SSD prices down 38% in 2012, but up in Q4
Read More ...
BioShock Infinite PC perks, requirements detailed As we slowly inch toward BioShock Infinite's March 26 release, developer Irrational Games has revealed the PC version's hardware requirements. The minimum specs are nothing to get excited about—folks will be able to get away with a Core 2 Duo and GeForce 8800 GT graphics—but the "recommended" specs are steeper than I expected. See for yourself: You can get that kind of GPU horsepower for less than 200 bucks today, but the Radeon HD 6950 cost ... Read more...
Read More ...
Dishonored developer worked on Half-Life 2: Episode Four We haven't seen a new Half-Life 2 game since Episode Two came out in October 2007. According to the folks at ValveTime and Rock, Paper, Shotgun, that's partly because Valve canned Episode Four, a spooky sequel that would have taken players back to the zombie-infested town of Ravenholm. And you'll never guess who was developing it: Arkane Studios, the same folks who released the excellent Dishonored last year. ... Read more...
Read More ...
New Xi3 PC is paperback-sized, costs $399 Xi3 raised eyebrows last week when its Modular Computer chassis was named as a host for a potential Steam box development system. Now, the firm is back for an encore. While the company's latest announcement says nothing about Steam, it does introduce a nifty-looking $399 system that's even tinier than the Modular Computer. The Z3RO Pro Computer measures 1.9" x 4.9" x 3.6", or "the size of a small paperback."
...
Read more...
Read More ...
Tuesday Shortbread 7 Up
Read More ...
Is 1920x1080 the new 1366x768? One of the stories that came out of this year's CES is a classic good news/bad news sort of scenario for PC users. The good news is that PC displays are finally shedding the bonds of the nearly ubiquitous 1366x768 resolution and lousy TN panels that have plagued them for several years now. We saw a host of new Windows 8-based laptops, tablets, and all-in-one PCs ... Read more...
Read More ...
Oculus Rift is freaking amazing Like many of you, I had heard the hype about the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, the big names who are backing the device, and the successful Kickstarter that funded its further development. Having seen how awful other attempts at VR have been over the years, I was both skeptical and excited to give it a try myself. When I found out the Oculus guys would be exhibiting at a pre-CES press event that I attend each year, I made a mental note to go talk with them and see if I could try the headset for myself. Turns out that was more difficult that you might think, because they were swamped by whole teams of press bearing microphones and giant cameras for most of the ... Read more...
Read More ...
RIP, Internet activist and Reddit alumnus Aaron Swartz On Friday, programmer, writer, and activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide. Described by many as a genius, Swartz had a hand in developing the RSS specification when he as just 14 years old. He may be best known for his role in Reddit, which in 2006 merged with Infogami, a company Swartz had created. Swartz also founded DemandProgress, an advocacy group that "works to win progressive policy changes for ordinary people through organizing, and grassroots lobbying." Demand Progress had a hand in defeating the Stop Online Piracy Act, otherwise known as SOPA. Swartz was what one might call a hactivist, and some of his alleged exploits ultimately drew the attention of Federal prosecutors. He was accused of downloading and releasing documents from PACER, a government-run database of US federal court documents that ... Read more...
Read More ...
Lenovo planning Android-based convertibles Tablets were everywhere at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Lenovo uncorked a couple of fresh Windows 8-based convertibles, including one that draws from Intel's new family of lower-power Ivy Bridge processors. The firm reportedly has more convertibles on the way, and they won't run Windows. DigiTimes' sources say Lenovo is working on new notebook/tablet hybrids that run Google's Android OS. Lenovo already makes an Android-based tablet, the IdeaPad A1107, but that's a budget 7-incher with a 1024x600 display resolution. The new convertibles will apparently be part of Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga ... Read more...
Read More ...
Etc. Howdy, all. I hope you enjoyed our CES coverage last week. Cyril did a nice digest listing all of the stories. CES is a huge show, and for us, it serves several roles. Not only is it a place where lots of news happens, but it's also our only chance to see virtually everyone in the industry face to face here in North America each year. On top of that, we've traditionally brought a big contingent of TR staff to the show, making it our annual chance for ... Read more...
Read More ...
HP regains top spot as PC shipments slump PC shipment estimates for the past quarter are in, and they're not all that encouraging. According to the folks at Gartner, shipments slipped from 95.02 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 90.37 million in fourth quarter of 2012—a 4.9% decline. Gartner attributes the shipment shrinkage to tablets. Apparently, the problem isn't that folks are tossing out their PCs and replacing them ... Read more...
Read More ...
Monday Shortbread Eight is Enough
Read More ...
Sunday Shortbread The Pick 6
Read More ...
Saturday Shortbread Eight is Enough
Read More ...
Available Tags:SSD , Lenovo , HP ,
2012 was a big year for solid-state drives. Multiple new models were released, some featuring fresh controller technology, and others with next-generation NAND. These drives were generally faster than their predecessors, but improved performance wasn't what made SSDs such a hit. Instead, it was plummeting prices.
At the beginning of the year, the median cost per gigabyte for a consumer-grade SSD was $1.64. By December 31, that figure had fallen 38% to $1.02. Drives in the 240-256GB range enjoyed the biggest decrease, dropping 44% to just $0.83 per gig by year's end. 120-128GB models didn't quite break the dollar-per-gig threshold in December, but their prices were cut by 34% over the course of the year. At least that's better than the 40-64GB SSDs we track; those currently ring in at about $1.29 per gig, a more modest 28% reduction from the beginning of 2012.
Although SSD prices fell steadily through the first three quarters of the year, they rebounded in Q4—and quite sharply in some cases. Here's a look at the numbers courtesy of the folks at Camelegg, who provided us with a bounty of data for analysis. Camelegg tracks prices at Newegg, which is a pretty good indicator of prevailing market conditions. Mail-in rebates and coupon codes aren't taken into account, though. We've limited this particular selection to drives that were in stock for the entire fourth quarter.
Whoa. Only a handful of SSDs got cheaper between October 1 and December 31 last year. The majority of drive prices went up, and most of them increased by double-digit percentages. These numbers are pretty stunning given the downward trajectory of the previous three quarters. Don't forget that Q4 was filled with Black Friday and other holiday sales, too.
OCZ's drives regressed the most, and they seem to have led the charge. Really, we shouldn't be surprised. OCZ CEO Ryan Petersen was ousted this fall, in part for "boosting" discount programs to increase market share. Those programs resulted in substantial losses for the company, and OCZ has pursued a more conservative pricing strategy ever since. The competiton, it seems, has been eager to follow.
We can get a better sense of the data by plotting the day-to-day price changes for individual SSDs. The data has been truncated to show only the previous year, and you'll want to pay particular attention to the last three months. We've also included a number of drives left out of our quarterly calculations: new models that were released mid-way through Q4 and those that were out of stock at the end of the quarter. You can click on the buttons below each graph to switch between the various drive families.
OCZ was the catalyst for Q4's rising prices, so that's where we'll start. The higher-end Vertex drives suffered the biggest price increases, but the budget Agility models weren't immune. You can actually see the Black Friday discounts toward the end of November. Too bad they didn't last.
The new Vector SSD hasn't been around long enough for its price to change dramatically. This is a premium model, and it's substantially more expensive than OCZ's other offerings.
Unlike OCZ, Intel largely resisted the urge to slash SSD prices earlier in the year. That's probably why its drives didn't become much more expensive in Q4. The 320 Series stayed flat, undoubtedly due to its appeal to deep-pocketed enterprise customers, while the other models went up and down by relatively small margins.
Look at how closely the recently released Intel 335 Series matches the price of its 330 Series predecessor. The former uses smaller 20-nm NAND chips that should be cheaper to produce than the latter's 25-nm flash. That hasn't led to lower prices yet, though. Just because next-gen flash memory costs less to produce doesn't mean the savings will be passed on to consumers right away.
On multiple occasions in the past couple years, Corsair representatives expressed doubt about whether OCZ would be able to continue competing so aggressively on price. It looks like they were right—and following OCZ's lead, to some extent. The Force Series 3 and GT both rose in price starting around mid-October. Some models have dropped a bit since, but not enough for a full recovery.
In October, the Samsung 830 Series was easily the best SSD bargain around. 830 Series drives were on sale to clear inventory ahead of the new 840 family, and the old models flew off the shelves. Prices did rebound as stocks became scarce, though. 830 Series drives can still be found here and there, but Ebay will be the only source before long.
Like the Intel 335 Series, the Samsung 840 family uses next-gen NAND. The 19-nm chips haven't translated to dramatically lower prices for the 840 Pro Series. However, the 840 Series is reasonably affordable thanks to its use of TLC memory, which squeezes an extra bit into every cell.
Crucial's m4 is one of very few drives to hold mostly steady throughout the fourth quarter. The drive is due to be replaced next month by the M500 SSD, and it will be interesting to see if prices are slashed to clear stock.
Plextor's M5S and M5P also bucked the trend of increasing prices. To be fair, Newegg ran out of several models in Q4, and some stocks have yet to be replenished. I guess consumers know good deals when they see them. It's worth noting that the M5P uses 19-nm NAND yet still costs more than the M5S, which is based in last-gen flash memory. Clearly, shrinking the flash lithograph doesn't guarantee lower prices for consumers.
We opened with the cost per gigabyte, and we'll come full circle to finish things off. For our final calculations, we used the median price for the last week of 2012. Newegg tends to keep sale prices listed even when drives are unavailable, so we've excised out-of-stock models from the results.
Almost half of the drives are below the dollar-per-gigabyte threshold. That's not bad, all things considered, but it's a bit of a disappointment given the path we were on at the end of Q3. All good things must come to and end, I guess—or at least slow to a more reasonable pace.
As was the case throughout the year, higher-capacity drives offer more value for your money. Given the direction prices are heading overall, we may have to start tracking 480-512GB models in 2013.
Read more...
BioShock Infinite PC perks, requirements detailed As we slowly inch toward BioShock Infinite's March 26 release, developer Irrational Games has revealed the PC version's hardware requirements. The minimum specs are nothing to get excited about—folks will be able to get away with a Core 2 Duo and GeForce 8800 GT graphics—but the "recommended" specs are steeper than I expected. See for yourself: You can get that kind of GPU horsepower for less than 200 bucks today, but the Radeon HD 6950 cost ... Read more...
Dishonored developer worked on Half-Life 2: Episode Four We haven't seen a new Half-Life 2 game since Episode Two came out in October 2007. According to the folks at ValveTime and Rock, Paper, Shotgun, that's partly because Valve canned Episode Four, a spooky sequel that would have taken players back to the zombie-infested town of Ravenholm. And you'll never guess who was developing it: Arkane Studios, the same folks who released the excellent Dishonored last year. ... Read more...
New Xi3 PC is paperback-sized, costs $399 Xi3 raised eyebrows last week when its Modular Computer chassis was named as a host for a potential Steam box development system. Now, the firm is back for an encore. While the company's latest announcement says nothing about Steam, it does introduce a nifty-looking $399 system that's even tinier than the Modular Computer. The Z3RO Pro Computer measures 1.9" x 4.9" x 3.6", or "the size of a small paperback."
...
Read more...
Tuesday Shortbread 7 Up
- Bloomberg: Dell said to be in buyout talks with private-equity firms
- X-bit labs: Toshiba expects half of mobile HDDs to become hybrid in two years
- C|Net's CES postscript: The touch laptop, like it or not
- DigiTimes: Razer, Taiwan-based Walton Chaintech to launch tablets, say Taiwan makers
- Bloomberg: Microsoft Surface estimate cut in half to 1 million units at UBS
- Reuters: U.S. says Java still risky, even after security update
- VG24/7: Half-Life 2: Return to Ravenholm - rumored shots of canceled episode appear
Is 1920x1080 the new 1366x768? One of the stories that came out of this year's CES is a classic good news/bad news sort of scenario for PC users. The good news is that PC displays are finally shedding the bonds of the nearly ubiquitous 1366x768 resolution and lousy TN panels that have plagued them for several years now. We saw a host of new Windows 8-based laptops, tablets, and all-in-one PCs ... Read more...
Oculus Rift is freaking amazing Like many of you, I had heard the hype about the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, the big names who are backing the device, and the successful Kickstarter that funded its further development. Having seen how awful other attempts at VR have been over the years, I was both skeptical and excited to give it a try myself. When I found out the Oculus guys would be exhibiting at a pre-CES press event that I attend each year, I made a mental note to go talk with them and see if I could try the headset for myself. Turns out that was more difficult that you might think, because they were swamped by whole teams of press bearing microphones and giant cameras for most of the ... Read more...
RIP, Internet activist and Reddit alumnus Aaron Swartz On Friday, programmer, writer, and activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide. Described by many as a genius, Swartz had a hand in developing the RSS specification when he as just 14 years old. He may be best known for his role in Reddit, which in 2006 merged with Infogami, a company Swartz had created. Swartz also founded DemandProgress, an advocacy group that "works to win progressive policy changes for ordinary people through organizing, and grassroots lobbying." Demand Progress had a hand in defeating the Stop Online Piracy Act, otherwise known as SOPA. Swartz was what one might call a hactivist, and some of his alleged exploits ultimately drew the attention of Federal prosecutors. He was accused of downloading and releasing documents from PACER, a government-run database of US federal court documents that ... Read more...
Lenovo planning Android-based convertibles Tablets were everywhere at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Lenovo uncorked a couple of fresh Windows 8-based convertibles, including one that draws from Intel's new family of lower-power Ivy Bridge processors. The firm reportedly has more convertibles on the way, and they won't run Windows. DigiTimes' sources say Lenovo is working on new notebook/tablet hybrids that run Google's Android OS. Lenovo already makes an Android-based tablet, the IdeaPad A1107, but that's a budget 7-incher with a 1024x600 display resolution. The new convertibles will apparently be part of Lenovo's IdeaPad Yoga ... Read more...
Etc. Howdy, all. I hope you enjoyed our CES coverage last week. Cyril did a nice digest listing all of the stories. CES is a huge show, and for us, it serves several roles. Not only is it a place where lots of news happens, but it's also our only chance to see virtually everyone in the industry face to face here in North America each year. On top of that, we've traditionally brought a big contingent of TR staff to the show, making it our annual chance for ... Read more...
HP regains top spot as PC shipments slump PC shipment estimates for the past quarter are in, and they're not all that encouraging. According to the folks at Gartner, shipments slipped from 95.02 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 90.37 million in fourth quarter of 2012—a 4.9% decline. Gartner attributes the shipment shrinkage to tablets. Apparently, the problem isn't that folks are tossing out their PCs and replacing them ... Read more...
Monday Shortbread Eight is Enough
- Steven Sinofsky offers snark-free CES observations
- Fudzilla: AMD's 2014 Kabini successor is Beema and AMD 28nm chips are still TSMC and Tegra 4 designs expected in late Q1 2013
- ZDNet: Kogan's 5" Android phablet debuts, costs 75% less than a Galaxy Note II
- X-bit labs: New Micron and Crucial M500 SSDs offer 960GB capacity for under $600
- MSRC's advance notification for update to address security advisory 2794220
- Linux 3.8-rc3
- OStatic: New Unity Tweak Tool unleashed for power users
- fxguide on Assassin's Creed III: The tech behind (or beneath) the action
Sunday Shortbread The Pick 6
- Reuters: Oracle Corp to fix Java security flaw "shortly"
- A huge Windows 8 computer at CES 2013 (video)
- X-bit labs: Asus weds AMD FX platform with PCI-E 3.0 in new mainboard and AMD not interested in Google Android tablets, will stick to Windows 8
- Computerworld: Microsoft exec doesn't rule out Intel-based Windows Phones
- Windows Phone Central: More redirect problems as Google alters mobile YouTube for Windows Phone
- Diablo III patch 1.0.7 preview
Saturday Shortbread Eight is Enough
- Reuters: AMD's Su says engineers transitioning from PC culture and U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate
- WSJ: What Joe Biden's meeting with the video game industry really meant
- DigiTimes: Lenovo likely to cancel IdeaPad brand due to internal adjustment and DRAM supply slowdown sends spot prices soaring
- TweakTown: Ubuntu phone OS walkthrough on a Galaxy Nexus
- AppleInsider's rumor: 5th-gen iPad, 2nd-gen iPad mini to debut in March
- Google Chrome Blog: Speedy Chrome delivery
- ZDNet: Microsoft preps for the coming Office 365 refresh
- Xbox Music app updated for Windows 8 / RT
Available Tags:SSD , Lenovo , HP ,
No comments:
Post a Comment