Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsMeh. For my application, it's just a small SSD.
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2020
So, I like to encourage innovation and the memory devices in Optane really are groundbreaking. They store data in a completely different manner than normal Flash programmable memory. (Google calcogenic memory to learn more about it). This is a big reason that I bought it.
I moved from a 512GB Samsung 970 PRO NVMe M.2, 4 PCI 3.0 lanes SSD to the 118GB Intel Optane NVMe M.2 2 PCI 3.0 lanes SSD.
It just feels like an SSD. Both, for my applications are as fast as I need them to be. So, if the underlying technology doesn't matter to you, I'm not sure you'll notice a difference.
Mine came in a nice retail box, With a 52-page Installation Instructions and 5 year warranty book. It says, in 11 different languages "Refer to the User's Manual of your system or device for location to install your SSD." So, that's somewhat pointless.
And, it comes with a 5 year warranty, unless you wear it out (and they define which S.M.A.R.T. parameter hits 100 to indicate you've worn out the SSD).
I got it for giggles and grins. It's SSD benchmarks are a step backwards from a Samsung 970 PRO, but it doesn't feel different, just smaller.
If I find anything unexpected, I'll update this review. But for now, while the technology is REALLY NEAT, it doesn't buy you much for this application.
