Why is this so much cheaper on here than anywhere else? ($200+)? What am I missing here.

Other people are scalpers. The tech was never that expensive to begin with.

Is this a M or a B key?

This is M-Key (note that as per PCIe spec you have to have M-key to support x4 (which this drive does).

Do I need to have an Intel system to install this drive? Is any special software needed?

This is standard M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe SSD - it will work in any system that supports NVMe SSDs and has either M.2 slot or adapter that allows connecting M.2 SSD to the PCIe slot.

What soft is needed to use it as a cache drive for hybrid drive?

This drive is big enough to be "stand alone" NVMe SSD (if 58GB or 118GB is everything you need). If you want to use the drive as a cache (which is perfect usage due to low-latency and high endurance), there are multiple options: for Windows: Intel Rapid Storage Technology or PrimoCache, for Linux the best one is Open CAS.

Will it work as a cache drive with another NVME drive?

YMMV - two reasons: one is that it really depends on your software (what are the limitations of it), two is that bigger the discrepancy between performance of a front end cache and a slow device, better the results. With NVMe we are getting pretty close (the biggest difference will be the low latency access, and cache will protect the endurance of a backend storage) so the gains will depend on your workload. The biggest improvement you will see when putting this in front of slow NVMe drives (like QLC), or SATA.

How hot is it? Does it need radiator?

Nope. Works perfectly fine. No radiator needed - just regular airflow. In my friend's setup it was running lower temperature than 970 Evo Plus that she replaced it with.

Is there a list of compatible mainboars to use this as caching drive?

This SSD is a standard, most common, "gum-stick" form factor - M.2 2280 (80mm long version); any motherboard supporting PCIe x4 NVMe SSD - with M-key connector (which is the standard one) will work.

Intel Optane SSD P1600X SSDPEK1A118GA01 M.2 2280 118GB PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 3D XPoint Enterprise Solid State Disk

Intel Optane SSD P1600X Solid State Disk

Intel® Optane™ SKU	SSDPEK1A058GA01	SSDPEK1A118GA01
Product Name	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X Series (58GB - M.2 80mm PCle 3.0 x4 3D XPoint™)	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X Series (118GB - M.2 80mm Pcle 3.0 x4 3D XPoint™)
Product Benefits	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X 58 GB delivers an industry-leading combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast throughput, and high endurance. 4x or better read/write performance vs. SATA for high throughput 58 GB for right-sized capacity & value-added services 6 drive writes per day for high endurance (logging & caching) 2 million mean time hours between failures for uptime Newly certified for QNAP NAS usage as cache drive	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X 118 GB delivers an industry-leading combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast throughput, and high endurance. 4x or better read/write performance vs. SATA for high throughput 118 GB for right-sized capacity & value-added services 6 drive writes per day for high endurance (logging & caching) 2 million mean time hours between failures for uptime Newly certified for QNAP NAS usage as cache drive
Product Description	With right-sized capacity; high throughput and low latency; and excellent endurance, the Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X series is the ideal boot drive for the modern data center.
Product Description	The Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X provides consistent performance and endurance across workloads, at optimal capacity.
Code Name	Ox creek
Capacity	58 GB	118 GB
Lithography Type	3D XPoint (™)
Performance Specifications
Sequential Bandwidth – 100% Read (up to)	1870 MB/s	1760 MB/s
Sequential Bandwidth – 100% Write (up to)	890 MB/s	1050 MB/s
Random Read (100% Span)	426000 IOPS (4K Blocks)	410000 IOPS (4K Blocks)
Random Write (100% Span)	224000 IOPS (4K Blocks)	243000 IOPS (4K Blocks)
Power - Active	5.2 W
Power - Idle	<1.7 W
Reliability
Vibration - Operating	2.17 GRMS
Vibration - Non-Operating	3.13 GRMS
Shock (Operating and Nen-Operating)	1000G (0.5ms)
Operating Temperature Range	0 °C to 70 °C
Operating Temperature (Maximum)	70 °C
Operating Temperature (Minimum)	0 °C
Endurance Rating (Lifetime Writes)	635 TBW	1292 TBW
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)	2 million hours
Uncorrectable Bit Error Rate (UBER)	<1 sector per 10^17 bits read
Warranty Period	5 yrs
Form Factor	M.2 22 x 88mm
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x4 \| NVMe
Advanced Technologies
Enhanced Power Loss Date protection	Yes
High Endurance Technology (HET)	Yes
Temperature Monitoring and Logging	Yes
End-to End Data Protection	Yes
Hardware Encryption
Additional Information	Visit the intel site or contact intel for further product information, including product brief, MDDS, NVMe driver white paper, product reviews, etc.
Additional Information	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X Series - Product Brief https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/memory-storage/solid-state-drives/data-center-ssds/optane-ssd-p1600x-brief.html Link to Boot Drive White Paper https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/memory-storage/solid-state-drives/data-center-ssds/optane-ssd-p1600x-white-paper.html Link to MDDS https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/collecgtioins/content-type/mdds.htmls?g=706777&s=relevancy QNAP NAS compatibility matrix https://www.qnap.com/en/compatibility/?device_category=m.2%20sd&brand=intel
Random, historic Press References	https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-launches-optane-ssd-p1600x

Comparison

Intel® Optane™ SKU	SSDPEK1A058GA01	SSDPEK1A118GA01	SSDPE21D960GAM3	SSDPE21D015TAX1
Product Name	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X Series (58GB - M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 - 3D XPoint™)	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X Series (118GB - M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 - 3D XPoint™)	Intel® Optane™ SSD 905P Series (960GB - 2.5in PCIe x4 - 3D XPoint™)	Intel® Optane™ SSD 905P Series (1.5TB - 2.5in PCIe x4 -3D XPoint™)
Product Benefits	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X 58 GB delivers an industry-leading combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast throughput, and high endurance. 4x or better read/write performance vs. SATA for high throughput 58 GB for right-sized capacity & value-added services 6 drive writes per day for high endurance (logging & caching) 2 million mean time hours between failures for uptime Newly certified for QNAP NAS usage as cache drive	Intel® Optane™ SSD P1600X 118 GB delivers an industry-leading combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast throughput, and high endurance. 4x or better read/write performance vs. SATA for high throughput 118 GB for right-sized capacity & value-added services 6 drive writes per day for high endurance (logging & caching) 2 million mean time hours between failures for uptime Newly certified for QNAP NAS usage as cache drive	Intel® Optane™ SSD 905P 960 GB delivers an industry-leading combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast throughput, and high endurance to meet the most demanding storage workloads in your desktop or client single-user workstations. 960 GB for right-sized capacity & value-added services	Intel® Optane™ SSD 905P 1.5 TB delivers an industry-leading combination of low latency, high quality of service, fast throughput, and high endurance to meet the most the most demanding storage workloads in your desktop or client single-user desktop or client single-user workstations. 1.5TB for right-sized capacity & value-added services 6 drive writes per day for high endurance
Newegg.com URL	//www.newegg.com/intel-optane-ssd-p1600x-58gb/p/N82E16820167488	//www.newegg.com/intel-optane-ssd-p1600x-118gb/p/1Z4-009F-00621	//www.newegg.com/intel-optane-ssd-905p-series-960gb/p/N82E16820167463	//www.newegg.com/intel-optane-905p-1-5tb/p/N82E16820167505

Max Sequential Read	Up to 1760 MBps
Max Sequential Write	Up to 1050 MBps
4KB Random Read	Up to 410,000 IOPS
4KB Random Write	Up to 243,000 IOPS
MTBF	2,000,000 hours

Power Consumption (Idle)	< 1.7W
Power Consumption (Active)	5.2W
Operating Temperature	0°C ~ +70°C
Max Shock Resistance	1000G / 0.5 msec
Max Vibration Resistance	Operating 2.17 GRMS Non-Operating 3.13 GRMS

Intel Optane SSD P1600X SSDPEK1A118GA01 M.2 2280 118GB PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 3D XPoint Enterprise Solid State Disk

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Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacity	118GB
Memory Components	3D XPoint
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe

Item#: 1Z4-009F-00621

Intel Optane SSD P1600X SSDPEK1A118GA01 M.2 2280 118GB PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 3D XPoint Enterprise Solid State Disk

Comparison

Learn more about the Intel SSDPEK1A118GA01

Customer Reviews of the Intel SSDPEK1A118GA01

Warranty & Returns

Warranty, Returns, And Additional Information

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Manufacturer Contact Info