intel SSD price cuts

Intel is chalking out a wide range of price cuts for its consumer SSD families, which will likely take effect in August. The updated pricing will see prices go down by as much as 37 percent. Prices of several models in the SSD 320, SSD 330, and SSD 520 series, are on the chopping block.

Reliable sources told VR-Zone that Intel is chalking out a wide range of price cuts for its consumer SSD families, which will likely take effect in August. The updated pricing will see prices go down by as much as 37 percent. Prices of several models in the SSD 320, SSD 330, and SSD 520 families, are on the chopping block.

Intel Mulls SSD Price Cuts

To begin with, prices of most lower-capacity models of the SSD 320 series remain untouched. It's the 300 GB and 600 GB models that Intel is after. Given its mainsteam performance, buyers need a bigger incentive to buy higher capacity SSD 320 drives. Each of the two are available in four packages, spanning two form-factors: 2.5-inch 9.5 mm-thick, and 2.5-inch 7 mm-thick. The OEM price (in multi-unit quantity) of the SSD 320 300 GB is slated to go down from US $499 to $444, a 11% cut. The retail package (off-shelf) of the drive is expected to go down from $519 to $464. The SSD 320 600 GB, on the other hand, will see its OEM price drop from $1,039 to $859; and retail price from $1,059 down to $879.

Intel Mulls SSD Price Cuts

The business end of these price cuts focus on SSD 520 series, the performance-segment consumer SSD family from Intel. Most popular capacity variants, such as 60 GB, 180 GB, 240 GB, and 480 GB, are slated for price-cuts:

SSD 520 60 GB: OEM price down from $99 to $89; Reseller pack down from $109 to $99 (9% cut)
SSD 520 120 GB: OEM price down from $179 to $129; Reseller pack down from $189 to $139 (26.4% cut)
SSD 520 180 GB: OEM price down from $269 to $189; Reseller pack down from $279 to $199 (28.6% cut)
SSD 520 240 GB: OEM price down from $339 to $249; Reseller pack down from $349 to $259 (25.8% cut)
SSD 520 480 GB: OEM price down from $799 to $494; Reseller pack down from $809 to $594 (37.7% cut)

Prices of Intel's newest mainstream SSD line, the SSD 330 series, are also boud for cuts. In fact the most interesting pack of cuts target this series:

SSD 330 60 GB: Reseller pack price down from $94 to $69 (26.5% cut)
SSD 330 120 GB: Reseller pack price down from $149 to $104 (30.2% cut)
SSD 330 180 GB: Reseller pack price down from $234 to $154 (34.1% cut)

In all, Intel is making an effort to capture large swathes of the market with these prices, to compete with other players in the consumer SSD market. Many of these prices are already in effect with competitors' SSDs, respective to the capacities, in markets such as the US. All prices mentioned above are in USD, excluding taxes, and the OEM prices are price-per-unit in multi-unit quantities.

Intel Mulls SSD Price Cuts by VR-Zone.com

 

They have to lower their prices because everybody else is, and I think Intel is begrudgingly doing it.

 

Yeah I found it hard to recommend Intel SSD's lately since other drives like Crucial and Samsung drives undercuts them substantially. I still prefer the Samsung 830 SSD over the latest Intel offerings even if they are the same price nowadays, still not convinced with Sandforce controllers on their top tier drives to be honest.

 

Well now that SSDs seem to be $1/gb across the board, I think I can start recommending them. I never thought I'd see the day so soon.

 

512gb SSD's are still very expensive compared to the cost per gb then 256gb ones.

 

About bloody time they followed the rest

 

What do you mean not convinced w/ Sandforce controllers? Like there's not enough difference between Intel and the rest since they use the same controllers?

Also why do you prefer 830 over 520?

I'm in a toss up between the two..

 

Google SandForce and BSOD and you'll understand why people are still reticent going with SandForce. Issues are mostly fixed and while the Intel drives are above the rest of the SF crowd in terms of BSODs, a very small minority of people is getting BSODs still though. Note that no SSD is perfect, but the 830's track record is pretty much flawless so far.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4973
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5508/intel-ssd-520-review-cherryville-brings-reliability-to-sandforce/

 

I put the Samsung 256 GB 830 series in both my laptop and desktop as boot drive. Can't speak highly enough about these drives...

Intel decided to use Sandforce controller in the new drives...and they may not be having as "many" issues as other brands with the same...but they are still having issues. If you want high reliability...go Samsung or Crucial...both are very fast, too.

As far as Intel is concerned. My Envy 17 3D, originally shipped with the Intel 320 series SSD. Over time, they developed an 8 mb bug...where the drive would BSOD, then from 300 GB, the usable size of the drive would drop to 8 MB. Intel released a firmware update that "supposedly" cured the issue. However, if you go to the Intel forums, you will see that the 8mb bug is back and happening quite frequently. Intel has done nothing to fix the issue and there are even corporate users bailing out on Intel drives. Beware...look over the Intel forums...they are NOT winning the reliability race, anymore:


http://communities.intel.com/thread/24339?start=0&tstart=0

http://communities.intel.com/message/130611#130611

The tone of the posts gets nastier and nastier. Seems that Intel is ignoring issues and just keeps moving along.