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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, Biwin 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: 05/24/24 (Previous update: 02/24)
128GB - $14.5 (-1.5) for Tier 2, $16 (-1) for Tier 1.
250/256GB: $20 (=) for Tier 1.
480/500/512GB: $28 (-3) for Tier 2. $33 (=) for Tier 1.
960GB/1TB: $53 (-3, T2) $59 (+3, T1).
2TB: $95 (-5) for Tier 2, $97 (-9) for Tier 1.
4TB: $193 (+1, T2), $240 (-20, T1).
8TB: $595 (+68 - was $250 less just nine months ago...).
16TB: Teamgroup EX2 (T2) back in stock for $1800, $100 more than it was when last in stock.

INTERNAL SSDs: M2 2280 with a SATA III rating Last updated: 05/24/24 (Previous update: 02/24)
128GB - $17 (=) (T1)
250/256GB: $22 (=) (T1)
500/512GB: $33 (+1) for Tier 1.
TB: $56 (+1, T1).
2TB: $107 (+1, Tier 1).

INTERNAL SSDs: M2 2280 Last updated: 05/24/24 (Previous update: 02/24)
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. Now added "faster 5+" for drives that run up to 14GBps.

128GB: 3-: $18 (=) for Tier 2. There are no other options.

256GB: 3- $23 (T2, -1), $26 (T1 +2). 4-: $30 (=) (T2). 3+: $32 (T1, =). 4: $47 (+9, T1). Better 4: $50 (=) (T1).

512GB: 3-: $36 (+3 for what was 4-, T2). 3: $38 (T1). 4-: $40 (+7, T1). 4: $44 (=, T1). 4+: $47 (-8, T2), $55 (-5, T1).

1TB: 4-: $55 (-1, T1). 4: $65 (+9, T2), $68 (+3, T1). 4+: $67 (+8, T2), $72 (+5, T1). 5+: $143 (T1, +1), faster for $171 (T2) or $173 (T1).

2TB: 3-: $105 (T2, = to cheapest price, but that was 4- last time). 4: $+: $109 (T2, but last time was 4-), $118 (T1). 3+ T1: $115 (+5 if you would have only gotten T1 last time, though that was 4). 4+: $115 (-9, T2), $120 (-7, T1). 5: $240 (=, T1). 5+: $241 300 (-59, T1). Faster 5+: $250 (still $50 less than 5+ was last time).

4TB: 4+: $200 (T2, +2 but last time was 4), $220 (T1, = to before). For those who need drives that don't run so hot (Otzar Hachochma users in cheap laptops, for instance), 3+ is $237. 5+: $406 (-94, T1). Faster 5+ is $470 (T2) and $485 (T1).

8TB: 4+: $800 (T2, -15), $890 (T1, +75). 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 24, 2024, 05:38:59 AM »

Author Topic: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)  (Read 21571 times)

Offline YitzyS

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #120 on: September 02, 2024, 02:20:15 PM »
What about this? (The computer my backup computer, and I don't need a lot of memory. I have OneDrive, and I only really need it for performance, not for storage)

Kingston NV2 250G M.2 2280 NVMe Internal SSD | PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4 | Up to 3000 MB/s | SNV2S/250G ($169.99 )


Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #121 on: September 03, 2024, 03:48:05 AM »
What about this? (The computer my backup computer, and I don't need a lot of memory. I have OneDrive, and I only really need it for performance, not for storage)

Kingston NV2 250G M.2 2280 NVMe Internal SSD | PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4 | Up to 3000 MB/s | SNV2S/250G ($169.99 )


I don't recommend the NV2 for a Windows drive. In fact, it seems to be the only drive from the brands I list that I can't recommend to run Windows.
I gave you 2TB options because that was what you quoted... If you want 256GB options, let me see what I can find.
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Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #123 on: September 08, 2024, 12:40:37 AM »
I'm looking to get around 100-200 USB's to load just a few shiurim on each. (Helping someone out with this...)

I'd like it to be at least 4GB, and I don't need it to be brand name or whatever, just some cheap knockoff pieces.

Anyone know of something? From the prices I've seen, it seems the cheapest is around $1.60, is that my best option?

Thanks In Advance!!!  :) :)

Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #124 on: September 08, 2024, 03:34:10 AM »
I'm looking to get around 100-200 USB's to load just a few shiurim on each. (Helping someone out with this...)

I'd like it to be at least 4GB, and I don't need it to be brand name or whatever, just some cheap knockoff pieces.

Anyone know of something? From the prices I've seen, it seems the cheapest is around $1.60, is that my best option?

Thanks In Advance!!!  :) :)
Bemechilas kvodcha, you DO need brand name. Just get old models (ie USB 2.0) to save money. I'll try to look around at some point.
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #125 on: September 08, 2024, 04:06:33 AM »
Bemechilas kvodcha, you DO need brand name. Just get old models (ie USB 2.0) to save money. I'll try to look around at some point.
These are $2.60 each. You may need to allot time for copying the shiurim on because these are 2.0 drives.
PNY 16GB Attaché 4 USB 2.0 Flash Drive, 10-Pack ( )



Or you can get these for $3.10 each and save that time, and the person will have a useful flash drive afterwards.
TEAMGROUP C175 32GB 50 Pack USB 3.2 Gen 1 (USB 3.1/3.0) Flash Thumb Drive, External Data Storage Memory Stick Compatible with Computer/Laptop Matte Black TC175332GB25 ($154.99)



Don't get the offbrands or they will give you lots of agmas nefesh. The name brand PNYs are bad enough when you buy in bulk.
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Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #126 on: September 10, 2024, 02:28:07 PM »
Bemechilas kvodcha, you DO need brand name. Just get old models (ie USB 2.0) to save money. I'll try to look around at some point.
Why do I NEED brand name?

All I need is to have just around 4GB on it.

What type of Agmas Nefesh will there be?
The build quality... Corruption?

Re: the PNY ones, those look ideal, as I can use a bunch with larger GB. But for something with just 4GB, those knockoffs really won't do it?

__
Also, I really appreciate your help.  :) :) :)

Offline HudZ

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #127 on: September 10, 2024, 07:26:06 PM »
Why do I NEED brand name?

All I need is to have just around 4GB on it.

What type of Agmas Nefesh will there be?
The build quality... Corruption?

Re: the PNY ones, those look ideal, as I can use a bunch with larger GB. But for something with just 4GB, those knockoffs really won't do it?

__
Also, I really appreciate your help.  :) :) :)
Also, something I'll add, which may help you answer my Q, is that *I'm not loading up these USBs all at once, it will be done in a phase of X amount of weeks. Each one will be customized based on the recepient. Some will have just a few Shiurim, and some up to that 4GB needed... But the bottom line is, I won't be loading all 200 pieces or whatever, at once.

(*For the most part, I actually won't be doing any of the loading, just helping him get the supplies and some of the tech related things...)

Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #128 on: September 11, 2024, 03:47:02 AM »
Why do I NEED brand name?

All I need is to have just around 4GB on it.

What type of Agmas Nefesh will there be?
The build quality... Corruption?
Fake drives often have all sorts of shenanigans played with the file system. Statistically, you will get more duds, but you also may not be able to tell until your recipient tries to copy it off and gets an error message. It's like playing roulette with the data.
Cheap drives from name-brands may also be DOA (when you buy bulk), but if they do work, they will work until someone eats them by mistake (or any other mishap).
Lastly, do you know how long it takes to copy 3GB to a USB 2.0 drive?
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Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #129 on: September 13, 2024, 04:01:54 PM »
Fake drives often have all sorts of shenanigans played with the file system. Statistically, you will get more duds, but you also may not be able to tell until your recipient tries to copy it off and gets an error message. It's like playing roulette with the data.
Cheap drives from name-brands may also be DOA (when you buy bulk), but if they do work, they will work until someone eats them by mistake (or any other mishap).
Lastly, do you know how long it takes to copy 3GB to a USB 2.0 drive?
Aha. I've used knockoffs in the past, they seemed to be fine. (This listing). Either way, I only put on two or three recordings on each, but yes, it was slow.

For myself, I would probably only take brand name. But I'll see what they want to do...

Thanks again!



Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #130 on: September 19, 2024, 11:21:52 AM »
@HudZ Whatever your friend ends up buying, run this program to ensure the drives will serve their purpose:
https://www.grc.com/validrive.htm
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #131 on: September 19, 2024, 05:14:11 PM »
@HudZ Whatever your friend ends up buying, run this program to ensure the drives will serve their purpose:
https://www.grc.com/validrive.htm
Okay. Thank You!

(But are you sure this site is legit? From the looks of it, it doesn't  ;))

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #132 on: September 19, 2024, 05:29:03 PM »
mevinyavin, you'll like this story.

Many years ago, (I would say like 10), a brother of mine bought a USB online. (I think he bought it from ebay and it was a Sandisk), it was at the standard price point, and all seemed fine...

It arrives in the mail a few days later, and all looks fine, it's Sandisk... And then he notices, his (my brother's) full name is printed onto the USB!!!

Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #133 on: September 20, 2024, 02:48:07 AM »
Okay. Thank You!

(But are you sure this site is legit? From the looks of it, it doesn't  ;))
Site run by a coder who has been active on the utilities scene for more than twenty years. He has a stellar reputation and his main product is his business (as I'm sure you noticed, one of his programs is not free - that's the one). The rest is freeware.
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Re: Computer storage drive master thread (external and internal drives and SSDs)
« Reply #134 on: September 25, 2024, 10:33:03 PM »
So I found 4 GB USBs at $1.48 a piece, from Amazon. (I ended up going with knockoffs.) They came 50 in a pack, and I ordered 2, for a total of 100 pieces. Oddly, they each came in separate packagings, although I ordered them at the exact same time. Anyhow, one box was all neat, with the contents looking professionally packaged. However, with the second one, the contents were just dumped in the box, seemingly opened, and then returned by different customer.

Contacted Amazon, they replaced it by ordering me a new one, and said I don't need to return the old ones...

Now , should I use those? Do I have to be worried they have viruses on them? Should I just chuck them?

Offline mevinyavin

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Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

Offline mevinyavin

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Good price on decent 500GB M2 SSD - $33. This capacity is nearing the point that no one needs it anymore.
Western Digital 500GB WD Blue SN580 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD - Gen4 x4 PCIe 16Gb/s, M.2 2280, Up to 4,000 MB/s - WDS500G3B0E ($69.99 )

Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

Offline mevinyavin

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Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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These are $2.60 each. You may need to allot time for copying the shiurim on because these are 2.0 drives.
PNY 16GB Attaché 4 USB 2.0 Flash Drive, 10-Pack ( )


@HudZ If you have not gotten them yet, they are now $2.49 each (the ten pack is cheaper than the 50-pack), and if you have Prime, you can even get the 32GB ones for the same price.
Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!

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Quote from: ExGingi
Echo chambers are boring and don't contribute much to deeper thinking and understanding!