If you're still having trouble buying an Intel Optane SSD 900P, you're not alone. The $389 280GB model has come and gone from Newegg twice, and the $599 480GB model suffers from the same supply and demand issues. Optane is a hit with enthusiasts. It's the fastest consumer SSD ever released, and the 3D XPoint memory also delivers class leading endurance. In our review we talked about potential shortages caused by datacenter customers, but we may have looked the wrong direction.
The Intel Optane SSD 900P retail box is the only place you can get Sabre Raven, an exclusive ship used in Roberts Space Industries' Star Citizen game.
After the Optane SSD 900P went on sale at Newegg, we began to see a number of drives appear on EBay with a special note in the listing, "Without Star Citizen Sabre Raven Code."
The drives are still selling for the $389 MSRP, or close to it, in most cases. What surprised us were a handful of completed sales and listings for just the Sabre Raven ship code. These are rarer than the 900P drive only listings on EBay. The Sabre Raving is in high demand, just like other exclusive ships that were part of computer hardware bundles. We found a small number of code-only listings with prices hovering around the $300 mark.
It appears that two of the hottest Fall shopping season items come paired together, and their exclusivity has made it difficult for shoppers to get their hands on the goods. Intel and its bundle partner, Roberts Space Industries, did not disclose how many Sabre Raven ships would be delivered with the Optane SSD 900P. We were told the bundle would be for a limited time and while supplies last.
