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Intel's Optane SSD Compatible With NVMe; Could Boost MacBook Storage Speeds By 1000x
More details have emerged about Intel's Optane, a new kind of memory and SSD that utilizes 3D Xpoint. The upcoming 3D Xpoint technology, which is supposedly 10 times denser than DRAM and 1,000 times faster than flash storage, will be compatible with NVMe, a storage protocol that allows an SSD to make effective use of a high-speed PCIe. Several MacBook Pro models already support NVMe technology. Apple is often among the first companies to adopt emerging standards and technologies, which has led many to believe that the Cupertino-based company might leverage Intel's Optane solid state drives for super fast performance speeds in its next batch of laptops. Apple is expected to announce the refreshed MacBook lineup sporting Intel Skylake processor later this year.
And the technology won't benefit non-Apple computers?
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
I'm pretty sure someone messed up the numbers, because they don't make any sense.
The current MacBook Pro has an SSD that is only 10x slower than its RAM in terms of data rate (not in terms of latency of course). This new SSD would be 100x faster than the RAM, which would be pointless.
Since when is disk/SSD speed the bottleneck for non-server systems?
Apple is often among the first companies to adopt emerging standards and technologies ... Apple is expected to announce the refreshed MacBook lineup sporting Intel Skylake processor later this year.
Oh wow. And yet I can order a Lenovo T560 right now that has a Skylake processor (i7-6600U) and a PCIe-NVMe SSD (that can be easily swapped out for an Optane or any other NVMe SSD you want). Let me just wait until later this year for Apple to lead the way, though.
Intel's new Optane SSDs are so fast, you achieve orgasm even before your porn videos files are opened.
all i care about is: will it be fast enough for in-place execution? can we finally eliminate the need for ram AND storage? i like the idea of HP's "machine"
all i care about is: will it be fast enough for in-place execution? can we finally eliminate the need for ram AND storage? i like the idea of HP's "machine"
Since DRAM isn't fast enough for in-place execution, why do you care? All computers have multiple storage tiers: registers, cache, RAM, etc.
Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
The fanboy with stars in his eyes is completely ignoring the fact that Intel has shown first 3D XPoint products that are just twice as fast as flash-based SSDs. The 1000x density and speed factors he's slobbering over are projected ceilings, which will take years to achieve in actual hardware.
The fastest processors and GPU available three years ago. As long as you buy the most expensive product.
If you got a PC and want this SSD you'll have it, if you don't you won't. Free choice.
Guess an alternative head-line would be: .."
"Future Macbook buyers will be forced to buy ridiculously expensive SSD-drive"
alternative
"Finally! Now you can get an Intel Octane drive with your Macbook too!"
Or
"Why the fuck aren't the latest and greatest Macbooks equipped with
Of course it's likely user-exchangeable in this case even in a Mac but you get the point...
Apple is often among the first companies to adopt emerging standards and technologies, ... Apple is expected to announce the refreshed MacBook lineup sporting Intel Skylake processor later this year.
Yes, Skylake. The technology that's been shipping since fall of last year.
This headline is very misleading. Yes, 3D XPoint itself is 1000 times as fast as flash. But it's limited by the interface speed. Using the PCIe-NVme interface, the Optane SSD will be about 7 times as fast as a flash SSD. To take advantage of the full 3D XPoint speed, there will have to be a new, custom interface, and probably some software and operating system changes. All this is great but the headline is jumping ahead of the linked stories.
"He took a duck in the face at 250 knots." -- William Gibson, Pattern Recognition
There ain't much of a price gap per GB b/w NAND & DRAM. And in any case, an SSD that's as fast as DRAM would be more valuable and thereby cost more, and probably eliminate the need to have RAM in the first place.