With every new technology, availability and pricing take time to settle at the required levels to make it really take off. This is still the case with mSATA for desktop motherboards, as many of our friends have pointed out since we announced our range of mSATA MBs on may 11th, 2011. To kick off availability of mSATA for desktop MBs with Intel Smart Response, we have partnered with Intel to bundle the most suitable mSATA SSD with a very special Z68 MB model called the Z68XP-UD3-iSSD.
The SSD model name is the Intel® Solid-State Drive 311 Series pictured below, and this will accompany the GIGABYTE motherboard from the factory directly to the end user.
Pricing and availability has not been announced as yet, but it goes without saying that the price will be lower than if you were to buy both components separately. The boards will ship during the first week of June, 2011, so they should be available internationally by mid June, 2011. Our 'on the ball' friends at VR-Zone have already carried the story offering uncanny insight into the reasons behind the bundling the mSATA SSDs from the factory.
You can read the official GIGABYTE announcement here.
