The Solid State Drive prices have gone insane to the point where one can build a high-end computer at the price of an 8 TB SSD.
Sandisk WD Black SSD Prices Now Start at $134 for 500 GB; $246-$366 for 1 TB, and up to $3000 for the SN8100 8 TB Drive
We expected SSD prices to soar, but not as much as the RAM prices. Things are out of control as SSDs get super expensive, witnessing hikes almost daily. A few months ago, a high-end PCIe 5.0 SSD could be bought for under $100 easily, but it has now surged to $300. A 3X price hike is ridiculous, and the prices are expected to go even higher in the coming days.
Sandisk's WD Black SSDs are now so expensive that you could have literally built a high-end gaming PC for the price of an 8 TB SSD a few months ago. The official Japanese Sandisk store has updated the SSD prices, including both PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 SSDs. An SSD with only 500 GB now starts at a whopping 20,680 Yen or US$134. The 1 TB SSD in the SN7100 lineup is now touching the $250 mark, and its current price sits at 38,060 Yen.
- SN8100 8TB – 451,000 yen (~$2,920)
- SN8100 4TB – 225,500 yen (~$1,460)
- SN8100 2TB – 112,860 yen (~$732)
- SN8100 1TB – 56,540 yen (~$366)
- SN7100 4TB – 151,580 yen (~$982)
- SN7100 2TB – 75,900 yen (~$492)
- SN7100 1TB – 38,060 yen (~$247)
- SN7100 500GB – 20,680 yen (~$134)
However, if you try to move to the newer Gen 5.0 interface, you will have to pay over $100 more to get the SN8100 1 TB SSD that now costs 56,540 Yen or US$366. You can see that there is a huge difference in pricing between Gen 4.0 and Gen 5.0 SSDs, even though for most users, the performance difference in real-world applications/games is almost negligible. That said, it's almost impossible for the masses to afford a high-capacity PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 SSD.
These cost over a $1000 if you are opting for a 4 TB model, but if you want the 8 TB SN8100 SSD, you will have to pay a whopping 451,000 Yen or US$2920 (The SSD is right now at $2500 on Amazon). This is already ~50% higher than the official MSRP of the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, and this is the state of high-capacity DDR5 RAM kits as well. It will be incredibly difficult for users if Samsung and SK Hynix reduce the production of NAND, as we reported recently.
Major NAND makers have already planned a significant price hike this quarter. So, prepare for the worse.
News Source: @lightning_dream
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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