According to a piece on The Inquirer, Intel is about to update its much-lauded SSD lineup with the introduction of new units based on the firm's 34nm NAND chips. Initially expected for a Q4 release, it now appears that the drives could arrive in just a couple of weeks, bringing larger capacities, reduced power consumption, even faster performance and most importantly a drop in price.
Intel's 34nm-based lineup will reportedly include a 320GB drive, which fits nicely with rumors we heard back in January, alongside 160GB and 80GB models. No details regarding price or performance were revealed, but they did mention other capacities could be announced when the drives officially launch.
The current X18-M and X25-M solid state drives use a 50nm process, have 80GB and 160GB capacities with 2-bit multi-level cell (MLC) technology, and deliver up to 250MB/s and 70MB/s read and write speeds. A single level cell X25-E model is also available with faster I/O rates and 32GB and 64GB capacities. Prices range from around $350 to upwards of $800 depeding on model and capacity.