• What does an Intel® Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drive (SSD) look like?
• Where can I find RMA information?
• Will these devices run Linux*?
• Are these devices intended for use with laptops or notebooks?
• Do I need to defragment my Intel® Mainstream Solid-State Drives (using Windows* Disk Defragmenter* or similar program)?
• Do Intel SSDs need special driver support?
• Is the Intel SSD a drop-in replacement for SATA Hard Disk drives?
• What form factors are available?
• Does the Intel SSD have a write cache?
• Do Intel SSDs support SATA II features?
• Where can I find more information on performance and benchmarks?
• How do I clone or duplicate my HDD?
• Is there a firmware update for the Intel SSD?
• Where can I find more information about Intel® Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drives (SSD)?

What does an Intel® Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drive (SSD) look like?

50nm   34nm

Where can I find RMA information?
Three (3) year warranty. OEM customers can direct warranty questions about product returns to their point of purchase or system manufacturer. Products sold into the Channel are covered under the Channel Warranty Program. Channel members or their customers can contact technical support for an RMA authorization number.

Will these devices run Linux*?
Yes. Intel SSDs should work with all operating systems.

Are these devices intended for use with laptops and desktops?
All Intel Mainstream Solid-State Drives are tested and validated on the latest Intel-based laptop and desktop platforms.

Do I need to defragment my Intel® Mainstream Solid-State Drive (using Windows* Disk Defragmenter* or similar program)?
No. SSD devices, unlike traditional HDDs, see no performance benefit from traditional HDD defragmentation tools.  Disable any automatic or scheduled defragmentation utilities for your Intel SSD. Using these tools simply adds unnecessary wear to the SSD.

Do Intel SSDs need special driver support?
No. Standard drivers for any HDD support Intel SSDs as drop-in components, such as those bundled with Windows*. For best performance, a driver that supports SATA Native Command Queuing (NCQ) is recommended, such as the Intel® Matrix Storage Manager (IMSM) driver from Intel.

Is the Intel SSD a drop-in replacement for SATA hard disk drives?
Yes. The Intel SSD drop-in replacement provides rugged and reliable performance at lower power. Intel SSDs support the ATA-7 command sets and the SATA II command extensions. The system BIOS and OS must support and enable AHCI. (May require F6 installation of compatible windows storage driver like IMSM. Note: Vista AHCI support is native.)

What form factors are available?
Intel® Mainstream Solid-State Drives are available in two standard hard drive form factors:

• 2.5 inch (Intel® X25-M Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drive and Intel® X25-V Value SATA Solid-State Drive)
• 1.8 inch (Intel® X18-M Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drive) standard hard drive form factors.

Does the Intel SSD have a write cache?
Yes, but data caching is limited to the controller for enhanced performance.

Do Intel SSDs support SATA II features?
Yes. The Intel SATA SSDs are 3.0Gbps SATA devices, supporting NCQ, hot-plug with asynchronous signal recovery, software settings preservation, and device initiated power management.

Where can I find more information on performance and benchmarks?
You can find information on these two sites:

• High-Performance Storage
• Product Specifications

How do I clone or duplicate my HDD?
The cloning kit hardware can be purchased from www.eXpansys.com/intel.

Is there a firmware update for the Intel SSD?
Yes. A firmware update is currently available for X25-M, X18-M, X25-E and the X25-V. This firmware upgrade has several continuous improvement optimizations intended to provide the best possible user experience with the Intel SSD drives. A new firmware is available at the following Web site: www.intel.com/go/ssdfirmware

Where can I find more information about Intel® Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drives (SSD)?
You can find information at the following sites:

• Intel® NAND Storage Solutions
• Solid-State Drive Info Center
• Read about the entire Intel® Solid-State Drive Family of Products.

Operating System:

OS Independent

This applies to:

IntelŽ Solid State Drive 310 - 40GB IntelŽ Solid State Drive 310 - 80GB IntelŽ Solid-State Drive 510 - 120GB IntelŽ Solid-State Drive 510 - 250GB IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (120GB, 2.5in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (160GB, 1.8in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (160GB, 2.5in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (300GB, 1.8in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (300GB, 2.5in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (40GB, 2.5in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (600GB, 2.5in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (80GB, 1.8in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ SSD 320 Series (80GB, 2.5in, SATA 3Gb/s, 25nm, MLC) IntelŽ X18-M Solid State Drive, 160GB SATA II 1.8in, MLC, High Performance IntelŽ X18-M Solid State Drive, 80GB SATA II 1.8in, MLC, High Performance IntelŽ X25-E Solid State Drive, 32GB SATA II 2.5in, SLC, High Performance IntelŽ X25-E Solid State Drive, 64GB SATA II 2.5in, SLC, High Performance IntelŽ X25-M Solid State Drive, 120GB SATA II 2.5in, MLC, High Performance, 34nm IntelŽ X25-M Solid State Drive, 160GB SATA II 2.5in, MLC, High Performance IntelŽ X25-M Solid State Drive, 80GB SATA II 2.5in, MLC, High Performance IntelŽ X25-V Value Solid State Drive, 40GB