Lowering the bar
US memory outfit Super Talent has lowered the price of entry to the 64GB and 128GB SSD (solid state drive) market with its latest launch.
The new MasterDrive LX range is positioned at significantly lower price points than were previously available, with the 64GB one costing $179 and the 128GB $299. These are expected street prices.
As ever there are concessions on performance. Both drives offer a maximum read speed of 100MB/s and read speed of 40MB/s. This compares poorly to Intel's recent 80GB offering, which reads at up to 250MB/s and writes at 70MB/s. But then again the Intel SSD is priced to trade at $595 and you have to buy a thousand to even get that price.
Slowly but surely SSDs of a decent capacity are creeping towards price points that might make the mainstream consider them. However, they're probably not there yet, with 320GB 2.5" HDDs available for around $100. That means you're having to pay seven or eight times more for your SSD than an HDD of equivalent capacity.
SSDs will always cost more than equivalent capacity HDDs but the question is: at what price ratio will they become attractive for mainstream consumers? How much extra will they pay the performance, durability and power saving benefits?
