What to look for in affordable but reliable SSD's?
Posted by TheGhettoGoblin@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 19 comments
One of my mechanical drives is having issues that are making me want to copy the data onto a new ssd and merge it with the 1tb inside my machine. I was thinking of getting a 2tb or 4tb but they are absurdly expensive now, almost 500$ for a 2tb. I don't plan on using it for high speed gaming or anything I mainly just want a reliable drive that won't fail on me. I'm not too versed in different kinds of SSD's since they used to be very affordable. I don't want to spend more then 100-150$ if I can help it. What brands or specs should I keep in mind for an affordable ssd that isnt super failure prone?
mdrn_bsbl@reddit
If you know someone in another country, you can ask them to buy it for you. The Samsung 990 Pro 2TB SSD is currently selling for $639.99 in BestBuy, same with Micro Center, but I was able to get it in another country for $388. It’s still expensive, but it’s cheaper than what I’ve seen anywhere for that specific SSD.
No-Head-633@reddit
I remember a couple years ago getting my 990 pro 2tb for like $189? They are really that freakin expensive today? Wonder what the 32gb DDR4 3600 vengeance pro RGB would go for that I also got a couple years ago for I think $90 on sale? What’s the deal with prices today lol
Sea_Perspective6891@reddit
My WD Blue M.2 2TB costed me $140 back in 2024. Now it's over $400. So glad I got one when I did. It's because of AI though. Everything and I mean EVERYTHING that relies on memory chips is going to be affected including RAM, CPUs & GPUs. If you built a PC with good specs before 2025 be glad you did & hold onto it for dear life.
No-Head-633@reddit
That’s the plan, I have an i7-13700K with 32gb 3600mhz and a 2tb 990 pro, and a 3070 RTX. Definitely glad to have it and actually just rebuilt it into a new case with 360mm AIO, full glass and ARGB fans, and contact frame. Now it can sustain about 260w package power during a cinebench run. I am very glad to have it with the current economy. I am not sure but I think I’m just over $1600 all in when I built it at the time around early 2023 was it?
HumungreousNobolatis@reddit
Oh thanks for reminding me how massively stupid I was not to get the other 64GB RAM when I built the PC cuz, "RAM is cheap-as-chips and I can pick some up later".
That £140 is now £400.
No-Head-633@reddit
Facts. I hit it just right because my laptop I wanted 64gb ddr5 so I bought it and it was only like $160 I think at the end of 2023, now that same kit is $440. I’ve honestly thought about going back to 16gb ram and selling it just for the profit but that’d be scalping and I’m not in support of that, plus I need the ram for VMs as I am going into the IT field of study.
HumungreousNobolatis@reddit
Yup, if it wasn't for those damned local LLMs it wouldn't even be an issue!
WillPill_@reddit
AI
FaithlessnessOwn2182@reddit
You must be rich af to call a 338$ ssd "affordable"
unitedguy20@reddit
I’d just get another HDD. I know you want an SSD but the budget isn’t there.
Sea_Perspective6891@reddit
Yeah sometimes you can get pretty high capacity HDDs much cheaper. WD makes a few in different TB levels at different prices. Just snagged an external 5TB HDD for $140. Price was just too good to pass up. I was skeptical at first but turns out it works & was the advertised capacity. I just hope it's reliable enough to last a few years. SSD prices are insane right now. It's over $400 for 2TB & $700 to $800 for 4TB.
HumungreousNobolatis@reddit
Kioxia drives can be had for great prices, I picked up a 2TB for my eldest's PC for £150 a couple weeks ago.
Kioxia = Toshiba, the guys who invented flash technology, and are still pushing the boundaries of what's possible with the format (and no, I am not affiliated in any way with Toshiba!).
Look for 2nd hand drives with 100% (or thereabouts) life remaining and you may be pleasantly surprised.
Having said that, I still have 10+TB of spinning rust in my own rig, and buying "the best drive I can afford" has served me well over the years; for hard drives I go for enterprise class drives.
Less worry == worth it.
TheGhettoGoblin@reddit (OP)
I found an older portable SSD laying around that was by toshiba, if they're as good as you say i'll likely back up my data to this one and consider them for future reference
HumungreousNobolatis@reddit
If you only have one copy of that data, I'd say yes! Backup onto the Toshiba immediately!
And yes, in 40+ years of messing with storage tech, I've not had one single Toshiba hard drive fail on me, even ones bashed about a lot. No doubt some do; it's a numbers game I suppose, but they do put out a shit-ton of numbers!
Toshiba is the only hard drive manufacturer who's drive didn't crap out on me at some point (always have a backup!), and so far, their flash tech has been flawless for us (I also like SK Hynix for flash storage; they do even massiver numbers, mainly in the background).
All my old Toshiba drives have been slipped into Free-Linux-laptops-for-locals, which is how I dispose of old tech that's still going strong. They got removed for eventually being too small, is all.
0xB_@reddit
PNY 1TB on Amazon in US for $134.99. Tons of other budget brands on there also.
tooOldOriolesfan@reddit
Right now doesn't appear to be a good time to buy SSDs. I have one that pops up anytime I check my amazon history. It has gone from around $200 to $400 and jumps around a bit but no under $300 in a few weeks.
EnrichedUranium235@reddit
All drives fail, get a portable drive and plug it in, copy/mirror/backup stuff from your main drive and unplug it on a routine schedule. That is the simplest most portable and accessible method you can get and it lives offline and disconnected from your computer and network 99.9% of the time.
TheGhettoGoblin@reddit (OP)
Unfortunately my machine only has one HDD slot so I'll probably go with that option or just getting a portable drive to use as a backup
Weak-Kitchen-5068@reddit
500$ for 2tb?? That's just a joke. You should find Lexar nvme.2 2tb for around 250$. And thats just the maximum reliable price. You could find these for 200$ at for ex. Amazon. Depends on your country tho