Intel Optane Memory H10 with Solid State Storage Coming to a Laptop Near You
Subject: Storage | April 10, 2019 - 03:48 PM | Sebastian Peak
Tagged: storage, ssd, QLC, Optane Memory, Optane H10, Optane, NVMe, notebook, laptop, Intel
Intel has shared information about Optane memory H10, a new product that combines Optane memory with Intel QLC NAND on the same M.2 device. Not offered as a standalone product (at least not yet), Intel is partnering with OEMs (including Dell, HP, and ASUS) to include this new storage in upcoming consumer devices, with the first systems available at Best Buy in Q2 of this year.
This will not be a desktop option at first, as Intel mentions only "thin and light notebooks and certain space-constrained desktop form factors – such as all-in-one PCs and mini PCs" in their press release. So what makes up this new storage product? Intel provided some key specifications outlined below:
| Intel Optane Memory H10 with Solid State Storage - Key Specs | |
|---|---|
| Type | Intel Optane Technology & Intel QLC 3D NAND Technology Intel controller and firmware |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4 with NVMe M.2 2280 Single Sided (2280-S3-M) |
| Capacities | 16GB Intel Optane Memory + 256GB Storage 32GB Intel Optane Memory + 512GB Storage 32GB Intel Optane Memory + 1TB Storage |
| Power | Deep Sleep/L1.2: <15 mW (combined) |
| Operating Temperature | 0-70° C |
| Endurance | Up to 300 TBW (over warranty) |
| Warranty | 5 Years |
"The combination of high-speed acceleration and large SSD storage capacity on a single drive will benefit everyday computer users, whether they use their systems to create, game or work. Compared to a standalone TLC 3D NAND SSD system, Intel Optane memory H10 with solid-state storage enables both faster access to frequently used applications and files and better responsiveness with background activity."
"8th Generation Intel Core U-series mobile platforms featuring Intel Optane memory H10 with solid state storage will be arriving through major OEMs starting this quarter. With these platforms, everyday users will be able to:
- Launch documents up to 2 times faster while multitasking.
- Launch games 60% faster while multitasking.
- Open media files up to 90% faster while multitasking."
"SSDs with Intel Optane memory are the fastest compared to NAND SSDs in the majority of common client use cases. Intel-based platforms with Intel Optane memory adapt to everyday computing activities to optimize the performance for the user’s most common tasks and frequently used applications. With offerings of up to 1TB of total storage, Intel Optane memory H10 with solid state storage will have the capacity users need for their apps and files today — and well into the future."
Some very Malventano-like benchmark examples were also provided in the press deck, emphasizing that real-world system performance primarily hits low queue depths:
You can read the entire press release from Intel at the source link.
Video News
Those endurance numbers are rather unimpressive, considering Xpoint is involved.
I would have liked to see a drive that squeezes more endurance out of QLC by writing as much as possible to Xpoint and doesn't rely on CPU/driver for functionality, but I guess that would necessitate Intel creating controllers specifically for that, when this is just 2 SSDs using existing parts, crammed onto a single PCB.
We still need to see third party reviews and benchmarks.
If it's laptops and Optane it may be at first only an OEM option that will require the latest Intel processors to get at all the feature set. So who knows currently about any testing. Laptop reviews tend to be sponsored affairs and I'd rather see just the SSD obtained from a retail outlet and tested without any strings attatched.
I like this. It bundles together two devices I have no interest in. Now, instead of having to avoid two products, I only have to avoid one!
Honestly, if not a little too bluntly,
given the ever growing popularity of the Internet,
I argue that standard laptops will benefit a LOT
from adding more RAM, configuring a ramdisk
in the uppermost 1GB or 2GB of RAM, and moving one's
browser cache to that ramdisk. This one change
results in reducing wear-and-tear on the storage
subsystem, while accelerating browser cache
performance with DRAM that does not wear out
with frequent usage and typically comes with
a lifetime factory warranty. FWIW. /s/ Paul
Post new comment