Intel's newest 6-Series SSD is a refresh of its first QLC SSD, the 660P. Intel's 660P introduced the consumer world to QLC (4-bit per cell) technology. The 660P was designed with the intention of bringing NVMe technology to the masses at pricing comparable with SATA SSDs. That's exactly what happened, and the 660P quickly became a favorite of PC enthusiasts across the globe.

On our test bench today, we have the successor to Intel's 660P 6-Series SSD. Intel's brand new 665P is again built upon Intel's proven floating gate technology as well as CuA (CMOS under array) technology. The main differentiator between the 660P and the 665P is the flash. The 660P employed a 4-bit per cell flash array based on 64-layer technology, the 665P is utilizing Intel's newest 96-layer 4-bit per cell 3D flash technology. Intel's 96L 4-bit (QLC) flash brings to the consumer better performance, higher density, and, more importantly, in the case of QLC flash, 50% better endurance. Endurance was really the main complaint with the 660P, even if it was more of a misperception than an actual problem for the average consumer. Hence, a 50% increase is something that will appeal to a lot of consumers/enthusiasts.