Intel 530 Series 180GB SATA SSD 2.5in 7.0MM OEM Packaging

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Never had any issues with SSD from Intel; this drive is no exception.

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My first SSD it fast i love it, maybe it will be a little faster with a intel ssd controller. BF deal 130$

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First 5-years warranty from Intel is probably more than enough. Intel SSD Toolbox is very nice. Updating firmware is easy.It is very thin, 7mm or something, not important to me since I installed it on my desktop. No comment on power consumption, definitely uses less power than mechanical hdd.In terms of speed, yes it is fast, but I don't have many other ssds to compare it with. Especially I dont have any Samsung Pro or Evo. I have an Intel 520 series 120GB, but it was running in SATA3.Here are some results with CrystalDiskMark 3.03 from 3 tests: (It is my O/S drive about 24-38% full, Sata600 transfer mode)My System: AsRock Z87 OC Formula, Windows 8.1 ProRead [MB/s]: Seq: 375.2-407.4512K: 311.9-345.64K: 19.85-22.804KQD32:157.5-192.4Write [MB/s]"Seq: 182.2-255.6512K: 311.9-345.64K: 96.5-105.14KQD32:174.9-235.8There are lots of variations among the 3 test I ran. Don't know why it isnt so consistent. PS: The fast Seq Read I have recorded was an OCZ Vertex3 60GB at 449MB/s

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Picked it up on Black Friday, have been using it in my laptop since. Extremely (and more importantly, consistenly) fast, even compared to my stack of Crucial M4 and M500's or the Samsung 840. Uses less power than Samsung 840 as well if laptop battery life is any indication.Can't comment on reliability yet as I've only had it for ~1 month but Intel is one of the few makers who had no problems with Sandforce controllers.