Intel offering Core i7 CPU and SSD bundle

Intel has begun offering up to a 15% discount on the combined price of a their new Core i7 CPUs and and Intel SSD. According to reports in DigiTimes today the company is looking to "increase demand of the two product lines and to clear stockpiled inventory."

The report says Intel is offering a 10-15% discount on the combined price of the CPU and drive as part of the promotion which is mainly targeting markets in China, Europe and North America.

Current pricing of Intel's latest SSD lineup is: X25-E 32GB at $410, X18-M 80GB at $385, X25-M 80GB at $385, X18-M 160GB at $760 and X25-M 160GB at $760. The company plans to launch the X25-E 64GB at $790 later this month.

Earlier this month Intel cut prices on several of their SSDs, however as noted in that report the prices still remain too high for mainstream adoption. The Intel X25-E Extreme SSD is priced $404 at Newegg and the Intel Core i7 920 is $289.99 so slashing another 10-15% off clearly won't put them in what I'd call a mainstream price range but it does make the combo look a little more attractive.

Since this is available to channel partners only it seems unlikely that the combo deal will make its way to end consumers but you could see some pricing cuts reflective of the offering.