Intel, the world’s largest processor maker, made another move into the solid-state storage disk market on March 15 when it unveiled its latest high-performance wholesale SSD from the Intel-Micron partnership: the X25-V Value SATA SSD.
The new Intel 40GB drive is priced at $125 per 1,000 quantity and is positioned for lower-end netbooks and dual-drive/boot drive desktops.
The X25-V utilizes 34nm NAND flash memory, which retains data in state — even when the power is turned off. This is the same kind of memory used in smartphones, personal music players, memory cards or SSDs.
Intel is purposeful about stamping the name “Value” onto this drive. Thanks largely to increasing sales of devices such as netbooks, iPhones and other solid-state-driven devices, the SSD market is starting to get more competitive beyond capacity and performance.
The company realizes that in competing with companies like Samsung, Seagate and WD [formerly Western Digital] on product, it now must be more competitive on price, which is something the SSD market will be seeing more frequently in the future. Comparable SSDs are generally priced 10 to 20 percent higher at this time.
Using that 40GB of boot drive capacity, a user could load the SSD with the entire Windows 7 operating system along with several other applications. Because the SSD speeds up system start up, applications, and resumed files from standby, less time and power is expended.
The 40GB X25-V fits into a product line that includes Intel’s higher performance X25-M Mainstream SATA SSD product line, which offers 80GB and 160GB capacities.
All Intel SSDs are designed and manufactured by Intel using its own NAND flash memory from IM Flash Technologies and include a proprietary controller and updatable firmware, Intel said. The X25-V is priced at $125 for 1,000-unit quantities and is currently stocked and available in worldwide distribution.