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Choose the Intel Optane SSD 800P 118GB if your system supports NVMe boot, the small capacity is sufficient, and you value its low-latency random I/O. Choose a SATA SSD if your machine needs SATA, you want more room for the money, or the discontinued Optane drive’s condition or price is uncertain. Check the motherboard, firmware, operating system, and the individual drive before buying: a high IOPS rating does not guarantee a noticeably faster boot.
What you are comparing
The 118GB Optane drive in this comparison is Intel’s Optane SSD 800P: an M.2 2280, PCIe 3.0 x2 NVMe drive that Intel marks as discontinued. A SATA SSD is not one specific product; its capacity, performance, endurance, price, and condition depend on the model. That means the useful comparison is between the 800P’s documented characteristics and what your particular system and workload need—not between Optane and every SATA drive as if they were identical.
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Intel’s specification page for the 800P 118GB lists maximum sequential speeds of 1,450 MB/s read and 640 MB/s write, plus maximum 4K random performance of 250,000 read IOPS and 145,000 write IOPS. Those are manufacturer ratings, not measurements of a home-lab machine. Intel’s listed endurance is 365 TBW, with a five-year warranty specification; neither figure tells you the remaining life or warranty eligibility of a used unit.
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| Consideration | Intel Optane 800P 118GB | SATA SSD |
|---|---|---|
| Boot interface | NVMe over PCIe, in an M.2 2280 form factor. Requires a compatible NVMe-capable connector and boot firmware support. | SATA; requires a SATA connection and motherboard boot support. |
| Capacity | 118GB nominal, according to Intel’s product specification. | Varies by selected drive; no particular capacity is inherent to SATA. |
| Random I/O | Intel rates the 800P for up to 250,000 4K random read IOPS and 145,000 4K random write IOPS. Maximum ratings, not guaranteed workload results. | Varies by model. The evidence cited here does not establish a like-for-like comparison with a particular SATA SSD. |
| Sequential I/O | Intel rates up to 1,450 MB/s read and 640 MB/s write. The write ceiling is modest relative to many NVMe drives. | Varies by model and interface; do not assume the Optane drive wins large sequential transfers. |
| Endurance and warranty | Intel lists 365 TBW and a five-year warranty specification; check the actual unit’s health and warranty status. | Varies by model; check its rated endurance and warranty terms. |
| Availability | Discontinued, per Intel. Current stock, pricing, and seller condition are not established here. | Depends on the selected model and seller. |
Check boot compatibility before choosing Optane
Having an M.2 slot is not enough: some M.2 connectors support SATA, some support NVMe, and a board may not boot from NVMe even if it can use an NVMe drive for storage. Intel’s 800P boot compatibility FAQ specifies an NVMe-capable M.2 B-M key connector, UEFI 2.3.1 or later with NVMe support, and GPT. Confirm the actual board and firmware support in the system documentation; do not infer it from the slot’s appearance.
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Intel’s FAQ lists examples of operating-system versions it tested, but cautions that boot functionality was tested on only a subset of Linux distributions and is not guaranteed for every distribution. Treat those historical examples as compatibility context, not as a current OS recommendation. If you plan to use a PCIe-to-M.2 adapter, first verify that the system can boot NVMe through that adapter and slot.
Decide whether 118GB is enough for your lab
A small dedicated OS volume can be useful when VM images, containers, databases, logs, swap, and other frequently changing data live elsewhere. But installation size alone is a poor measure of whether 118GB will work. Updates, logs, snapshots, and services can consume space over time, and some setups place workload data on the boot drive by default.
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- List what will actually be stored on the boot volume, including logs, updates, swap, and any VM or container data.
- Check the OS and hypervisor’s storage requirements and the way your chosen installation lays out partitions.
- Keep workload data on separate storage if that is part of your design, and leave room for normal operation and maintenance.
- If you want one drive for the OS and lab workloads, compare the 118GB 800P with an appropriately sized SATA SSD rather than assuming a minimal install will stay small.
What Optane’s benchmark advantage does—and does not—show
The 800P’s strongest case is small, random, latency-sensitive I/O, not a guaranteed reduction in boot time. AnandTech’s 2018 review found strong low-queue-depth random reads and described its 640 MB/s sequential write performance as only slightly faster than SATA-class performance in that review. These historical results help explain the drive’s profile; they do not establish how it will compare with a particular SATA SSD or server today. AnandTech’s 800P review
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Rank #3
- Setup Requirements: This product requires additional steps to set it up. Please ask questions if you're not familiar with this Intel Optane Drive. Optane Memory H10 with Solid State Storage
- Storage Capacity: 1TB Solid State Drive with 32 GB Buffer for enhanced performance and caching capabilities
- Drive Performance: Maximum Read Transfer Rate of 2400 MB/s for fast data access and file loading
- Write Speed: Maximum Write Transfer Rate of 1800 MB/s for efficient data storage and transfer operations
- Endurance and Interface: 300 TB Total Bytes Written (TBW) with PCI Express 3.0 x4 interface for reliable long-term performance
Intel’s 2018 product brief called the 800P “an ideal OS drive,” citing boot, application launch, and multitasking. That is Intel’s marketing claim, not an independent guarantee. The brief also gives a 140K 4KB random-write figure at queue depth 4 and describes 200 GB writes per day; Intel’s current specification page lists up to 145K random-write IOPS and 365 TBW. These are differently presented figures and endurance descriptions, so they should not be treated as interchangeable measurements. Intel’s 2018 product brief
Real boot behavior depends on the CPU, firmware, operating system, services started at boot, and the work the machine performs. Peak IOPS alone cannot quantify a boot-time improvement, and no directly matched Optane-versus-SATA home-lab boot statistic is established here.
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When each choice makes sense
Choose the Optane 800P if
- You already own one, or find an individual unit at a sensible price and can verify its condition.
- Your motherboard and firmware support NVMe boot, and your OS setup is compatible.
- You need only a small boot volume, with larger lab data stored elsewhere.
- You value the 800P’s rated random-I/O and endurance characteristics for your workload.
Choose a SATA SSD if
- The system lacks NVMe boot support or only offers a usable SATA boot path.
- You need more capacity for the OS and lab data on the same drive.
- The available Optane drive is expensive, has uncertain SMART health, or lacks a verifiable warranty status.
- You prefer a currently available drive whose capacity, condition, and support you can assess directly.
No current SATA model or price is established here, so compare the exact drive you are considering: capacity, interface, health, warranty, and cost. The 800P is discontinued, and a used drive’s original specifications do not establish the remaining life of that particular unit.
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Quick Recap
Best Value
- Snappy PC experience with short boot times, fast application launches, extraordinary gaming experience and responsive browsing
- Pair Intel Optane memory with storage media (HDD, SSD), to get amazing performance and responsiveness without compromising storage capacities
- Supported on 7th Gen Intel Corei3 processor and above
- Requires Optane Ready Motherboard and storage drive such as HDD and/or SSD
- A computer with Intel Optane memory adapts to your everyday computing activities to make your repetitive tasks increasingly faster, smoother and easier to accomplish
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
