volatile memory express (NVMe) high-speed host controller interface. While previous drives that used SATA were attached to the mainboard via a data cable, the 750 Series connects directly through the PCI Express slot or via NVMe.

Intel 750 Series SSDs only offer two capacities - 400 GB and 1.2 TB. Both are available as add-in cards or in the 2.5-inchX15 mm form factor. The maximum read/write speeds are these:

The new drive comes as the direct follower of the 730 Series, a SATA-based SSD that only offers up to 550 MB/s read and 470 MB/s write performance, while random reads/writes reach 86,000 IOPS/89,000 IOPS. The Intel 750 Series will be available for purchase later this spring. Amazon.com, for example, lists the 400 GB add-in card variant for a price of $488 USD, plus shipping, with first deliveries expected for early May.