Intel X25-M G2

Last fall, Intel turned the solid state storage world upside down when it released the ground-breaking X25-M, the first drive to offer a combination of fast read and write speeds while using lower-cost multi-level cell (MLC) NAND Flash memory. Since that time, a slew of competitors from Samsung to OCZ have responded with drives that have matched or outperformed Intel on many tests while offering a lower price per gigabyte (Editor's Note: Read about 7 of those competing drives in our High-Speed SSD Roundup).

Although Intel has issued some firmware updates and cut prices a bit, it hasn’t responded with a new drive—until now. With its X25-M G2 (Generation 2), the chipmaker has upped the ante, using a new 34nm process to lower costs and a revamped controller chip to improve performance. Priced at $440, the 160GB X25-M G2 offers good value and blazing read performance, but its write speeds still fall short of some competitors.

Design and Form Factor

The Intel X25-M G2 comes in a standard 2.5-inch form factor and SATA interface. Most notebooks made in the past couple of years support SATA drives, though some ultraportable and thin-and-light systems such as the Lenovo ThinkPad T400s use 1.8-inch drives instead. A 1.8-inch version of the same drive, the X18-M G2, will be available within a few weeks, presumably at a similar price. Before you upgrade, be sure to check your manual.

You won’t spend a lot of time looking at an SSD, so its design isn’t very important. Still, when you spend hundreds of dollars on a high-performance component, you want it to be well built. The X25-M G2’s faux silver casing won’t win any beauty contests, but, unlike some drives we’ve tested that were housed in flimsy plastic, at least it’s protected by metal.