Intel SSD 335 (240GB) Review
by Kristian Vättö on October 29, 2012 11:30 AM ESTFinal Words
The SSD 335 is mostly an incremental upgrade from the SSD 330. There are minor changes in performance that are mainly positive, but 20nm NAND is really the only new thing that the SSD 335 brings. It is always impressive to think about performance going up with subsequent NAND generations, especially since program/erase times typically get longer each generation (thus requiring more sophisticated controllers and firmware to offset the slower NAND). The 330 ended up being a very competitive value drive, and from a performance standpoint it looks like the 335 is poised to carry the torch forward.
On the controller side, SandForce's SF-2281 is definitely getting a bit long in the tooth compared to the latest high-end competition but the performance it provides is still good enough for most client workloads. The upside of everyone ultimately being limited by 6Gbps SATA is that there isn't much of a performance push for newer controllers.
Intel has generally been our recommended brand when it comes to buying SandForce drives. The same will likely be true for the SSD 335 as well, however we're going to hold off on any final judgements until we get another sample in house so we can confirm at least somewhat similar endurance to the outgoing 330.
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Dug - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
If Samsung continues to produce the 830 as a value drive compared to the 840, I think Intel will have trouble selling these. I don't see any advantage.Kristian Vättö - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
Samsung is phasing out the SSD 830 by the end of November, so it won't be available much longer.mfenn - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
Nooooooooo....I want my cheap fast drives damnit!
DanNeely - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
They're only cheap now to get rid of them; once they're out of the channel people can't point to the old model discount for why the new one is too expensive.If you want a bigger SSD, now's the time to buy the 830 you've been lusting over.
BrianDustin - Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - link
Love my job, since I've been bringing in $5600… I sit at home, music playing while I work in front of my new iMac that I got now that I'm making it online(Click on menu Home)http://goo.gl/ntYAX
JohnUSA - Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - link
You can shove your iMac in your rear where the sun does not shine.jwilliams4200 - Thursday, November 1, 2012 - link
It is too bad the comments software does not have a "report spam" button.JonnyDough - Friday, November 23, 2012 - link
AGREED. :( MODERATOR HELP!hrga - Thursday, November 1, 2012 - link
@BrianDustin SPAMMERWolfpup - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
Samsung's drivers are flaky if hit hard, and of course less reliable. These Intel drives with Sandforce controllers aren't as good as Intel controllers, but still...Micron/Crucial and Intel are the best choices.