Intel has announced that some of its solid-state drives are now available in 800 select Best Buy stores, as the company looks to convince customers to upgrade their PCs and notebooks.
Specifically, the Intel X25-V 40GB and the X25-M 80GB and 160GB models will be included, with PC and notebook versions also available. Intel is promoting the flash memory-based drives as faster, more reliable than Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). Traditional HDD technology has reportedly increased in speed by a mere 1.3 times over the past 10 years.
Intel and Best Buy are betting SSDs will increase in popularity as the performance speeds increase and the prices continue to slide. Best Buy already offers SSDs online, but this is the first time they can be purchased in-store.
"Our customers are looking for the latest and greatest in technology and entertainment experiences," said Jason Bonfig, Best Buy VP of computing, in a statement. "Now they can purchase an Intel SSD and add it to a new or existing computer for a makeover that will improve their computing or gaming experience."
The Intel X25-V 40GB SSD is available for $130, while the X25-M 80GB costs $230 MSRP. The larger X-25M 160GB model costs significantly more at $450.
It's good to see Intel continue to expand outside of its core CPU business, with the company now involved in GPUs, SSDs, streaming TV, and research and development in biotech and other industries.
SSDs are growing in popularity among technology enthusiasts, but they still don't receive much floor space inside brick and mortar electronics retail stores. A strong marketing push by Intel could help draw attention to the appealing technology.
