Intel to Demonstrate Overclocking of SSDs at IDF 2013

Intel is set to publicly demonstrate overclocking of solid state drive (SSD) technology at next month's Intel Developers Forum (IDF). The session is titled "Overclocking Unlocked Intel Core Processors for High Performance Gaming and Content Creation", and the new Intel Core i7 4000 'Ivy Bridge-E' series processors are set to take center stage.

During this technical demonstration, Intel plans to showcase the performance gains from overclocking Intel i7 4000 'Ivy Bridge-E' processors on Intel X79-based boards. Also on the agenda is the overclocking of SSDs. We have observed from our high-end SSD shootout that the controller and the memory chips of the SSD will primarily determine its performance. Hence, as noted by X-bit Labs, Intel may allow for increasing the clock rate of the controller, as well as the data rate of the NAND memory chips, in order to overclock the SSD. Most importantly, this must be done with compromising the primary function of the SSD as a data storage device.

For starters, the overclocking of a SSD may not make sense as the drive's performance bottleneck is its SATA 6Gbps interface. However, with Intel's plans to release the Skylake platform that has support for SATA Express, overclocking future SSDs with support for SATA Express may be more viable for intended performance gains. The new standard is touted to feature a maximum bandwidth of 16Gbps, 2.5 times higher than the current SATA 6Gbps one. This year's IDF will be held at the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, California, United States from 10 to 12 September.

(Sources: Intel (1), (2), X-bit Labs)

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