Tuesday tech deals: 128GB Crucial m4 $110, Ivy Bridge is available

[Matthew DeCarlo]

{pf id:22368 size:small} Crucial 128GB M4 2.5" SATA 6Gbps SSD for $110 + free shipping

Buy.com offers the Crucial 128GB M4 2.5" Internal SSD, model no. CT128M4SSD2, for $109.99 with free shipping ($0.86/GB). That's $10 under a deal from a week ago and the least expensive 128GB 6Gb/s SSD we've ever seen without rebate hassles. It's also a current price low by $15. It features read speeds of up to 415MB/s and write speeds of up to 175MB/s.

{pf id:28213 size:small} Refurbished BlackBerry PlayBook 16GB Tablet for $150 + free shipping

Best Buy offers the refurbished BlackBerry PlayBook model no. PRD-38548-001 for $149.99 with free shipping. That's $29 under a February refurb deal and tied as the all-time price low for a PlayBook. It's currently $46 under the lowest total price we could find for a new unit. Sales tax is added where applicable. This 0.4"-thick slate weighs 14.4oz and features a 7" 1024x600 touchscreen, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 16GB of storage, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 3MP 1080p front camera and 5MP 1080p rear camera, GPS, an accelerometer, gyroscope, digital compass, and micro USB and HDMI ports. Note that this item is sold "as is"; while it's subject to Best Buy's return policy, there is no warranty.

Samsung 23" 1080p LED-Backlit LCD for $150 + free shipping

Buy.com via eBay offers the Samsung SyncMaster S23A300B for $149.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we've seen for a new Samsung 23" 1080p LED-backlit monitor. It's also a current low for this model by $50. Features include a 1920x1080 native resolution, 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 5ms response time, 250 cd/m² brightness, and DVI, VGA, and other inputs. Deal ends May 2 at 11 am ET.

Refurb Western Digital 3TB USB External Hard Drive for $115 + free shipping

Western Digital offers the factory-refurbished Western Digital Elements 3TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive, model no. WDBAAU0030HBK-NESN, for $129.99. Coupon code "WDCARES" cuts is to $114.99. With free shipping, that's $0.04/GB and the second lowest price we've ever seen for this drive. It's also a current price low for a refurbished unit by $55. This drive uses GreenPower technology to reduce power consumption by up to 30%. A 6-month Western Digital warranty applies.

{pf id:35106 size:small} Unlocked Dell Venue Pro Windows Phone 7 for $250 + free shipping

Buy.com offers the Unlocked Dell Venue Pro 8GB Windows Phone 7 Smartphone for $249.99 with free shipping. That's the lowest total price we could find by $37, although we saw it for $30 less six weeks ago. It features a slide-out keyboard, Snapdragon 1GHz processor, 3G connectivity, 8GB non-removable microSD card, 4.1" 480x800 AMOLED touchscreen display, GPS, 5-megapixel camera, 802.11g wireless, Bluetooth, and more.

Sony 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System for $190 + free shipping

TigerDirect offers the Sony 5.1-Channel Home Theater Speaker System, model no. SA-VS310, for $249.99. Coupon code "TQU60439" cuts it to $189.99. With free shipping, that's $10 under last week's mention and the lowest total price we could find by $60. This system includes one center channel speaker, two front speakers, two rear speakers, 100-watt 10" powered subwoofer, two speaker stands, and more.

{pf id:84900 size:small} Ivy Bridge now widely available online

It's not exactly a tech deal, but since we don't plan to run a dedicated post on Ivy Bridge's availability, we figure it's worth mentioning it as a footnote here. Newegg offers six chips (with a seventh being out of stock) ranging from $200 to $320, including the Core i5-3450, i5-3450S, i5-3550, i5-3570K, i7-3770 and i7-3770S. If you've ignored the update until now, you can get up to speed with our coverage including overviews of Ivy Bridge and the 7-series Panther Point chipset, as well as hands-on reviews of both.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/48410-tuesday-tech-deals-128gb-crucial-m4-110-ivy-bridge-is-available.html

 

[Guest]

I saw this Crucial deal this morning. And Newegg had the same product for + $80 more! Now just a couple hours later, Buy.com jacked up their price nearly +$30, while Newegg dropped their price to $125.... Doesn't that seem suspicious? I'm beginning to believe there is a price-fixing scandal amongst computer electronics dealers. Lower one price & raise the other = game theory

 

[mados123]

Better to go with the Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR120GB 120GB SATA III with an included adapter 3.5" adapter bracket at a price that has been consistent at $115 (Newegg). Sandforce controller, up to 550MB/s read, 515MB/s write, up to 90,000 IOPS, 2,000,000 MTBF vs. Crucial's Marvell controller, 500MB/s read, 175MB/s write, up to 45,000/35,000 read/write IOPS and 1,200,000 MTBF.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236\

 

[ET3D]

I ordered the m4 from Amazon for $125, and it's still not been shipped, so when I saw this I thought "if they take non-US credit cards maybe I'll cancel and order here", then saw that the price was already up.

I thought about getting the Mushkin, but I've seen so many people recommending the m4 and good reviews for it that I figured it's the better choice. The Mushkin went up recently at Amazon, so it's about the same price of the m4 + bracket.

 

[Guest]

Sandforce controllers have way more stability problems. So although on a spec sheet, the sandforce looks quicker, in real world applications the difference will not be noticeable. But freezing and lockups due to the Sandforce will be noticeable. All in all, the two best SSD's as far as speed, reliability, and price are concerned has got to be the Crucial M4 or the Samsung 830 series.

 

[mados123]

The Samsung is a nice drive that can now be found for $150 at BuyDig. The issues with the SandForce Controllers, from what I understand, aren't an issue anymore. Now the SanDisk Extreme is getting great reviews too at a little lower cost than Samsung and better MTBF (2.5M vs 1.5M) and write speeds. If the prices for the Samsung is $150, the Samsung is a great buy. If not, the SanDisk is my next choice with a budget under $150. If you are on a tighter budget and want 128GB, the Mushkin can be found at $115.