Intel 320 Series SSD 160 GB Review

Introduction

Most solid state drive (SSD) manufacturers make their drives with a standard set of capacities with the most popular being 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB. Intel is the exception to this rule, as they produce their SSDs in more varied capacities from 40 GB to 600 GB. Today we are going to look at a 320 Series 160 GB SSD from Intel which will give you a little more space than the 128 GB drives that most manufacturers offer.

Before going on, we’d highly suggest that you read our Anatomy of SSD Units tutorial which provides all the background information you need to know about SSDs. The SSDs featured in this review use MLC memory chips.

Many people would love to upgrade their laptop to a solid state drive but can’t afford one that is capacious enough for all their programs and files. With this 160 GB unit, Intel provides a solution which fits in between the standard 128 GB and 256 GB capacities. This is ideal for people who think 128 GB is a little too small for them but can’t afford the extra expense of a 256 GB unit. With desktops, the larger capacity is less significant, as the SSD can always be combined with a larger mechanical hard drive.

Because the Intel 320 Series drive is unique with its 160 GB capacity, we will be comparing it with two 128 GB drives in our tests. These will be the Patriot Torqx 2 and Kingston V100 models which we recently reviewed in detail here. In the table below, we are comparing the Intel drive with the two other drives. All three drives use a SATA-300 interface and occupy the standard 2.5” form Factor

We researched the prices at Newegg.com on the day that we published the review and noted the following observation.

The listed price for the Kingston drive is for the “Desktop Bundle” version that we have for review. The same drive is also available on its own or as part of a “Notebook Bundle” from Newegg.com. Both of these options cost USD 220.

In the table below, we provide a more in-depth technical comparison between the drives. Most chip manufacturers don’t detail the specifics of their chips on their websites, so we are only linking to those we found.