Question 1

is this a reseller box and if so, what is it meant by reseller box?

Accepted Answer

What I received from Newegg is a reseller box, where the Product Code is SSDSC2BW180A4K5.

To explain further, I am doing a cut & paste from Tom's Hardware site dated  February 16, 2012 2:43:29 PM
(on pre-530 Series SSD's):

Here is some additional information on the differences between the packaging on the Intel® SSDs (including the 320s, 510s and the new 520s). The Part # will end with a 10, K5 or B5 based on that information you will be able to tell what comes in the box with the SSD.

If the part # ends with 10 it comes with the SSD, warranty, a sticker and in a brown box.

If the part # ends with K5, it is the reseller box and comes with:
*The SSD
*One-page flyer with web links
*Mini CD-Rom with installation and warranty documents.
*Desktop install kit:
-Drive bracket and screws
-SATA signal cable
-SATA power cable

If the part # ends with B5, it is the retail box and comes with:
*The SSD
*One-page flyer with web links
*Mini CD-Rom with installation and warranty documents.
*Desktop install kit:
-Drive bracket and screws
-SATA signal cable
-SATA power cable
*Notebook install kit:
-USB to SATA cable
-Protective sleeve
-Screwdriver

Question 2

Hi Newegg.
Is it compatible with Toshiba Satellite A355-S6879 ?

Thanks

Accepted Answer

Yeah it should be, but i wouldnt not recommend for that specific laptop seeing as how its really old and it might not be the huge speed boost you are looking for. Before buying a new hard drive with a smaller capacity i would invest first on ram then the hard drive. Sometimes it not really good to upgrade a really old laptop.

Question 3

Is mounting hardware included?

Accepted Answer

Use Industrial Strength and mount it on the bottom ....  you don't need any hardware.  It runs cool ... not to worry.

Question 4

Would there be a benefit to getting this SSD, if a motherboard (a) has an Intel H61 chipset, which does not support AHCI, and B) is only SATA II compatible? Or will non-AHCI and non-SATA III, cripple the SSD’s functionality in a system to a point that the cost does not justify the benefit in increased performance, if any? If the SSD was utilized for such a motherboard, would a user see a noticeable performance improvement, if any?

Accepted Answer

If you are now using a regular spinning hard drive,  you will definitely see a big increase.  I have used mine on both Sata II and Sata III, and quite frankly, I do not see any difference in perceived speed.  AHCI versus non-AHCI will make some difference, but not much.   To summarize, SSD drives have impressed me more than any other upgrades in a dozen years.  Intel SSD seem to be more stable and faster than most other SSD.

Question 5

What happens to this drive when used below freezing?

Does this drive support an password lock that resides in the firmware\bios of the drive it self to assist in keeping it secure like many of the mechanical drives do?

Accepted Answer

The operating temp of the drive is 0-70c.

Per section 5.3 in the documentation on the drive it does support passwords. However, in general, this isn't a very secure method of locking down a drive as anyone can access the firmware and retrieve the password.

Brand	Intel
Series	530 Series
Model	SSDSC2BW180A4K5
Device Type	Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Used For	Consumer

Form Factor	2.5"
Capacity	180GB
Memory Components	MLC
Interface	SATA III

Max Sequential Read	Up to 540MB/s
Max Sequential Write	Up to 490MB/s
4KB Random Read	Up to 41,000 IOPS(8GB Span)
4KB Random Write	Up to 49,000 IOPS(8GB Span)
Read Latency	80 us
Write Latency	85 us
MTBF	1,200,000 hours

Power Consumption (Idle)	125 mW
Power Consumption (Active)	195 mW
Operating Temperature	0°C ~ +70°C
Max Shock Resistance	1,500 G at 0.5 msec

Height	7.00mm
Weight	Up to 78g

Intel 530 Series 2.5" 180GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SSDSC2BW180A4K5

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Item#: N82E16820167174