Intel Cuts Solid State Drive Prices For Holidays

Two weeks into November and Intel has already embraced the Season of Giving. Specifically, the chip giant is cutting prices on solid state drives (SSDs). Read on for the SSD discount details and why VARs and channel partners should care…

First, a refresher course: Solid state drives are essentially super-fast chunks of flash RAM put together. No moving partners mean less rate of failure, lower power consumption, faster drive access and ostensibly, a faster user experience. It’s part of the reason Apple and other mobile-device manufactures use flash RAM in nearly everything. Now the challenge: Flash RAM implementation for SSD drives is expensive, and as of now, of relatively low density.

But Intel is aiming to change that. Intel has just lowered their 40GB SSD SATA drive to $99 — a generous cut though you can get a traditional 1TB+ drive for about $100. Intel has also priced their 80GB SSD at $200, and the 120GB SSD a respectable $249. Intel’s top-of-the-line 160GB X25-M drive still sits at a lofty $415.

Why VARs Should Care

So why should VARs and their end-customers potentially embrace SSDs? Intel says SSDs boast a 56% performance boost when compared to traditional drives. But the trick, until the price on the gigabyte-per-dollar drops or SSDs, is to have the SSD compliment an existing hard drive.

For example: Install the operating system and heavy-duty apps (Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc…) on the SSD. All your music and movies and regular data files should exist on a second drive. Quick booting of your system will follow, along with faster app load times and performance. (Hardcore gamers sometime install their favorite games on the SSD, too.)

I’ve yet to take the plunge into running my own SSD environment, but I’m not opposed to the idea. I’ve heard only good things. If Intel is reading… we’d love to test out an SSD for review.

For VARs and channel partners and system builders out there, consider that an SSD solution, while a bit expensive, might add more value simply by performance alone. For all those already in the field trying to sell or implement SSD solutions, we’d love to hear about your experiences.

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