SSD prices have dropped dramatically over the years ever since they were first introduced. However for the most part they are still pretty expensive compared to regular HDDs, and unless you truly need the speed and stability of an SSD, or if you have some extra money in your PC budget, you can get away without using one.
However if you would love to equip your PC with an SSD, you’ll be pleased to learn that Intel’s latest SSD (via Engadget) could be a bit more friendly on your wallet. The company has recently announced what they are calling the world’s first commercially available 64-layer, TLC, 3D NAND SSD.
We wouldn’t be so quick to call them cheap yet as the 512GB model is priced at $180, but when compared to some of the other 512GB models on the market, they are slightly cheaper. According to Intel, this is thanks to the new architecture that is used in the SSDs that will allow for them to offer up larger capacities and deliver more gigabytes per wafer.
However in terms of performance, those who require a high-performing SSD shouldn’t expect too much from the Intel SSD 545s. We are talking about 550MB/s sequential read speeds and 500MB/s sequential write speeds, which like we said might not be enough for those who need the high-performance, but should be more than capable of getting the job done for the average consumer.
There are plans to launch more storage options that scale up to 2TB, or as low as 128GB, so keep an eye out for them if this is something you’re interested in.
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