amazon Intel Optane Memory 32GB reviews
Optane is Intel’s brand for product lines that utilize XPoint memory technology, including Optane Memory and Optional SSDs (for both personal and corporate customers). Optane’s predecessor is the XPoint 3D memory technology developed by Intel along with Micron. This is a Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVME) memory architecture, based on a super-longitudinal stacking layer to save space, increase capacity and speed up the connection.
Install and activate
According to Intel, Memory Optane Memory requires an M.2 interface-enabled motherboard and Optane BIOS support, which uses Intel chipsets (including the Z270, Q270, H270, Q250, B250 and C236) and Only supports the 7th generation Kaby Lake processor (Core i3, i5 and i7, can support newer generations). Kaby Lake gaming laptops, such as the Asus Strix GL553, which Test Lab used to test, do not yet support Intel Optane Memory because of the lack of bios updates.
For testing, Test Lab attached the 32GB Optane Memory to the M.2 interface (on the Asus Strix Z270 Gaming Motherboard) connected to PCIe-enabled chipsets, and then install Windows 10 64-bit to the Seagate hard drive Barracuda 2TB. Test Lab updates the latest bios version optimized to run Optane Memory for the motherboard.
Basically, to enable Optane Memory technology, users will need to go to the bios to disable CSM (Compatibility Support Module, select Disable) and select Intel RST Premium with Intel Optional System Acceleration (RAID) in SATA Mode (instead of custom Choose AHCP). However, depending on the bios provided by the hardware manufacturer, there will be differences. For example, with the Asus Strix Z270 Gaming motherboard, in bios v.0906, Test Lab just disable CSM, no further action.
To activate Intel Optoma Memory technology, Test Lab installs the SetupOptaneMemory (download at https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/26865/Intel-Rapid-Storage-Technology-Intel-RST-?v=t). Next, launch this application and click “Enable” and wait for the computer to complete the process. Later on, if you need to remove Optane Memory then users will go to the application SetupOptaneMemory select “Disable” to computer to return data to the HDD to avoid unintentional damage Windows.
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Performance evaluation
Test Lab set up an experimental PC system with an Intel Core i5-7600K CPU, HyperX 16GB DDR4-2400 RAM, Andyson N700 700W – 80 Plus Titanium power supply and Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver.2 CPU Cooler.
The ATTO Disk Benchmark test results show that the Seagate Barracuda 2TB hard drive with 32GB Optane Memory has read and write speeds of 1,412,818MB / s and 298,814MB / s. Compared to running at 170,435MB / s and 167,772MB / s alone, the 32GB Optane Memory significantly improved Seagate Barracuda 2TB performance by 8.3 times and 1.8 times that of its predecessor. Read and write tasks. Compared to the 240GB HyperX Savage SSD (read 562,757MB / s, write 541,685MB / s), the read speed of the Seagate Barracuda 2TB and Optane Memory 32GB faster than the SSD 2.5 times (but the write speed Only half).
To actualize the experience, Test Lab measured the launch time of some tens of GB games. For Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands and the action game Rise of the Tomb Raider, the launch speed of the second and third times is 3 to 3.5 times faster than the first, especially in the role-playing game Dragon Age: Inquisition, this rate is more impressive, about 6-6,6 times.
However, the results were obtained when Test Lab opened the game, shutting down and restarting immediately. Randomly opening each game after downloading a number of other applications, it generally speeds up the game just faster than the first time at 1.3 to 1.4 times.
This shows that the Intel Optane Memory technology significantly improves the data read speed of traditional hard drives, when the total amount of data is used at a “moderate” level, by caching itself. Optane Memory only has the capacity of 32GB is the highest. And if users often launch many applications with a capacity of dozens of GB, the improvement will be reduced.
Therefore, for the “heavy” gamers, the SSD will still be the optimal choice now in case of putting performance in top priority, unless they play a continuous game. As for ordinary users or gamers playing eSports or online games that are using HDDs on Kaby Lake computer systems and Intel Optane Memory enabled motherboards, adding Optional Memory will help HDD fast-run in everyday tasks.