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Intel issues solid-state drive fix

Chipmaker releases an end-user firmware fix for its Intel X25-M and X-18M solid-state drives, addressing an "internal fragmentation" issue first reported in February.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
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Brooke Crothers

Updated at 3:45 p.m. PDT with additional information throughout.

Intel released a fix for its solid-state drives Monday, addressing an issue first reported back in February.

"We are releasing an end-user firmware update for our X-25M and X-18M SSD drives today," Intel said Monday.

Intel said this addresses a problem first introduced by technology Web site PC Perspective in February. "This update implements several continuous improvements and optimizations to the drive algorithms including a resolution for a performance issue first reported by the PC Perspective," Intel said.

The PC Perspective review, titled "Long-term performance analysis of Intel Mainstream SSDs," claimed, among other things, that the Intel X25-M solid-state drive would degrade in performance as a result of "internal fragmentation."

"Keep in mind that the risk of a typical PC user experiencing this issue is very low," Intel said Monday. "We are offering this firmware download to our OEM customers and any consumers who have purchased the drives. Consumers with questions can contact their PC maker or visit Intel support for more information."

A Monday post by PC Perspective said that "the Intel guys were surprisingly down to earth and receptive to our input" and that Intel "replicated our findings in their lab. An added bonus was they...passed us a new firmware and were asking for our feedback."

Intel did not recognize the problem initially, saying in February: "Our labs currently have not been able to duplicate these results."