SSD Bundled for Intel Smart Response by Gigabyte James White June 2, 2011 I personally would never spend $60 to $100, just to get my computer to boot faster. I want response for my entire system to be increased or I am not wasting my money. Unfortunately, putting my entire OS, game library, and space for upcoming game titles puts me in the $450+ range of SSD drives. Well, Intel and Gigabyte have come up with something to split the difference for people like me. The Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD gives you a great motherboard that supports Intel’s Smart Response and an Intel 311 SSD (20GB) in a single purchase. This configuration provides faster speeds, more space, and a better approach than the Seagate Momentus XT hybrid HDD. Theoretically, the Intel Smart Response technology means my Sammy F3 sequential read of about 130 MB/s would be replaced with 200 MB/s of the Intel 311. The all important random 4k reads of 0.5 to 1.25 MB/s get replaced with 20 MB/s+. This would give my system up to a 2000% increase in speed respectively for my most used programs and files. I am still not sold on the idea due to the lack of SSD options in the mini PCIe form factor for mSATA; however, I thinks Intel’s Smart Response is easily the best approach to creating a middle ground between SSD and HDD performance. This bundle from Gigabyte and Intel should undoubtedly encourage more SSDs for the mini PCIe form factor in the near future. [hide-this-part morelink=”Full Press Release”] – GIGABYTE Offers Bundle on Z68XP-UD3-iSSD Motherboard featuring 20GB Intel® SSD 311 Series – — SSD Bundle Enables Users to Effortlessly Take Advantage of Intel® Smart Response Technology for an Instant System Performance Boost — City of Industry, California, May 31st , 2011 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and computing hardware solutions today announced the new GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD motherboard based on the Intel® Z68 Express chipset and pre-bundled with the 20GB Intel® Solid-State Drive 311 Series. The included mSATA-based single level cell (SLC) solid-state drive (SSD), allows users to take advantage of the performance benefits of Intel® Smart Response Technology straight out of the box. The package is expected to be available to end-users in early June from selected online retailers internationally. “We are thrilled to deliver the world’s first motherboard to come pre-bundled with an Intel SSD 311,” commented Richard Chen, VP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at GIGABYTE. “Our customers realize the performance benefits that Intel Smart Response Technology has to offer, and the Z68XP-UD3-iSSD is the easiest way for them to instantly take advantage of the performance boost.” “By offering the Intel SSD 311 Series, optimized for Intel Smart Response Technology, with GIGABYTE’s Z68XP-UD3-iSSD MOTHERBOARD, we can bring the benefits of increased system responsiveness to more users,” said Pete Hazen, director of marketing for Intel’s Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group. “A bundle such as this offers users an easy, plug-and-play entry into the quicker response environment of caching with an SSD.” Intel® Smart Response Technology GIGABYTE Z68 series motherboards are equipped with the much anticipated Intel® Smart Response Technology, allowing users to experience system performance similar to SSD-only systems. Intel® Smart Response technology works by using intelligent block-based caching of frequently used applications to improve system performance and responsiveness. In fact, GIGABYTE Z68 motherboards with Intel® Smart Response Technology are able to outperform hybrid drive systems by more than 4X (PC Mark Vantage HDD test score) and deliver a 60% performance improvement over HDD-only systems in PC Mark Vantage Suite. GIGABYTE mSATA Ready Motherboards (Total of 4 models) GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD (bundled with Intel® Solid-State Drive 311 Series) GA-Z68XP-UD3 GA-Z68XP-D3 GA-Z68P-DS3 [/hide-this-part] Share This With The World!
