With the mushrooming success of SSD-based netbook PCs like the Eee family, it's hardly a surprise to discover them driving down the cost of solid-state storage.
The first manufacturer that we're aware of to come out and say it is introducing a range of budget SSDs is Samsung, which today announced a cheaper, smaller range of the storage devices.
Smaller too
Starting next month, the Korean firm will be supplying SSDs that are both cheap to make and – at 30 per cent the size of a 2.5-inch drive – smaller than existing hardware.
The new drives will come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB sizes, making it clear that Samsung is aiming for PC builders aiming to take on the Eee machines and not just at increasing SSD capacity to match hard drives.
Speed demons
Although no details have been announced on pricing, the fact that Samsung is using its existing SSD production technology suggests the new hardware may be up to 50 per cent cheaper than current-generation SSDs.
The company's Jim Elliot explained: "We've refined our manufacturing techniques and redesigned our low-density SSDs to get what the low-priced PC market is looking for in the way of improved cost, performance and availability."
Speaking of performance, the new drives will be fast, with the 32GB model topping out at 90MB/s read speed and 70MB/s when writing.
