Earlier this year I wrote a piece on technology we all wish would become cheaper. In it I mentioned solid state drives, 3D technology for gamers, and Blu-ray drives to watch and backup movies – all desirable yet expensive technologies.
Two months on we revisit the pricing and find out if these devices are getting cheaper, or whether they’re still only extravagances enjoyed by the wealthy gaming elite.
SSDs
High capacity SSD drives are desirable because unlike their lower capacity brethren, they afford gamers with space for their operating system as well as a collection of games.
Previously, 240GB SSD drives would set you back roughly R4,100 for the cheapest models, while 480GB drives cost a whopping R9,400.
A quick look at Landmark Computers shows that you can now buy an OCZ Agility 3 240GB SATA 6 SSD drive for R2,671.70 including VAT and excluding delivery.
Meanwhile, the same store has the OCZ Agility 3 480GB SATA 6 SSD drive for R6,119.52.
Pricing for the 2420GB models has dropped by 34.8 percent, while the 480GB drives are now 34.9 percent less than they were 2 months ago.
While the drives are still pricy, a nearly 35 percent reduction in price makes them more accessible to gamers.
OCZ Agility 3 SSD
3D for gamers
3D technology for PC gamers still requires that you go out and buy the correct equipment. In the original article, we used Nvidia’s 3D vision kit paired up with a 120Hz panel monitor as an example to show the cost of 3D gaming. The kit at the time cost around R1,900, while the cheapest 3D capable computer monitors retailed for just shy of R3,500.
The 3D vision kit has had a price drop from around R1,900, to R1,663.03 from Landmark Computers.
Monitors have also come down in price, and gamers can now get a 23-inch LG 3D LED panel for just R2,584.38.
This represents a 12.5 percent price drop on the 3D vision kit, as well as a 26.2 percent price drop on the monitor.
3D gaming technology pricing hasn’t dropped quite as much as SSD drives have, but it is still cheaper than it was 2 months ago.
Nvidia 3D vision is making this guy happier than he looks
Blu-Ray Drives
Blu-Ray drives are still just as useful as they were 2 months ago. I still don’t own one, my PlayStation 3 still plays Blu-Ray discs just fine. But it would be great to have the ability to backup large amounts of data and Blu-Ray movies.
Blu-Ray drives cost over R700 previously, and prices certainly have changed – for the worse. The cheapest drives, which include offerings from Lite-on and Plextor, and will set you back R876.66.
Blu-Ray still remains an expensive technology, with drives now costing around 25 percent more than they did two months ago.
Asus blu-ray drive
Bottom line
SSDs and 3D technology are getting cheaper, and is now more accessible to a wider range of gamers thanks to the price drops. While the price drops are expected, the amount the prices have decreased is noteworthy. Nearly 35 percent less for an SSD drive is a significant saving, and makes a good argument for waiting until technology matures, rather than being an early adopter.
3D technology has dropped by less, though only paying 75 percent of what you might have paid two months ago is still a sweet deal. Blu-Ray drives however still command their premium, more so now than two months ago. Consumers now pay a quarter of the price more for the same drive, showing that short term price drops are not universal.
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23-inch LG 3D LED <– from where?