Many of us wish we could afford $945 Intel SSDs that promise insane performance, but like most of the world, we are grounded in reality, where the cost per-gigabyte of SSDs is simply too high. Many vendors are concentrating on speed and capacity concerns right now, which will eventually enable SSDs to overcome mechanical storage. For those of us who want a more immediate answer, some companies have been promising low(er)-cost SSDs, such as RunCore, who announced a little over a month ago that they were preparing cheap SSDs.
They've officially made good on that promise, with the company now shipping several models of various sizes, including one unit that comes in at under $70. RunCore's units, using a 1.8" form factor, are offered in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities, with prices starting at $70 and going up to $390. These price ranges don't put them in the "bargain" category, but do put them well below average, where many 16GB SSDs can start at over $150.
The prices also reflect a reduction in rated speed compared to other vendors, with these first units having read/write speeds considerably slower than what the very expensive more well-known brands are boasting, at 75MB/sec and 40MB/sec. RunCore has released a more expensive drive alongside these cheaper ones, a 256GB 2.5" unit offering speeds exceeding upwards of 230MB/sec and 150MB/sec. Sadly, it also comes with a pretty steep price tag of at least $700. The cost-per-gigabyte of SSDs is still insanely high, but those prices have dropped fast - and will likely continue to do so.