Intel has announced their new 330 Series of SSD (Solid State Drive) hard drives. The 6 Gbps SATA drives are designed to be a budget option for those looking to upgrade their computers’ current hard disk drives (HDDs) to SSDs.
Solid State Drives have a number of advantages over older HDD technology, including better storage performance, greater energy efficiency, higher read-write speeds, and greater resistance to damage from drops. Though often still catching up to HDDs in terms of storage capacity, SSDs have been growing significantly in popularity over the last few years, especially in mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, and an increasing number of laptops all use SSDs).
Intel’s 330 Series of SSDs is available in the standard 2.5-inch by 9mm configuration, and comes in 60GB, 120GB, and 180GB models. It is designed to work in a dual-drive configuration on desktop PCs to increase application speed and boot time, or as a standalone drive on a laptop.
The Intel 330 Series is available today from a variety of retailers, both online and brick-and-mortar. The 60GB model has a suggested retail price of $89, the 120GB model is $149, and the 180GB model is $234.