Intel’s 335 SSD hits 240GB

Intel has rolled out a new SSD targeted at entry-level buyers interested in replacing their traditional hard drives with an optimized solid state drive.

Dubbed the SSD 335 Series, the drive is only offered in a 240 GB capacity and is the first to use Santa Clara’s 20nm NAND flash technology.

Indeed, the SSD is equipped with 20nm 64Gb NAND with a planar structure that allows more aggressive cell scaling than conventional architectures.

“The Intel SSD 335 uses Hi-K/metal gate planar cell technology, which overcomes NAND process scaling constraints to deliver the smallest-area NAND cell and die in the industry,” explained Intel exec Rob Crooke. “By pushing technology constraints and using process innovation, Intel can continue to progress SSD technology and pass along savings to our customers.”

The 335 series promises impressive performance with up to 500 MB per second sequential reads and up to 450 MB per second sequential writes. 4KB read performance is up to 42,000 IOPS and 4KB writes hits 52,000 IOPS.

As expected, the SSDs are enclosed in a standard 2.5-inch form factor case measuring 9.5 mm tall. Meaning, the standard size SSD should fit in most laptops and desktops on the market today.

The drive is available currently available online and in stores around the country.