The SSD market is getting a new player, and one with some weight and money to throw around. Intel is joining Samsung, Toshiba, and SanDisk in producing SSD storage drives. According to an interview posted on CNet, Intel will offer 1.8" and 2.5" SSDs with a capacity of 80-160GB in the second quarter of this year. Troy Winslow, marketing manager for the NAND Products Group at Intel, also claims that the new Intel SSDs will outperform the current leader, Samsung, who produces SSDs with read rates approaching 100MB/second.

As if bigger and faster weren't enough, Intel will be offering both PATA and SATA versions. That means whatever type of hard drive your system uses, you ought to be able to slip in a new SSD. Finally, they're even addressing price. Although the initial products will doubtless be as price gouging as all of the other SSDs on the market, Winslow predicts a 50% price drop in 2009 and another in 2010. That should get SSDs down into the realm of regular usage.

Bigger, faster, cheaper, and more compatible. Sounds great to me! Now, we'll just have to see what is actually delivered when they start shipping...