Intel SSD X25-M in a MacBook Pro: some Benchmarks
Hereafter are the benchmarks performed with the Intel X25-M. As a reminder, this 80 GB SSD is still expensive, with a retail price around 650€.
If you want to compare it to the 128 GB Samsung SSD installed by Apple as a BTO, the corresponding benchmarks are below:
As one can easily see it, if both SSDs obtain similar results in writing mode, the Samsung SSD is almost 2.5 times slower than the Intel model in reading mode.
The last test, in sequential mode, demonstrates how Intel SSD is playing in another league compared to the Samsung unit, which is beyond the best SSD currently available on the market. The Intel SSD really brings a “speed feeling”. Booting and launching applications are completed within seconds, as an example after pressing the “enter” to validate the password, the finder is almost instantly available, no need to wait for the menu bar to be displayed. One can also run in the background applications requiring heavy HD-based tasks (such as monolingual), without affecting the performance level of other applications being used.
The Intel X25-M should remain the fastest SSD currently available for couple of months, till the next generation of SSD appears with better chips integration and improved controller. Well according to current roadmap and projected performance levels…