I recently had the opportunity to try out the Intel X18-M solid state drive.  This was my first experience with using this type of hard drive alternative, so I had no predetermined notions or expectations for performance. 

A normal hard disk drive (HDD) has a variety of moving internal parts that include a read/write head on an actuator arm that scans multiple platters or disks to perform needed read/write functions.  The dependency on these parts brings in two of the biggest downfalls of the technology, speed and life span.  When you have moving parts, you are limited by the speed that these can function.  The constant use of these parts can also lead to wear and failure.  Solid state drive (SSD) technology introduced the ability to have the same functionality of a normal hard drive without the moving parts.  This technology is used, on a smaller scale, in USB flash drives which leads to faster read/write speeds, less power consumption, quieter operation, and longer life span.  These advantages come at a price as current SSDs are 4-5 times more expensive than a comparable sized HDD but the advantages are so worth it!

Installation was a bit tricky on my current laptop as the Intel X18-M SSD has a micro SATA connection and my laptop accepts a normal SATA connection.  After spending a few bucks for a cheap adapter, I was able to get the drive installed.  A different set of cables is needed for desktop installation.

I loaded the Intel X18-M SSD with Windows 7 Professional, Microsoft Office 2007 and some other basic programs.  I copied 10GB of random data from an external drive to allow the testing of read times.  I also installed Call of Duty Modern Warfare to make sure that I covered as many aspects as possible in the short time of use.  It was time to get to some testing…RAWRRR!

The first noticeable difference is the boot up time, it was impossible to overlook!  I would say that I experienced a possible 15 second improvement in startup from a cold boot!  Now that is FAST!  There was also vast improvement on all application load times.  Application response time was almost instantaneous, leading to minimal wasted time waiting for the program to open.  The read/write times to the Intel X18-M SSD were also noticeably quicker.  These differences were relative to the file size but the improvement was sustained across the board.  This would lead you to believe that a file search on the drive data would yield similar results and you would be correct!

There has been speculation that the use of an SSD could improve performance with certain video games by increasing frame rates.  I believe this is also dependent on the video card that you have and I was able to see a difference in frame rate performance, but not a huge one.  Though, I was able to notice a big improvement when loading new levels, as backed up in this chart from Intel.

Solid state drives also have higher shock resistance than a normal hard drive.  What does this mean for you?  With the lack of moving internal parts, there is less of a chance of damage to your drive and data if you accidentally drop your laptop or bump it into something (which I tend to do quite a bit when moving around the house with laptop in hand.) A normal hard drive is susceptible to damage to the disks from the read head “crashing” into them if it is dropped or bumped hard enough.  That could lead to an extensively damaged drive, to the point of not being able to access or recover your data.  Since my computer is my life line, I wasn’t about to test this as I’m just not keen to dropping my laptop willingly.

There are quite a few places to purchase the Intel X18-M SSD and can be found by a simple internet search.  Although there are variances in price, still look to drop around $400 for this excellent product. 

I am very glad that I got to test and review such a wonderful product as the Intel X18-M SSD.  This is a great device all around and I have no cons from my testing so far.  Your day to day applications will load in a flash making for less loss of your valuable time.  If you have a gaming console and you’re looking for a little performance boost to your game play experience, look no further than an SSD from Intel.  The benefits of faster load times, quicker read/write times, more stability, and less noise and power consumption make the Intel X18-M SSD a great addition to any machine.  I would encourage anyone that is looking for a little extra from their current setup to check into the Intel X18-M SSD or any other of Intel’s products.  You should be able to find something to fit your requirements.

Manufacturer’s product page:
http://www.intel.com/design/flash/nand/mainstream/index.htm?wapkw=(x18-m)
Intel SSD Gaming
http://www.intelssdgaming.com/main.php
Installation notes
http://download.intel.com/support/ssdc/hpssd/sb/performance_ssd_installation_guide_320169.pdf