Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) has unveiled a new 510 Series of solid-state drives (SSD) based on latest 6Gbps SATA3 interface. Constructed using Intel's 34nm MLC NAND Flash memory, the 510 SSD incorporates a new controller that Intel says yields sequential read and write speeds of up to 500MBps and 315MBps respectively. This is substantially faster than the current generation of consumer SSDs on the market, which generally max out at about 250MBps.

Intel says the new SSD series is aimed at high-performance users, game enthusiasts and media creators. SSDs in the 510 Series are available in 120GB and 250GB configuration, with prices pegged at $284 and $584 when purchased in 1,000-unit quantities. According to the company, the lower-capacity SSD is targeted at dual-drive desktops where a small but fast SSD is used to host the operating system for boot-up, with a second hard disk drive providing mass data storage capability. 

The 510 SSD comes in the wake of OCZ's announcement of its Vertex3 SSD that uses SandForce's next-gen 500MBps SSD controller. Clearly, the new iteration of SSDs will pull even further ahead of its already significant speed advantage over that of traditional HDDs.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Computerworld
- check out this article at PC Mag 
- check out this article at eWeek

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