Gigabyte Z68 motherboard with integrated SLC SSD

[Sarath]

Source: Gigabyte bolts an SSD to a motherboard (so you don't have to) -- Engadget

Looks like gigabyte has decided to put an SSD into the mobo itself. Here is the article:

*www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/05/5-27-20-11gigabyteintegratedssd.jpg

Gigabyte has decided to simplify matters for those who want the power of an SSD in their desktop, but don't want to deal with the hassle of buying and connecting one. The company's new Z68XP-UD3-iSSD (catchy, no?) motherboard comes with a 20GB Intel SSD 311 mounted right on it. It's not clear if you can simply dump files on it like a normal drive -- what it can do, however, is use Intel's Smart Response tech to cache frequently accessed data, like your OS, to improve performance. Essentially, it turns any hard disk you connect to the system into a hybrid drive with a much larger reserve of flash storage, which should sound somewhat familiar. The board also features the ability to switch between discrete and built-in graphics thanks to Lucid Logix's Virtu. The rest of the features are pretty standard fare: USB 3.0, a pair of 16x PCI-E slots, and 6GB SATA connections. The latest Z68 board from Gigabyte will go on sale early in June and, while we don't have a price, we've done a little (PR) embedding of our own after the break.

P.S. Typing from a virtual keyboard on my phone so ignore typos if any

 

[Vyom]

Its a good idea. The best possible use is to make that the OS drive. But 20GB is not enough IMO. A Win 7 installation would take about 10GB right away.
Maybe future versions would see an increase in the capacity.

 

[sygeek]

Nice idea, maybe useful for some people (dunno how). However I like the fact that it can extend the storage of any hard disk connected to it (hybrid drive) but I'm still confused, if the SSD drive will maintain it's advantages after connecting to a HDD.

 

[Sarath]

Its for caching purpose (its SLC) well thats just like a 20GB+HDD hybrid drive.

A 40GB OS drive would be good.

Check:SSD Caching: Enterprise Philosophies Drive Desktop Performance : Intel Z68 Express Chipset Preview: SSD Caching And Quick Sync

 

[lalam]

The price as expected will obviously be on the high side. Well i want Asus to follow suit and they should put at least 50GB in there lol