A Closer Look At The Intel 750 Series 1.2TB PCIe SSD
Though the 750 Series ships in two form factors, we believe most of our readers will opt for the HHHL add-in-card model. It requires less cooling and easily drops into a third-gen PCIe x4 slot.
The large sink pictured above spreads heat from the controller and flash on one side of the PCB.
Intel 20nm MLC NAND flash and Micron DRAM populate both sides of the PCB. The 750 Series fits in any PCIe x4 (or longer) slot, but you'll get the best performance from a link attached to your CPU (rather than a Platform Controller Hub's PCIe lanes). Consult your motherboard manual to find the best PCIe slot available.
The heat sink is attached to the NAND flash, DRAM and controller. The flash and DRAM memory use a thermal epoxy-like substance, so we can't pop the sink off. Between both sides of the board, there are 28 NAND and four DRAM packages.
Cooling shouldn't be an issue in enthusiast PCs or workstations with positive air pressure into the case. The full-length heat sink keeps the 750 Series running cool, allowing air to exit through the PCIe backplate.