Topic Wiki

How to use this guide
Each category contains some general advice, a list of brands that are good, and a price. In general, when shopping, you should be able to find that price (or for expensive drives, close to it). If you find a sale that can beat the price, post this below. Feel free to edit the wiki, of course. Note that the useable space on all drives comes out to less than the advertised amount (technical reasons for this). As such, if you think you will fill the entire drive capacity, buy one size higher.

FLASH DRIVES – Last updated 5/20/24, with price raises / falls from 06/2023 pricing
Flash drives come in broad USB speed categories: 2.0 (almost never worth buying), one of the threes (3.0, 3.1, 3.2 Gen 1, 3.2 Gen 2 and 3.2 gen 2x2 – some of these are the same and all of them are almost irrelevant seeing as the port you plug them into and what you are copying from/to will also limit the speed), or the brand-new USB 4.0 which doesn’t seem to exist yet.
They also come in three broad physical categories (and some niche ones I will not discuss): USB A (the familiar one used since forever), USB C (the newish one that also charges your phones unless you live in Israel), or both. I will also price these three categories separately.
Lastly, flash drives are divided by speed. I will categorize the slow ones as having an average speed of 80-150MB per second, faster ones as up to 400MBps, and the ones specifically engineered to be really fast (if your port and destination support that). These last ones will be listed by maximum rated speed (usually not achievable in real life), but I have no personal experience with these .
Tier 1 brands include PNY, Sandisk, Kingston, Samsung, HP, and some others. Tier 2 brands (which are really all great anyway and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy ‘em) are Team (or Team Group these days), Micro Center (make sure it isn’t 2.0 they are selling), Silicon Power, Amazon Basics, Transcend, Patriot, and Orico (new on the market but I would buy em). If no mention is made of the brand, it is Tier 1.
I made no allowance for drives made of metal versus plastic. If that's your thing, good luck.
USB A ONLY:
16GB: 32GB drives are equal or cheaper.
32GB: $4.5 (+1.5) for Tier 2 brand, $7 (+2) for Tier 1
64GB: $5 (+1) for Tier 2 brand, $7.5 (+2.5) for Tier 1. $13 for Samsung 300MBps.
128GB: $9 for Tier 1 (+2.5 from T2, +1 from T1). $17 (+2) for Samsung 400MBps.
256GB: $14.5 (+4.5) for Tier 2, $15.2 (+2.2) for Tier 1. $26 (+1) for Samsung 400MBps, $27 for TEAM's 1GBps, $33 for Kingston's 1GBps (-12).
512GB: $33. $35 for TEAM's 1GBps, $46 for Sandisk's 400MBps, $48 for Patriot's 600Mbps drive, $54 (-11) for Kingston's 1GBps.
TB: $70 T2 regular. $75 (+1) for Team's superfast model, $86 (+16) for Kingston’s 1GBps.
2TB: $160: Silicon Power's 1.05GBps drive.
USB C ONLY:
32GB: $4.5 (T2), $7 (T1).
64GB: $7 (+1.5, T2), $8 (+2.5, T1), $14 (+3) for Samsung's 400MBps.
128GB: $10, $18 for Samsung's 400MBps, $29 for ADATA's 1GBps.
256GB: $16 (-2, T1), $27 (+1) for Sandisk's 400MBps. $30 (+5) for Kingston's 1GBps.
512GB: $37 (-1, though this also supports USB A). $50 for ADATA's 1GBps, $60 for Kingston's.
TB: $86 (+16) for Kingston’s 1GBps.
2TB: $145 for ADATA's 1GBps drive.

BOTH A AND C:
32GB: $5 (+2) for Tier 2, $10 (+1.21) for Tier 1.
64GB: $12 (+5 from T2, +2.25 from T1).
128GB: $12 (-3).
256GB: $21 (-1). Silicon Power's 1.05GBps drive for $30.
512GB: $37.
TB: $90 (+7). $105 for Transcend's 1.05GBps drive.

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES Updated 5/20/24, price changes from 06/23.
These days you should only be getting USB 3 (lemineihem) drives. You should expect a minimum of 2 years warranty and ideally 3 (the days of 5-year warranties have not ended, so some drives have those). Even if you have a warranty, it will not save your data, so make sure you keep it in at least two places. When it comes to spinning drives, it is a matter of WHEN it will break, not IF.
Portable drives (2.5”) will be powered by your computer. Desktop (3.5”) drives must, in addition to your computer, be plugged into an outlet to run.
Tier 1 drive brands are Toshiba, Western Digital (WD), and Seagate. Fantom drives are probably fine, too, as they’ve been around for a while and haven’t gone out of business. Silicon Power is definitely Tier 2, but again, is probably fine.
(Drive capacities with the best value in that approximate price tier are noted with parenthesis listing the cost per TB.)
Note that you may be able to buy internal 3.5" drives for a much better price. I will not be indexing these, though. To these, you add an enclosure from a reliable company (ORICO, Sabrent, OWC are some good ones), and you have an external drive for less. I will post when there is a good sale on these.

2.5” PORTABLE DRIVES
1TB: $52 (+8 from T2, +6 from T1).
2TB: $60 (+4)
3TB: Not on sale for less than 4TB. This makes sense because these haven't been manufactured in a while.
4TB: $90 (+5). ($22.5/GB)
5TB: $120 (+21)

3.5” DESKTOP DRIVES
6TB: $115 (pickup at Micro Center only), $132 (+17) shipped.
8TB: $140 (+5).
10TB: 14TB for $200 (+30).
12TB: 14TB for $200 (+10).
14TB: $200 (+10). (14.28/GB, the best non-Fantom value)
16TB: $260 (+40).
18TB: Fantom brand for $248 (-15, best value if you buy Fantom at 13.78/GB), $300 T1 (+20).
20TB: $360 (+60).
22TB: $410 (+30).
24TB (2 12TB drives in RAID): $520 for pickup at Micro Center, 550 (-210) shipped.
36TB (2 18TB drives in RAID): $920 (-280).
44TB (2 22TB drives in RAID): $1200.

INTERNAL LAPTOP DRIVES – Last updated 4/23/23
As of this date, 2.5" internal SSDs are cheaper or close to the same price. So don't buy one of these - even if it is a few bucks more, it is worth it. UPDATE: This might not be true anymore but I still advise SSDs instead.
Brands: Toshiba, Seagate, Western Digital (WD).

SSDs: GENERAL INFORMATION
SSDs come in two primary form factors: 2.5” 7mm drives that replace hard drives with an identical fit, and M2 drives that plug directly into the motherboard. M2 drives can be rated for SATA III or for NVME (also known as PCIe) in 3.0 to 5.0 speeds (which are backwards compatible - you can plug a 5.0 drive into a 3.0 slot or vice versa). Some SLOTS support both SATA III and NVME – most don’t. M2 drives are 22mm wide and come in various lengths – the standard being 80mm (this is called M2 2280), but many computers – especially cheaper ones – will have 42mm drives inside. As 98% of systems support 2280, I am not listing other lengths here. Post if you need advice regarding one of these.
Although it would seem that it makes sense to buy the fastest drive your computer will support, the newer drives run much hotter than the older ones. My advice is to focus on capacity first, and after that to get the fastest you can afford. It shouldn’t be necessary for 80% of buyers to get faster than the non-budget NVME 3.0 drives, and even the budget ones will be pretty fast. If you need help, feel free to post your model number here.
Top brands include Acer, PNY, Samsung, Timetec, Sandisk, HP, Kingston, MSI, Crucial, Mushkin, Intel (now Solidigm), Sabrent, and Western Digital. Tier 2 brands (fine for cheap drives but maybe avoid if you are getting a big one that is expensive) include Team Group, Silicon Power, Inland (this is Micro Center’s brand), Addlink, Patriot, Lexar, Orico. Note that even Tier 1 companies make cheap drives and good drives, with a wide difference in performance and even longevity.
Specs that matter include the warranty – compare drives regarding the TBW rating to determine the life expectancy of the drive. There is a big difference between a cheap drive rated for 300TBW and an expensive one rated for 1500TBW. Users generally don’t come close to this, but if you write large files on to the drive constantly, don’t get one with a low TBW rating.
Speed is the next thing to compare. SATA III drives are as close to identical as not to matter. NVME 3.0 drives can be budget (1500MBps to 2300MBPs) or faster (in the range of 3000MBps). NVME 4.0 drives are sometimes barely faster than 3.0 (3500MBps, which I just list in the 3.0 section), or 4000-5000MBps, which I call budget 4.0. Or the classy, expensive ones can go as high as the 7000MBps range. Don’t get these last ones without a heat sink or some other way to keep them cool.
If a drive is ruined by a lack of a cache, I don’t list it here or I downgrade it a tier. If blazing fast speed is the only reason you are shopping, this list may not be for you. Post with your situation instead and we will try to help.
Note from November 2023 update: I reorganized internal M2 SSDs, combining 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 drives in one entry by size. This is because newer drives are often cheaper than older drives yet are backwards compatible, so in some instances it is unnecessary to list the prices of slower drives. Two exceptions: the 2.5" drives (a different size), and the SATA M2 drives, the slot that takes them often will not support 3.0 or newer drives.
Price differences since the last update in parenthesis.


INTERNAL SSDs: 2.5” SATA III drives Last updated: 02/18/24 (Previous update: 11/23)
128GB - $16 (+1) for Tier 2, $17 (-$3) for Tier 1.
250/256GB: $20 (+2) for Tier 1.
480/500/512GB: $31 (+4) for Tier 2. $33 (+5) for Tier 1.
960GB/1TB: $56 (T1, +16 if you would have gotten Tier 2, +10 if you would have gotten Tier 1).
2TB: $100 (+23) for Tier 2, $106 (+23) for Tier 1.
4TB: $192 (+52, T2), $260 (+80, T1).
8TB: $527 (+184!!).
16TB: Not currently in stock at reputable sellers.

INTERNAL SSDs: M2 2280 with a SATA III rating Last updated: 02/18/24 (Previous update: 11/23)
128GB - $17 (+1) (T1)
250/256GB: $22 (+3) (T1)
500/512GB: $32 (+6) for Tier 1.
TB: $55 (T1, +14 if you would have gotten T2, +4 if you would have gotten T1).
2TB: $106 (+22 if you would have gotten Tier 2, -4 if you would have gotten Tier 1).

INTERNAL SSDs: M2 2280 Last updated: 02/18/24 (Previous update: 11/23)
Each price gets a speed rating.
3- refers to NVME 3.0 at speeds not exceeding 2.2GBps read speed.
3+ are speeds in excess of 3GBps. Consider the former if you will be installing in hot environments, as they run less hot.
4- refers to NVME 4.0 drives that run at 3.0 speeds (ie less than 3.5GBps). They do run hotter than 3.0 drives, though.
4 refers to 4.0 drives that run not faster than 5GBps.
4+ refers to drives that run up to 7.4GBps. Strongly consider getting heat sinks for any drive such as this or better.
5 refers to 5.0 drives that run at around 10GBps.
5+ refers to 5.0 drives running between 11.6GBps and 12.4GBps.

128GB: 3-: $18 (+3) for Tier 2. There are no other options.
256GB: 3- $24 (+5). 4-: $30 (+6) (T2), $32 (T1). 4: $38 (+6) (T1). Better 4: $50 (+12) (T1).
512GB: 4- is cheapest at $33 (+5 for what was 3+ but T2, and $35 for T1). 4: $44 (+12, T1). 4+: $55 (T2, wasn't around at a good price before), $60 (-14, T1).
1TB: 3-: $57 (+19, T1). 4+: $59 (T2, +13), $65 (+19, T1 but 4), $76 (+26, T1 4+). 3+ $48 (T1, get this if 4+ will run too hot for you). Faster 4+: $50 (T1). 5+: $142 (T1, +41 if you would have gotten T2/5, +2 if you would have gotten T1/5 -18 if you would have gotten T1 5+).
2TB: 4-: $105 (T2, +37 if you would have gotten 3+, +21 if you would have gotten 4- T2). 4: $110 (T1, +26 if you would have gotten T2, +21 if you would have gotten T1). 4+: $124 (+28, T2), $127 (+38, T1). 5: $240 (T1, +27). 5+: $300 (T1: +87 if you would have gotten T2, +70 if you would have gotten T1).
4TB: 4: $198 (+46), T2. 4+:  $205 (T2, +25), $220 (T1, +35). 5+: $500 (+92, T1).
8TB: 4+: $815 (+105 if you would have gotten T2, -75 if you would have gotten T1). I haven't seen any 5.0 drives yet, and the 3.0s that were seem to have disappeared.

« Last edited by mevinyavin on May 20, 2024, 11:11:40 AM »

Author Topic: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)  (Read 11426 times)

Online mevinyavin

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Once more, folks: Trendforce's prediction for SSD and RAM prices.


A selection of 4TB M2 SSDs - prices today and the lowest they have ever been:


So yeah, if in the market for SSDs or RAM (at least DDR4/DDR5), don't wait.
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Updated SSD prices while noting changes since November. As had been predicted, there have been price hikes across the board. That is, except for the people who would have spend a lot of money in the first place - the budget drives saw sharper increases than the expensive drives in the same category, leading to slower drives costing more than faster drives at the same capacity. If you look carefully, you will see a few instances here and there where a drive will cost you less than it would have.
Interestingly, I got a drive six weeks ago that I have yet to install in the neighborhood's camera room computer. It is now worth $30 more than when I bought it... about 25% more.
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https://www.techradar.com/computing/storage-backup/bad-news-if-youre-upgrading-your-pc-ssds-are-getting-more-expensive

TLDR -
1. Prices are expected to continue to rise, according to Trendforce, by another 15% in the next quarter.
2. Maybe in July they may stop rising and start to fall again.
3. Trendforce's predictions for last quarter were perhaps too optimistic (I posted them above in January - the end result was the highest range of their estimation).
4. Maybe wait to buy an SSD, but they aren't sure. (I wouldn't.)
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Chart from Trendforce. If you are bored, compare with what they said (posted above) at the beginning of the year.
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TSMC is located in Taiwan. This might drive SSD and RAM prices haywire for six months, or it might not. Or it might take a while and then it will.

Past evidence:
Tsunami in 2011 drove HDD prices up for more than three years (and then they were simply back to the same price).
Lost power in 2022 resulting in damage to 7 Exabytes of 3D NAND (10% of the world's production of 3D NAND for the quarter) did nothing to the pricing. Perhaps: everyone was overproducing so the glut in product was not affected. Also perhaps: the extreme price rises that happened in the last half year were caused in part by that event, delayed.

Mention of the potential problem: https://www.notebookcheck.net/World-s-top-chip-maker-TSMC-temporarily-offline-after-7-4-magnitude-earthquake-strikes-Taiwan-s-eastern-coast.822099.0.html
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Looking for a 1tb m.2. Anything good available now? Cheapest fast one I could find was Inland tn470 from Micro Center for $70.

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Looking for a 1tb m.2. Anything good available now? Cheapest fast one I could find was Inland tn470 from Micro Center for $70.
What do you call fast? Is your use case one that can take advantage of the speeds of the fastest drives? Do you even have an M2 that is rated for 4.0 speeds and four lanes?
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What do you call fast? Is your use case one that can take advantage of the speeds of the fastest drives? Do you even have an M2 that is rated for 4.0 speeds and four lanes?
Currently using a WD Blue SN570 1TB. I want to upgrade for faster speed. Can I go to a basic 4.0 at ~5000mb/s probably, but I wanted the extra boost just in case. Unless you think the heat downside is not worth it, in that case do you have any suggestions for a basic 4.0?

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Currently using a WD Blue SN570 1TB. I want to upgrade for faster speed. Can I go to a basic 4.0 at ~5000mb/s probably, but I wanted the extra boost just in case. Unless you think the heat downside is not worth it, in that case do you have any suggestions for a basic 4.0?
All 4.0s have a potential heat problem. The questions are:
1. Does your board support 4.0? If not this is a non-starter.
2. Exactly what use case are we talking about where you would actually experience a speed boost? Barring artificial benchmarks, there are very few cases in which the speed difference is noticeable, to the extent that unless you are anyways upgrading the capacity, I believe it is a waste of money, especially if you already have a relatively fast 3.0 drive.
3. Regarding the heat, if it is a desktop we are upgrading, just get a good cooler.
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This is being reported all over. HDD prices also going up on the higher capacities. If you were waiting for a specific price drop, give up and get them now.
https://www.anandtech.com/show/21368/report-seagate-western-digital-hike-hdd-prices
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Updated flash drives and external hard drives in the wiki. Note that hard drives have already started to go up, as predicted. Price comparisons are from almost a year ago, the last time I updated these prices.
SSDs coming soon.
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