Intel 320 SSD aka G3

[johnw]

the G3 is a huge disappointment, especially on the pricing. Mainstream mediocre performance at an enthusiast price = (epic) fail.

I disagree. Certainly the 320 is not a top performer, but it is not meant to be. The performance is "good enough" for most users (granted, xtremesystems is not "most users"). The prices are pretty good. It looks like the 160GB 320 will be the sweet spot for the 320 series, and it will probably sell for about $300, which is nice compared to nearly $400 for the X25-M 160GB.

For me, the selling points for the 320 are these:

* Intel reliability -- well under 1% annual failure rate

* data protection -- XOR / RAID-4-like redundancy

* power-loss protection with on-board capacitors

* low power usage

* SSD toolbox program

For any desktop system that does not have a Sandybridge motherboard (i.e., a good 6Gbps SATA controller), I think the Intel 320 series will be more than satisfactory for most users, and most importantly, it will be likely to be trouble-free and easy to use.

But, of course, it is not for xtreme users. They will probably want a Sandforce 2XXX.