Tom's IT Pro: Intel DC S3610 Enterprise SSD Review

A common misconception when deploying an enterprise SSD is that any SSD will do the job well, and many administrators simply purchase an SSD based upon cost and capacity alone. Pretty much any SSD is much better than an HDD from a performance standpoint, but the endurance specifications can hide an unexpected pitfall for those that aren't aware of their workload.

Users who purchase read-centric SSDs with a low endurance rating will likely end up replacing scores of drives if the workload is too severe, and those that purchase high-endurance models for light workloads are paying a premium for unused capabilities. The key is to analyze the workload to determine peak and average write workloads during use, and adjust the purchasing decision accordingly. 

Historically there have been a number of SATA products for either end of the endurance spectrum, with 1 DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) for read-centric workloads and 10 DWPD for write-centric applications. Unfortunately, this left users in the mid-range with few options.

Intel's new DC S3610 steps in to offer up to 3 DWPD of endurance for the under-served mid-endurance market segment. Intel offers a wide range of capacity points, starting at 200GB and topping out at 1.6TB, that should serve the majority of use-cases. Intel packs in impressive performance and the enterprise-class features we've come to expect, so come along as we compare it to competing enterprise SSDs at Tom's IT Pro.