HardwareStorageSSD prices could steady or even drop as NAND chip makers boost productionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HardwareStorageSSD prices could steady or even drop as NAND chip makers boost productionWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)
After repeatedlygloomy news about SSD pricing, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. South Korean outletChosun Dailyreports that the big noises in NAND memory manufacturing are boosting production.
That should mean the upwards pressure on SSD prices for PCs in recent months will ease. Reportedly, South Korea’s leading chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, along with Japan’s Kioxia, are now ramping up production of NAND flash memory having previously cut production due to an earlier a glut of chips pushing down prices.
More recently, it seems the glut of NAND memory has begun to subside, in part thanks to those production cuts and also increasing demand thanks to, yup you guessed it, the rise of AI datacenters.
Of course, more supply of the NAND flash chips that make up SSDs will very likely lead to downward pressure on SSD prices. Indeed, some observers reckon the increase in NAND production could be a little too much, a little too soon.
“Except for high-capacity NAND used in AI data centers, it is difficult to say that the entire NAND market is recovering. The sudden production surge will likely bring down NAND prices, which have been rising," says Kim Yang-peng, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade.
WD Black SN850X | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write |$104.39 at AmazonThis is our favorite SSD for gaming right now. Unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we’re happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.Price check:Newegg $109.99|Best Buy $109.99View Deal
WD Black SN850X | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write |$104.39 at AmazonThis is our favorite SSD for gaming right now. Unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we’re happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.Price check:Newegg $109.99|Best Buy $109.99View Deal
WD Black SN850X | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write |$104.39 at AmazonThis is our favorite SSD for gaming right now. Unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we’re happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.Price check:Newegg $109.99|Best Buy $109.99View Deal
WD Black SN850X | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write |$104.39 at AmazonThis is our favorite SSD for gaming right now. Unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we’re happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.Price check:Newegg $109.99|Best Buy $109.99
WD Black SN850X | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write |$104.39 at AmazonThis is our favorite SSD for gaming right now. Unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we’re happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.Price check:Newegg $109.99|Best Buy $109.99
WD Black SN850X | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write |$104.39 at AmazonThis is our favorite SSD for gaming right now. Unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we’re happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.
Price check:Newegg $109.99|Best Buy $109.99
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Likewise, you could argue that SSD prices for PCs, at least, never really got that bad. Using one of our favourite drives as a guide, the WD Black SN850X launched at about $280 in 2TB trim in the second half of 2022, fell to an all-time though very brief low of $90 in summer 2023, then ticked along at about $120 for a while, which was its realistic long-term low, before creeping up to itscurrent price of $148.
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That’s still pretty decent value compared to, oh I dunno, a low-end Nvidia GPU for $500. You can get the SN850X in1TB format for just $104, too. Anywho, good news is good news and cheaper SSDs is definitely good news. Oh, and you cancheck out all the best SSD deals here.
Best SSD for gaming: The best speedy storage today.Best NVMe SSD: Compact M.2 drives.Best external hard drive: Huge capacities for less.Best external SSD: Plug-in storage upgrades.
Best SSD for gaming: The best speedy storage today.Best NVMe SSD: Compact M.2 drives.Best external hard drive: Huge capacities for less.Best external SSD: Plug-in storage upgrades.
Best SSD for gaming: The best speedy storage today.Best NVMe SSD: Compact M.2 drives.Best external hard drive: Huge capacities for less.Best external SSD: Plug-in storage upgrades.
Best SSD for gaming: The best speedy storage today.Best NVMe SSD: Compact M.2 drives.Best external hard drive: Huge capacities for less.Best external SSD: Plug-in storage upgrades.
Best SSD for gaming: The best speedy storage today.Best NVMe SSD: Compact M.2 drives.Best external hard drive: Huge capacities for less.Best external SSD: Plug-in storage upgrades.
Best SSD for gaming: The best speedy storage today.Best NVMe SSD: Compact M.2 drives.Best external hard drive: Huge capacities for less.Best external SSD: Plug-in storage upgrades.
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