Intel 330 Series 60 GB

Intel 330 series SSD 60GB review

Performance. Reliability. Affordability. All things you really want in a solid-state drive, but is it a case of never the twain shall meet? Until now the answer was yes, but the new Intel 330 Series SSD 60GB could be the first SSD to put the full package together. Superficially, the Intel 330 Series SSD 60GB looks like a budget makeover of the Intel 520 Series SSD, and with that come several expectations. Broadly, we're talking about lower performance, but more specifically, cheaper components. Like the 520 Series, the Intel 330 Series SSD 60GB is another new SSD from Intel with a SandForce controller chipset. But instead of cheaper asynchronous flash memory, it gets premium synchronous chips. That's unexpected, and is a real differentiator considering asynchronous memory is pretty much standard practice on cheaper SandForce-based drives like the Corsair Force 3 and OCZ Agility 3. Factor in Intel's reputation for great long-term reliability and you have a very attractive proposition. Time to find out if it delivers on that promise. Flat cap On paper, the Intel 330 Series SSD 60GB ticks all our boxes, with one exception: capacity.