Intel introduces a new family of products, the Intel Optane Memory, which promises to deliver high-octane PC performance perfect for gaming and browsing. The conventionally named module promises to accelerate slow hard drives and increase PC performance. It is actually more akin to an M.2 SSD than a memory module, but behaves like another memory tier for caching data stored on a slower storage devices.
The product began selling on Monday, and has been described as the module that will transform the traditional relationship between PC memory and storage. It vows to give a satisfyingly swift PC speed on everything you need to do on the mainstream computers most people buy. However, some people think that it's a bold claim.
Intel's approach with Optane Memory has allegedly been done before. However, Intel asserts that Optane's all-memory approach to data allocation is better than the hybrid drives that have been the staple for nearly a decade. This is due to the advances in memory technology, and Optane software's capability to configure everything automatically, per PC Mag.
In this approach, you don't have to chose which data are kept in memory and which go on the storage drive. This is the newest module's crowning achievement. It intelligently allocates the data on a PC between the memory and the hard drive, while continuously evaluating your algorithm to achieve faster app launches and boot times, according to Forbes.
You can get Initial's Intel Optane Memory devices in 16GB for $44, and 32GB, for $77. They are compatible with Windows 10 64-bit edition and Intel 7th Generation “Kaby Lake” based processors and 200 series chipsets. Consumer systems like HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer, will begin shipping Intel's new modules starting in the second quarter.
