In a move to make the devices more popular, Intel has significantly cut prices on their line of solid-state drives. Even at the lower prices, though, they may not yet be a bargain.

The most popular Intel drive is their 80GB X18-M unit. It is also the most widely available. The price on the X18-M was slashed from $595 to $390, certainly a significant price reduction, according to a CNET story. Still, that is almost $400 for an 80GB drive at a time when a variety of conventional laptop drives twice that size can be had for well under $100. It is even possible to buy a number of laptop drives in the 500GB range for just over $100. It is comparisons like these that make the Intel 80GB solid-state drive less than attractive to many purchasers.

Nor are the drives made more attractive by some the pricing and sizes available from some of its competitors. Samsung has brought out some larger solid-state devices, which are being retailed primarily by Dell at this time. For example, a 256GB solid-state Samsung drive is available as an option at Dell, carrying an upgrade premium over a conventional 500GB SATA drive. Still, this new Samsung drive is three times larger than the most popular Intel drive. This larger drive is widely projected to sell for about $500 when it is generally released later this year, making it three times the size of the Intel 80GB for just $100 more.

For those wondering what we’re talking about, a solid-state drive (SSD) is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data. A SSD emulates a hard disk drive interface, thus easily replacing it in most applications. They have been generally available in smaller sizes for 2-3 years, and have carried a significant price premium over and above a similarly sized standard mechanical hard disk drive.

The solid-state drive, once prices become more reasonable and the MTBF statistics begin to approach those of standard mechanical drives, will undoubtedly be the drive of choice in most applications. They are faster, use less power, and have no moving parts to break. We are witnessing the infancy of yet another leading edge technology that will soon be in the mainstream, bent to the provisions of Moore’s Law.

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Entry was posted on Saturday, February 7th, 2009 at 3:53 pm under Intel, Notebook, Storage.

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