Intel Optane 32GB M.2 Memory Module Review

Intel has a history of caching technologies, all made to improve the performance of your systems slowest points. Their newest technology in this area is the Intel Optane which is designed as a cache accelerator for modern systems. Today, we'll have a look at the first consumer model in the M.2 form factor and with 32GB capacity. "Intel Optane delivers amazing speed and responsiveness without compromising system storage capacity. Together, Intel Optane memory and a 7th Generation Intel Core processor give you a snappy computer experience with short boot times, fast application launches, extraordinary gaming, and responsive browsing." Intel Optane M.2 Options I have the 32GB Intel Optane module in the lab, but it isn't the only option. There is also a smaller 16GB Optane module available for those who want to save a little on the purchase. Neither of the modules is expensive as such as the 16GB costs around $44 while the 32GB costs around $77. That's not a lot to spend in order to get a far more responsive PC. The connection interface is a PCIe 3.0 x2 and the drive utilises the NVMe protocol for effective CPU communication. Hybrid Mechanical and NAND Storage The idea of hybrid storage isn't new. Intel introduced the Smart Response Technology along with the Z68 chipset and SSHDs have been around for a long time too. Both work in the same general way, by using faster SSD NAND storage to cache hot data from a slower but bigger HDD. The effect is faster access speeds for hot data and faster load times for commonly access files, all while offering the large storage capacity of the HDD. Intel Optane works in the same way with the difference being the move from SATA to PCIe. The PCIe interface is far more capable than SATA, especially when it comes to response times. The choice of an M.2 module also offers new options for mobile systems and other PCs where expansion space is limited. There is one requirement to run an Optane module in your system. You need at least a 200-series Intel chipset and a 7th generation Kaby Lake processor. 3D XPoint NAND The 3D XPoint technology, or crosspoint as it is pronounced, is the result of a cooperation between Intel and Micron. The Optane memory is the first consumer product coming from this, which makes it quite interesting for people like me. 3D XPoint is designed to bridge the gap between non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile is slower and cheaper (SSD), but it keeps the data stored even without power. Volatile is faster, but it will be cleared on power-loss (RAM). The target of 3D XPoint is to eventually allow a system to run from a single set of modules instead of the current setup where you need RAM for your system and an SSD for storage. But we aren't there, not yet. Performance Intel Optane is meant as a cache, to make read faster and thereby load faster. That shows in the performance figures where the 32GB Optane is rated at 1350 MB/s at sequential read operations and 290MB/s at write operations. The random performance is where the drive shines, and that is where it needs to shine. The Optane is rated at 240000 IOPS when reading and 65K IOPS when writing. It is what's needed to allow your games and applications to load without you noticing it. Another vital aspect when it comes to responsiveness is the latency. Optane manages an impressive latency of just 7µs and 18µs (microseconds) when reading and writing. Endurance The last thing we need to know about a storage drive is the endurance. Intel rates the 32GB module at 182TB lifetime writes and a 1.6 million-hour MTBF. It is backed by a 5-year warranty which tells a story by itself. Clearly, Intel has confidence in the technology. Feature Highlights Intelligent System Acceleration Breakthrough Responsiveness Uncompromised Capacity Reliability Product Brief: External PDF Link Specifications Package and Accessories The module Intel sent me didn't come with a retail package, and that isn't a problem. While I can't show it here, it doesn't change anything for the drive itself. Installation Installing an Intel Optane module is quite easy, at least for the biggest part. There can be situations where your current BIOS settings and a previous installation can make the setup a bit troublesome. However, in most cases, it will be really easy. Prerequisites You'll need an optane ready motherboard and processor. The first M.2 slot handled by Intel RST needs to be free and so do possible shared ports. Refer to your motherboard manual or quick layer guide for this. You'll also need to make sure that your BIOS is updated and ready to handle the Optane setup. This might sound difficult, but it really isn't. Installation Once you've successfully installed the module and booted back into windows, you'll need to install the Optane drivers. Optane drivers include the usual Intel RST drivers, so they'll need to be uninstalled before you install the new Optane drivers. After the installation, you might need to reboot. Enable the Optane Cache When the Optane drivers and software is installed, the rest is done automatically. Well, almost. You'll need to enable it too. But not to worry, the Optane software will guide you through. The previous reboot will trigger a popup which will take you to the next step. In the case that the system can't detect your drive, you'll get a warning like this. It could be because you installed the Optane Module into the wrong slot or some of the BIOS settings aren't correct. In this case, I had forgotten to allow Intel RST to take control of the PCIe drive in my BIOS settings. On the other hand, if your module is installed and identified correctly, then you'll see the screen below. Hit the Enable button to continue with the setup. As we learned earlier, Optane features persistent memory. Just like any other storage drive on the market. That means that we get a warning that all previously stored data on the Optane drive will be deleted if we continue. This does not affect the data stored on your main HDD or SSD drive. The initialization and configuration module is handled by the software from this point forward. It takes about a minute to complete, so don't go too far. All that's left now is to restart the system one last time. Completed Installation The installation is now completed which can be verified by opening up the Optane Memory application. Testing & Methodology These tests are a little different from our usual storage tests, however, they are just as extensive. Instead of using having the operating system on a separate drive, everything is run of one. That limits some tests such as those who destroy the volume as well as the fillage tests. Instead, we'll focus on productivity and responsiveness. Test Scenarios I will run two baseline tests followed by two tests of the caching module. All tests run of the exact same drive image which is cloned onto the drives. This ensures that we have the same drivers and updates through and through. First, I'll run all benchmarks on a Seagate Enterprise NAS HDD with 6TB and a Toshiba OCZ VX500 SSD with 512GB capacity. Following those tests, I'll pair the cache module and run the same benchmarks in the same order. Performed Benchmark Tests To offer comparable figures to our usual reviews, Anvil's Storage Benchmark, AS SSD, ATTO, and CDM are all included in this review. The figures from these apps are mostly dependant on the storage drive and are thereby transferrable. Application and game performance are offered through PCMark 8 and PCMark 10 benchmarks while SpecWPC offers a more workstation oriented list of results. These results are dependant on the entire system and not just the storage medium. They should as such not be taken as fixed values but in relation to each other. On each page that follows with the benchmark results, I have inserted screenshots and comparison charts between the different drive setups. Hardware Supermicro C7Z270-PG Intel Core i7-7700K Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR4 2400MHz (4x8GB) Toshiba OCZ VX500 512GB SSD be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 (1200W) Noctua NH-D15S Dimastech Easy V3 Seagate Enterprise NAS 6TB Software AIDA64 Storage Benchmark Anvil's Storage Utilities AS SSD Benchmark ATTO Benchmark Bootracer CrystalDiskMark PCMark 8 Storage Benchmark PCMark 10 System Benchmark SpecWPC 1.2 Windows 10 AIDA64 AIDA64 is a streamlined Windows diagnostic and benchmarking software for home users with a broad range of features to assist in overclocking, hardware error diagnosis, stress testing, and sensor monitoring. The Random Read and Write tests measure the random performance by reading or writing variable-sized data blocks at random locations on the surface of the drive. The Random tests are a combination of both speed and access times as it moves the position before each new operation. The Access time tests are designed to measure the data access performance by reading or writing small 0.5KB data blocks at random locations on the drive surface. HDD Baseline Results SSD Baseline Results Optane and HDD Combo Results Optane and SSD Combo Results Setup Performance Analysis All setups are based on the same drive image. It was cloned to each drive for comparable results. Anvil's Storage Utilities Anvil’s Storage Utilities is a complete benchmark solution used to test any writeable storage drive. It also has a drive endurance test that consistently reads and writes data to the selected medium to deliver days, months, and potentially even years of use in a shorter period. HDD Baseline Results SSD Baseline Results Optane and HDD Combo Results Optane and SSD Combo Results Setup Performance Analysis All setups are based on the same drive image. It was cloned to each drive for comparable results. AS SSD Benchmark The AS SSD software determines the performance of Solid State Drives (SSD). The tool contains five synthetic and three practice tests. The synthetic tests determine the sequential and random read and write performance of the SSD, and they aren't using the operating system cache. HDD Baseline Results SSD Baseline Results Optane and HDD Combo Results Optane and SSD Combo Results Setup Performance Analysis All setups are based on the same drive image. It was cloned to each drive for comparable results. ATTO Disk Benchmark The ATTO Disk Benchmark performance measurement tool is compatible with Microsoft Windows. Several options are available to customise your performance measurement including queue depth, overlapped I/O and even a comparison mode with the option to run continuously. ATTO Disk Benchmark can test any manufacturers RAID controllers, storage controllers, host adapters, hard drives and SSD drives. HDD Baseline Results SSD Baseline Results Optane and HDD Combo Results Optane and SSD Combo Results Setup Performance Analysis All setups are based on the same drive image. It was cloned to each drive for comparable results. CrystalDiskMark CrystalDiskMark is a small HDD and SSD benchmark utility that allows you to measure a drive's sequential and random performance. HDD Baseline Results SSD Baseline Results Optane and HDD Combo Results Optane and SSD Combo Results Setup Performance Analysis All setups are based on the same drive image. It was cloned to each drive for comparable results. PCMark 8 Storage Benchmark The storage benchmark in PCMark 8 tests the performance of SSDs, HDDs, and SSHDs with traces recorded from Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office and a selection of games. You can test any recognised storage device, including external drives. Unlike synthetic storage tests, the PCMark 8 Storage benchmark highlights real-world performance differences between storage devices. HDD Baseline Results SSD Baseline Results Optane and HDD Combo Results Optane and SSD Combo Results Setup Performance Analysis All setups are based on the same drive image. It was cloned to each drive for comparable results. PCMark 10 System Benchmark PCMark 10 is the complete benchmark for the modern office. It is the ideal test for organizations that are evaluating PCs for a workforce with a range of performance needs. The tests in this benchmark cover a wide range of activities from everyday productivity tasks to demanding work with digital media content. HDD Baseline Results SSD Baseline Results Optane and HDD Combo Results Optane and SSD Combo Results Setup Performance Analysis All setups are based on the same drive image. It was cloned to each drive for comparable results. SpecWPC Benchmark The SPECwpc V1.2 benchmark measures all key aspects of workstation performance based on diverse professional applications. BootRacer Timings BootRacer is a light-weight, easy to use and convenient tool for monitoring the Windows PC boot time and controlling over startup programs. The main approach of BootRacer is an ability to exclude a user password timeout time from the calculated total. Final Thoughts Pricing and Availability The 32GB Intel Optane M.2 module I tested today can be yours for £74.32 or $77.99 while the smaller 16GB module will set you back £43.30 or $45.37. Overview Combining two types of storage to increase the performance is in no way a new thing, but Intel's Optane is definitely the best so far. Thanks to the advancement to PCIe and NVMe along with Micron and Intel's impressive 3D XPoint NAND allows systems to reach new performance levels in such setups. The M.2 form factor also makes the Optane module small, light, and convenient. The Optane module allows your large-capacity HDD to shine with both capacity and speed. Granted, the write performance of this first generation could be better, but it still keeps up with an HDD. In combination with an SSD, it can slow some things down a bit. That isn't such a big deal as it is intended for use with a hard disk. You can severely improve the boot times, get faster application loading, and a generally more responsive system. Less downtime, fewer frustrations, and a higher productivity are the results. Intel Optane and 3D Xpoint NAND is also durable as the drive comes with a great endurance rating. Intel is also backing the drive with a 5-year long warranty. Pros Severe performance improvement for large HDD users Low access times Improved productivity Durable Cons Not as useful for SSD owners as it is for HDD users "Intel's Optane Module can inject a performance to your large capacity drive which you hadn't dreamed of." We would like to thank Intel for providing us with this sample.