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Future MacBook SSDs could get even faster as Mac compatibility confirmed for super-fast Optane tech

optane

Apple’s PCIe SSDs are already very fast, in part due to the Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) protocol used in the latest MacBooks, which dramatically reduces latency times. But future models could get even faster as MacWorld notes that the very latest SSD tech is compatible with NVMe.

Optane is a brand name for a new type of memory and SSD based on 3D Xpoint, a technology jointly developed by Intel and Micron that can be 10 times denser than DRAM, and 1,000 times faster and more durable than flash storage

The soon-to-be-released 3D Xpoint technology will be compatible with NVMe, a super-fast storage protocol that could help Optane achieve its blistering speeds. Some MacBooks already have NVMe-based SSDs, and Optane could provide a further speed boost.

Optane’s compatibility with NVMe has only just been revealed by Intel, which will of course also be compatible with the Skylake chips Apple is expected to use in its next generation of MacBooks. The new tech allows SSDs to get much closer in speed to RAM, with Intel promoting it under the slogan ‘Storage, Memory, Converged.’

As ever with Apple, there’s no way of telling whether or when it will adopt the technology. Apple sometimes likes to get ahead of the curve and at other times adopts and wait-and-see approach.

If you’re wanting to upgrade your existing MacBook Air or Pro SSD, check out the 480GB and 1TB options announced by OWC just this week.

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Comments

  1. Avieshek (@avieshek) - 8 years ago

    Isn’t the current NVMe storage provided by intel is based on PCIe 3.0 technologies instead of PCIe 4.0?

    • just-a-random-dude - 8 years ago

      Yes, Skylake is only supporting PCIe 3.0 lanes. Optane SSDs can work via PCIe 3.0 as well.

      Not sure what you’re asking.

      Cannonlake is supposedly the one that will support Optane natively but that’s late 2017/2018 timeframe. For now, Intel wants to try shipping it in a NVMe/PCIe3 card form.

  2. jameskatt - 8 years ago

    Nice. But we need affordable 2+ GB SSDs.

    • dwisehart - 8 years ago

      You may not after you see the price-performance of Xpoint, its nearly unlimited write cycles and its long term storage abilities. If it works in the field as well as has been promoted from the lab, we may all be choosing Xpoint drives over SSD drives when we buy new computers.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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