March 15, 2026
So fast it hurts, then gone
What makes Intel Optane stand out (2023)
The lightning-fast ‘almost RAM’ drive fans loved—then Intel pulled the plug and comments erupted
TLDR: Optane delivered near-RAM speed and extreme write endurance, but high cost and small sizes kept it niche; Intel stopped new development in 2022 despite a 2023 memory release. Commenters mourn a “killed cool project,” while others say Optane still shines for cache and database logs.
Intel’s Optane was the speed freak of storage: a specialty drive launched in 2017 that felt almost like memory, with super-low lag and wild durability. The catch? It was pricey and came in smaller sizes. Intel paused new development in 2022, even as a fresh Optane memory module landed in 2023 to pair with its Sapphire Rapids chips. Cue the comments section, which instantly turned into a tech soap opera. One top voice sneered, “It stands out because it didn’t sell,” but added the spicy bit: single-byte updates were insanely fast and databases loved it, especially logs and ZFS journals. Another commenter went full corporate roast: Intel “kills off their coolest projects,” turning Optane into the latest exhibit in the museum of canceled genius. A contrarian chimed in with a survival guide: amid RAM shortages, Optane is still handy for swap and cache, the emergency pantry for hungry CPUs and GPUs. The nerds brought receipts too, dropping a physical deep dive on 3D XPoint’s phase-change magic link and a broader memory future thread link. The vibe? Two camps: heartbroken fans mourning the “espresso shot for databases” that could’ve been, and pragmatists keeping Optane alive as the world waits for the next big thing (hello, CXL).
Key Points
- •Intel Optane SSDs use 3D XPoint technology to deliver ultra-low latency and high endurance, with P4800X and P5800X as key data center models and 900P/905P as consumer variants.
- •Optane’s drawbacks include high cost and lower capacities; rapid NAND SSD improvements and emerging CXL reduced adoption incentives.
- •Intel halted Optane innovation in July 2022 under its IDM 2.0 strategy but continues selling Optane SSDs and DIMMs.
- •In early 2023, Intel released Optane Persistent Memory NV-DIMM Series 300 to support 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable (Sapphire Rapids), launched January 2023.
- •Optane’s endurance far exceeds typical NAND SSDs, with 30–100 DWPD and PLP versus 0.1–10 DWPD for common QLC/TLC/MLC categories.