Back in January of this year, Intel announced a very unusual SSD Optane H10, which stands out because it combines 3D XPoint and 3D QLC NAND memory. Now, Intel has announced the release of this device, and also shared details about it.
The Optane H10 module uses QLC 3D NAND solid-state memory as high-capacity storage, and 3D XPoint memory as high-speed cache. The novelty has separate controllers for each type of memory, and, in fact, is two separate solid state drives in one housing.
The system βseesβ these drives as one device thanks to the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software (you need RST driver version 17.2 or higher). It distributes data on the Optane H10 drive: those that need quick access are placed in 3D XPoint memory, and everything else is stored in QLC NAND memory. Due to the use of RST technology, the new drives will only be able to work with XNUMXth generation Intel processors and later.
Each part of the Optane H10 drive uses two PCIe 3.0 lanes with a peak throughput of about 1970 MB/s. Despite this, the novelty claims a sequential read/write speed of up to 2400/1800 MB/s. This discrepancy is explained by the fact that, under certain conditions, RST technology is able to read and write data to both parts of the drive at the same time.
As for performance in random I / O operations, here Intel claims rather unexpected figures: only 32 and 30 thousand IOPS for reading and writing, respectively. At the same time, for some conventional flagship SSDs, manufacturers claim performance in the region of 400 IOPS. It's all about how you measure those metrics. Intel measured them under the most likely conditions for ordinary users: at queue depths of QD1 and QD2. Other manufacturers often measure performance under conditions that are not found in consumer applications, for example, for QD256.
In general, Intel claims that the combination of flash memory with a high-speed buffer from 3D XPoint provides two times faster document loading times, game launches are 60% faster, and media file opening is 90% faster. And all this even in conditions of multitasking. It is noted that Intel platforms with Intel Optane memory adapt to everyday PC use and optimize system performance for the most common tasks and frequently launched applications.
The Intel Optane H10 will be available in three configurations: 16GB Optane with 256GB flash, 32GB Optane and 512GB flash, and 32GB Optane with 1TB flash. In all cases, the system will "see" only the amount of flash memory on the drive. Initially, Optane H10 drives will be available in laptops and computers from various OEMs, including Dell, HP, ASUS and Acer. After some time, they will go on sale as independent products.
Source: 3dnews.ru