The Samsung 990 Pro is one of those SSDs that stopped us in our tracks. Praising it as "absolutely stellar" in our review, the internal drive earned a flawless 5 stars in our review. Even now, it's one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs we've ever tested.

Currently, the 4TB Samsung 990 Pro is down to $800 (was $1100) at Amazon - and the 1TB and 2TB capacities are also discounted right now. All are available with or without heatsinks. This SSD hits sequential read speeds hit up to 7,450MB/s and write speeds reach up to 6,900MB/s.

• Best for: Professionals who need a large amount of fast internal storage, particularly those working with high-resolution video, large datasets, and complex creative projects.

• What we like: In our tests, the 990 Pro gave us the fastest read/write performance of any PCIe 4.0 SSD we’ve tested.

Today's best Samsung SSD deal

Why we recommend it

In his five-star review of the 990 Pro SSD, our expert John said it was: "an absolutely stellar M.2 SSD for both professional users and gamers alike. With solid capacities at a fair price and the fastest read/write performance of any PCIe 4.0 SSD we’ve tested, this SSD should definitely be at the top of your list if you’re looking to upgrade or do a new PC build."

He summed up saying that "large project assets are going to load faster, games are going to have shorter loading screens, and you’re going to get overall great performance when just starting up an app or game, or while performing hefty file operations."

Random read performance is up to 1.6 million IOPS and random writes up to 1.55 million IOPS. The drive uses Samsung V-NAND TLC flash memory, an in-house controller, and 4GB of LPDDR4 DRAM cache. Having dedicated DRAM helps the controller manage data efficiently, particularly for demanding workloads.

The 4TB model carries a five-year limited warranty, subject to a 2,400TB total bytes written endurance limit. That's a great spec for a drive designed to handle large amounts of data.

Price context & historical value

Amazon usually sells the 4TB 990 Pro SSD for $1,099.99 but it's currently available for $799.90, $300.09 cheaper than normal. That isn't the lowest price we've seen it go for though. In 2023's Black Friday sales, it was priced at $249.99.

For more savings, we're tracking all the best SSD deals to help beat all the price hikes on components.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung 4TB 990 Pro SSD if...

You need 4TB of fast NVMe storage, regularly work with large files, and have a compatible PCIe 4.0 system that can take advantage of the drive's performance.

❌ Skip the Samsung 4TB 990 Pro SSD if...

Your main priority is low-cost storage, you don't regularly run demanding applications, or you're building a PCIe 5.0 system and want to explore newer SSD options.

More Samsung SSD deals

• Shop all internal SSD deals at Amazon

• Biomemory has unveiled DNA Shield, designed to provide offline, airgapped, secure storage of critical digital assets in synthetic DNA
• The company foresees challenges to the resilience those assets (also known as “cold data”) and has hinted at the introduction of what it calls Molecular IT
• Biomemory is a co-chair of the DNA Data Storage Alliance

Commercial DNA data storage company Biomemory has unveiled DNA Shield, a purpose-built synthetic DNA repository service that ensures critical digital assets remain untouched by cyber criminals and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

So-called cold data comprises 60% of all data in the world, and refers to information that cannot be altered. This might be passwords and biometrics or it could be incontrovertible data, facts, finances, and other material that serves as a record.

DNA Shield stores data in DNA, using an engineered encoding scheme that ensures it is biosecure – it’s a physical molecule that stores information long-term without power. Pilot slots have opened, ahead of a full service expected in 2027.

A shield of DNA

Biomemory has launched DNA Shield off the back of its acquisition of Boston-based DNA storage pioneer Catalog Technologies in March 2026, and aims to provide organizations with DNA storage of data.

Data could be biometric, it could be cryptographic keys, or it could be accounts. It might even be intellectual property, blueprints, unique or proprietary knowledge. Encrypting the data into synthetic DNA and storing as a medium that a million times denser than magnetic storage, offline and airgapped, is arguably the most secure storage available, potentially with a 150-year lifespan.

"DNA Shield is the moment Biomemory moves from proving a science to delivering a commercial product," notes Laurent Guengant, CEO of Biomemory. "Organizations need a way to hold their most critical digital assets, cryptographic keys, core intellectual property, regulated records, and long-term institutional memory, somewhere no single vendor, cloud, or system can reach, and to prove it still works over time.”

The molecular IT platform

Availability of the DNA Shield service is currently limited to a few pilots, running from October 15 2026 through to mid 2027. Biomemory tells us that a full service will proceed after that point, and its launch makes them the first company to launch a molecular IT product.

Vincent Franceschini, Vice President of Product Management at Biomemory and co-chair of the DNA Data Storage Alliance, said, "DNA Shield is built on the same molecular platform we have spent years industrializing, but it is the first time we are asking a customer to rely on it operationally rather than as a research demonstration. Getting that right, end to end, from encoding to authorized recovery, is what makes us the first company bringing Molecular IT to market."

Organizations interested in DNA Shield will be paying a subscription that starts at €10,000/month, and early access applications are open directly via Biomemory.

We recently tested out the Ugreen NASync DXP8800 Ultra, and we found some striking similarities between this new NAS device and the older but no-less-excellent Plus model.

In his latest review, our expert Mark noted: "Ugreen has changed the engine, not the car. The Ultra is quicker and better equipped for the long haul, but the Plus still does almost everything it does for far less money."

So, we decided to take a look at which is the better buy for businesses. Both NAS devices support up to 272TB of storage, dual 10GbE networking, and Thunderbolt 4. The Ultra supports up to 96GB of RAM compared with 64GB on the Plus, but both offer the same maximum storage capacity and high-speed connectivity.

• Best for: Small businesses, studios, IT professionals, and creative teams needing centralized storage for large files, backups, media libraries, and multi-user access.

• The deal: The NASync DXP8800 Plus is now $1,370 (was $1,510) at Ugreen, saving you $140. The more powerful DXP8800 Ultra costs $1,780.

Which NAS we recommend

In his 4-star review, of the NASync DXP8800 Ultra, Mark explained: "Is the [Ultra] outlay worth the extra over the Plus? That entirely depends on how you intend to use this NAS. For those who just want file serving, it's probably not worth it. But for someone using virtualization and hosting AI, it might be an improvement they’ll pay for."

In summing up he said: "Where the DXP8800 Plus was a bolt from the blue, the DXP8800 Ultra’s arrival seems more measured. Ugreen kept everything that worked and refreshed the part that aged fastest, that being the processor, and with that change, it increased the memory ceiling.

"So is it worth the extra money? For most buyers, sadly it probably isn’t. The Plus still gives you eight bays, two M.2 slots, dual 10GbE, dual Thunderbolt 4 and a PCIe slot. File serving, backups, media streaming and a handful of containers run happily on either. The Ultra's extra speed will rarely be the bottleneck unless you use it in specific ways."

In his 4.5-star hands-on review for the Plus model, Mark ultimately found "a monster NAS with the potential capacity and bandwidth to drive a small business. This terrific hardware shows what can be achieved by repurposing mobile silicon for NAS."

Price context & historical value

The DXP8800 Plus normally costs $1,509.99, but Ugreen has reduced it to $1,369.99, a saving of $140, or approximately 9%. The DXP8800 Ultra costs $1,779.99, making it $410 more expensive than the Plus.

Remember that these are both diskless NAS, so you'll need to budget separately for the HDDs or SSDs required to actually store your files.

Which should you buy?

✅ Buy the Ugreen DXP8800 Ultra NAS if...

You need a powerful NAS for demanding business workloads, extensive multitasking, or applications that benefit from additional memory. Its newer Intel Core 7 150U processor and support for up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM give it a speed advantage over the Plus.

✅ Buy the Ugreen DXP8800 Plus NAS if...

You want a capable eight-bay NAS without paying extra for processing power and memory expansion you might never use. It supports the same 272TB maximum storage capacity, dual 10GbE networking, and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity as the Ultra, while costing a lot less.

• Shop all NAS products at Ugreen.

Upgrading an SSD is usually straightforward once you get inside your PC, but moving everything from the old drive can make the job more complicated. PNY's CS2241 Complete Upgrade Kit addresses that problem by providing the hardware and software needed to transfer your existing data before installing the new drive.

• Best for: Anyone upgrading or replacing an existing laptop/desktop SSD who wants to transfer their files and OS rather than starting over from scratch.

• The deal: The 1TB PNY CS2241 Complete Upgrade Kit is now $136 (was $160) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: Unlike a bare SSD, the package includes a USB 3.2-to-NVMe transfer adapter and Acronis software, giving you the tools required to clone your existing drive before swapping it out.

Today's best internal SSD deal

Why we recommend it

The CS2241 is a PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD capable of sequential read speeds up to 5,100MB/s and sequential writes up to 3,200MB/s. It's designed for compatible laptops and desktop PCs and can also be used in PCIe Gen3 systems. Actual performance will depend on your computer, configuration, operating system, and applications.

PNY backs the drive with a five-year limited warranty or TBW coverage, along with US-based technical support.

Price context & historical value

Amazon's Prime Day price drops the kit from $159.99 to $135.99, knocking $24 off the usual price.

That's around $0.14 per GB before accounting for the additional value of the adapter and cloning software. Those extras are particularly useful if you plan to replace your computer's current system drive rather than simply installing it as additional storage.

For more options, take a look at our roundups of the best SSDs and fastest SSDs.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy PNY's 1TB SSD if...

If you're replacing an existing SSD and want a straightforward way to move your current installation onto the new drive. The included adapter and Acronis software offer everything you'll need for the task.

❌ Skip PNY's 1TB SSD if...

If your computer doesn't have a compatible M.2 NVMe slot, or you already own the equipment and software required to clone a drive. If you're simply adding storage, a bare SSD will make more sense.

Also consider

• Shop all internal SSDS at Amazon

Our online worlds are becoming increasingly complex and far-reaching. That can make it difficult for your average Joe, like you and me, to maintain the level of protection that we need to stay safe online. All we used to have to worry about was staying free of viruses, but now there are a whole host of threats to think about, including identity theft.

Thankfully, we don't have to fight this alone. With a Webroot package, now with up to 50% off, you can stay protected for less than you'd think. Choose either the Essentials, Premium, or Total Protection packages with varying cover to suit a range of customers.

With this deal, you can get one-device protection for as little as $34.99/year, or if you'd like cover for five devices, it'll cost you $64.99/year. Click through to the Webroot website to see exactly what features are available in each package.

Up to 50% off at Webroot

We reviewed Webroot antivirus software last year and gave it an impressive four stars, praising its speed, features, and the dedicated password manager. In fact, we called it "small, speedy, and efficient" with "a stack of surprising extras". Don't just take our word for it, though; Webroot was ranked number one in the recently released July 2025 PassMark study.

Webroot is a powerful, cloud-based antivirus that protects customers across PCs, Macs, tablets, Chromebooks, and smartphones. With Password Manager and Web Threat Shield baked in, Webroot empowers people to live their best digital life online without the fear of falling victim to viruses, ransomware, phishing, and more.

Sound good? Get it now with up to 50% off.

The 1TB Samsung T9 SSD combines a compact design with modern connectivity and fast read and write speeds. If you're looking for a good price, it's on sale ahead of Amazon's Big Deal Days right now.

• Best for: Professionals, students, photographers, and creators who need very fast, compact external storage for transferring and working with large files.

• The deal: The 1TB Samsung T9 Portable SSD is now £192 (was £240) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: The T9 can reach sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, making it particularly useful for large photo and video files.

Today's best Samsung portable SSD deal

Why we recommend it

The T9 SSD can deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,000MB/s when connected to compatible hardware, which makes it a good choice for anyone transferring or working with large files.

It comes in a compact enclosure measuring approximately 8.8 x 6 x 1.4cm and Samsung provides a five-year manufacturer's guarantee, which is reassuring.

In his four-star review, our expert Mark said the "positive features of this drive are great read speeds and its ability to sustain write performance, especially on the larger capacities. It’s also capable of handling knocks, although Samsung doesn’t claim it is waterproof."

Price context & historical value

This isn't the lowest ever price, but it's as low as we've seen it this year - back in November 2025 it dropped to £86, but that was before the component crisis sent prices skyrocketing. For comparison, it's currently on sale at Argos for £205 and at Currys it's £209 so Amazon is the best place to grab it right now.

For more shopping options, take a look at our roundup of the best portable SSDs, and the fastest external SSDs.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung T9 Portable SSD if...

If you regularly transfer large files, edit high-resolution photos or video, or want fast portable storage for moving between computers. The T9 is particularly suited to demanding workloads.

❌ Skip the Samsung T9 Portable SSD if...

If you mainly want somewhere to keep documents and occasional backups. A slower portable SSD will usually cost less, and you won't benefit from the T9's full performance if your computer doesn't support USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

• See all external SSD deals at Amazon

If you have years of photos, videos, backups and other large files, a 24TB external hard drive gives you an enormous amount of room to store them on, without having to install internal drives or resort to pricey paid cloud storage.

Best for: Professionals who needs huge amounts of desktop storage for backups, photographs, videos and other large files without installing an internal drive.

The deal: The Seagate 24TB Expansion External Desktop Hard Drive is now $690 (was $830) at Best Buy.

Why it matters: A single 24TB drive provides enough capacity to store large archives and backups that might otherwise be spread across several smaller drives or hosted online.

Today's best Seagate external HDD deal

Why we recommend it

Seagate has proved a strong storage maker during our tests, so this one's an easy recommendation if you need a hard drive.

24TB is enough space for extensive media collections, large creative archives and multiple computer backups, making it particularly useful for a home office or anyone producing large amounts of content.

Setup is straightforward as well — connect the drive to your Windows PC or Apple Mac, and you can start transferring files immediately. Seagate also includes its Toolkit software if you want full control over your backups.

The drive is powered by an external adapter, so it's intended to stay on a desk rather than travel around with a laptop.

Price context & historical value

The $139.97 reduction from $829.96 to $689.99 works out at almost 17% off, bringing the cost down to around 2.9 cents per GB. That sounds like a great saving, but context is important here. At the end of December 2025, Best Buy sold the same hard drive for just $279.99, reduced from $329.99. That makes today's $689.99 deal a stunning $410 more expensive than that previous sale price — or around 146% higher.

The comparison shows just how dramatically storage prices have changed in a year. So while you're saving nearly $140 against today's regular price, this is far from the cheapest deal ever.

For more shopping options, take a look at our roundup of the best external hard drives.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 24TB Seagate External HDD if...

You need a huge amount of storage now and would rather keep everything on a single external drive than manage several smaller ones. The USB 3.0 connection also provides considerably more bandwidth than the mechanical hard drive itself requires for file transfers.

❌ Skip the 24TB Seagate External HDD if...

You can wait for storage prices to improve or for a better, bigger promotion. This is a desktop hard drive rather than a portable model so requires the supplied 18W power adapter as well as a USB connection. You can't simply plug it into your laptop and use it anywhere.

Also consider

• Shop all external hard drives at Best Buy
• See all external hard drives at Amazon

Samsung is behind some of our favorite portable SSDs, with the T7 being an excellent example. This incredibly versatile 1TB drive combines USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity with a durable aluminum enclosure.

• Best for: Professionals, students, photographers, and creators who need fast, compact external storage that can easily switch between modern devices.

• The deal: The Samsung T7 1TB SSD is now $230 (was $275) at Amazon.

• Why it matters: Samsung has consistently delivered an excellent range of portable SSDs. The T7 is a real classic of the range - compact, durable, and speedy enough for most users. It delivers read speeds up to 1,050MB/s and writes speeds up to 1,000MB/s, making large file transfers considerably quicker than with portable hard drives.

Today's best Samsung portable SSD deal

Why we recommend it

The T7 uses NVMe storage and USB 3.2 Gen 2 to deliver sequential read speeds of up to 1,050MB/s and writes of up to 1,000MB/s. Samsung supports recording compatible high-resolution video directly to the T7, including ProRes 4K at 60fps from supported iPhones. The aluminum drive measures just 3.3 x 2.2 x 0.3 inches, weighs around 2.1oz and is designed to withstand drops of up to six feet.

Price context & historical value

The reduction from $274.99 to $229.99 will save you 16%. That's a welcome price cut in 2026, but it's still expensive for a 1TB external SSD by historical standards. In 2023, before component prices began sky-rocketing, it was available to buy for just $64.99. I don't expect to see it that low again for a very long time, if ever.

For more shopping options, take a look at our roundup of the best portable SSDs, and the fastest external SSDs.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung T7 Portable SSD if...

You frequently move large files between devices and need something faster than a hard drive. The T7 supports 256-bit AES hardware encryption, which is useful if you'll be carrying important work or personal files about with you.

❌ Skip the Samsung T7 Portable SSD if...

Your priority is getting as much storage as possible for the money. You're paying a premium for the T7's combination of SSD performance, compact dimensions and portability, and a slower external drive will give you much more space for the same money, or probably even less.

Also consider

• Shop all portable SSDs at Amazon.

A 4TB SSD gives you plenty of storage, but high-capacity drives can be expensive. SanDisk's WD_BLACK SN7100 is a compact M.2 2280 drive that combines PCIe 4.0 connectivity with TLC 3D NAND and a DRAM-less HMB design.

• Best for: Professionals, PC builders, and gamers who needs a high-capacity SSD for a laptop or desktop and wants a lot of room for applications, media and large files.

• The deal: The 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 is now $560 (was $580) at Newegg when you use promo code SSF73634

• Why it matters: The SSD delivers sequential read speeds up to 7,000MB/s and writes up to 6,700MB/s, alongside a solid 2,400TBW endurance rating.

Why we recommend it

The SN7100 delivers plenty of storage and performance suited to creative laptops and desktop PCs. Its maximum operating power is rated at 4.5W, and it offers up to 100% better power efficiency than the previous generation. The 4TB model also has an endurance rating of 2,400TBW.

For more options, look at our roundups of the best SSDs and the fastest SSDs.

Price context & historical value

The saving from $580 to $579.99 is obviously minuscule on its own, but promo code SSF73634 brings the price down to $559.99. It's not a huge discount, but with storage prices so high right now, any reduction is welcome.

That said, this is nowhere near its historical low. The 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 was available to buy for $209.99 in 2025, illustrating just how dramatically SSD prices have risen since then. Not so long ago, it was priced at $1,379.99 at Amazon, where it is currently $579.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 if...

You want to increase your storage without compromising on speed. With 4TB available, there's plenty of room for large files, applications and media without constantly managing free space.

❌ Skip the 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 if...

You regularly handle sustained, storage heavy workloads, as it's a DRAM-less SSD (dedicated DRAM is better). It also comes without a heatsink, so check the cooling arrangements and available space in the device where you plan to install it.

• Shop all internal SSDs at Newegg

Ugreen's four-bay DH4300 Plus NAS device impressed us during our tests, from its elegant design to the beginner-friendly setup, ideal for creating your own private cloud in the home and small business. And right now, the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus has dropped to $374 (was $440) at Amazon.

It is aimed at home users, remote workers and NAS beginners, with four drive bays, 8GB of LPDDR4X memory, 2.5GbE networking, 4K HDMI output and support for up to 128TB of storage.

The DH4300 Plus can automatically back up photos and videos, organize images using AI-powered albums and act as a private cloud that you can access remotely from multiple devices.

Today's top Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus deal

Why we recommend it

In his 4-star review, our expert Mark called the DH4300 Plus "great for homes and small businesses" and said it offered "an elegant design that delivers the basic functionality that most NAS users need at a price they can afford."

The four drive bays give you plenty of flexibility over how much storage you add, while RAID support lets you choose between maximizing capacity or adding redundancy.

Ugreen has done its best to make the software approachable for people buying their first NAS. Its apps support Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and web browsers, with remote access and automatic mobile photo backups.

He summed it up saying: "This NAS is designed to fit a specific niche: single or dual-purpose installations that require power efficiency and easy interfacing with other NAS hardware for backups. And, this NAS is perfectly poised to do those jobs without the need for the more exotic functionality that the DXP series already supports."

Price context & historical value

Amazon has cut the price of the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus from $439.99 to $373.98, giving you a saving of $66.01, or 15%. While this is a good reduction, it's not the cheapest the NAS has been. We saw it selling for between $305-$310 a little earlier in the year.

It's also worth noting the current price is for the diskless enclosure, so you'll still need to budget for compatible hard drives or SSDs. The total cost will depend on how much capacity you want.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus if...

You want to move away from recurring cloud-storage subscriptions and keep your photos, videos and documents under your own control. Four drive bays give you plenty of room to expand, and the relatively simple setup and mobile apps make this a more approachable option for NAS newcomers.

❌ Skip the Ugreen NAS DH4300 Plus if...

You need a more advanced NAS for running virtual machines or heavier server workloads. The DH4300 Plus supports Docker, but Ugreen specifically states that it doesn't support virtual machines, so a more powerful NAS will likely be a better fit for advanced users.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

No storage drives are included, despite the advertised maximum capacity, so the listed price is only the starting point. The maximum storage amount is based on compatible drives configured in RAID 0, which prioritizes capacity rather than redundancy.

There's also no Wi-Fi, so you'll need to connect the NAS to your router or network switch using Ethernet. Plex can be run through Docker, but the DH4300 Plus doesn't provide native virtual-machine support.

• Shop all NAS products at Amazon

• The Lexar Muse SSD gets as thin as 1mm (0.04 inches)
• It comes with a proprietary connection mechanism
• 512GB and 1TB storage models of the drive will be available

Every year at the IFA tech expo, there are claims of gadgets being lighter, thinner, faster, and smarter than ever before — but amid the usual crop of claims we've seen in 2026, the Lexar Muse particularly stands out.

This is officially the thinnest portable SSD on the market, measuring a mere 1mm (0.04 inches) at its thinnest points around the edges, and a not-exactly-chunky 3.8mm (0.15 inches) at its thickest point in the middle.

It's not unlike a credit card in terms of its looks and dimensions, and Lexar seems particularly keen to promote the idea of it being used strapped to the back of a MagSafe iPhone to provide some additional storage space on the go.

The unibody metal enclosure around the drive has been formed from a single piece of metal to minimize gaps and seams, while some space saving has gone on inside with custom PCB architecture and high-density NAND stacking.

Speeds and storage

What's a little unusual here is the connectivity, which has to happen via the magnetic pogo-in connector on the back of the drive — there's no traditional USB-C port that you can plug an existing cable into.

You do get a bespoke cable included with the drive, as well as a carry case for easily attaching the drive to the back of something like an iPhone. However, the magnetic connection might not be the most robust.

The Lexar Muse offers some respectable read and write speeds of up to 1,050MB/s and 1,000MB/s respectively (so good enough for 4K 120fps Pro Res video on an iPhone), and there are going to be 512GB and 1TB models available.

As is often the case at IFA, there's no word on pricing yet, but you can expect the Lexar Muse to hit shelves before the end of the year. If you prioritize thinness and lightness over everything else, it may be worth checking out.

Western Digital's WD Red Pro NAS drive line is designed for businesses small and large looking to max out their storage. Having benchmarked several, it remains one of our favorite internal drive brands - and right now, the WD Red Pro 16TB NAS drive is now $690 (was $705) at Amazon, so long as you tick the coupon box.

Designed for demanding environments, Western Digital rates this model for workloads of up to 550TB per year and continuous 24/7 operation. I've also spotted the NAS drive for the same price here at Newegg when you use code LDSF324.

• The WD Red Pro 16TB is also $690 (was $705) at Newegg with code LDSF324

Why we recommend it

The WD Red Pro is specifically designed for demanding NAS environments, with a 7,200 RPM spindle speed, 512MB cache and CMR recording. It's rated for continuous 24/7 operation, with workloads up to 550TB per year.

It can be used in RAID-optimized NAS systems regardless of the number of drive bays, and NASware technology is designed to improve performance and compatibility. There's also a five-year limited warranty.

In his 4-star review of the smaller 14TB model, our expert Mark said it was "difficult to argue with the resilience of this drive," adding that "lots of resilience tricks and low power consumption are the hallmarks of this design."

Similarly, the 24TB model received 4 stars in his review, where he praised Western Digital's Red Pro line as offering "good performance and massive capacity. And, if the business can afford them, these are a good choice."

For more options, take a look at our roundups of the best NAS hard drives, and the best 167 hard disk drives worth buying.

Also consider

Price context & historical value

At $689.99 after the Amazon coupon, you're saving $15 against the current $704.99 price. That's only a little over 2%, so this is only really worth snapping up if you desperately need to upgrade early.

The WD Red Pro 16TB has been considerably cheaper over the past year, dropping to around $270 in late 2025 before prices began climbing sharply in 2026.

You can also get the drive for the same $689.99 price at Newegg. It's currently $704.99 but you get $15 off when you apply promo code LDSF324.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the 16TB WD Red Pro HDD if...

You have a heavily used NAS and want to add a substantial amount of storage without occupying several additional bays. Its high workload rating also makes more sense for an always-on NAS than using a standard desktop hard drive.

❌ Skip the 16TB WD Red Pro HDD if...

Your storage requirements are relatively small. or you have several empty drive bays available. Smaller-capacity NAS drives could give you the space you actually need for less.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The obvious problem is the size of the discount. Saving $15 on a $704.99 hard drive isn't massive and this model has been considerably cheaper before. Unless you need another 16TB of NAS storage now, there's a strong argument for waiting to see if a better discount arrives shortly.

• Shop all internal hard drives at Amazon

If you just need extra storage without paying for features you won't use, this is worth a look. The WD 6TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive has dropped to $260 (was $320) at Amazon.

WD Elements strips out the backup software and encryption tools you get on WD's My Passport line, which keeps the price down and the setup dead simple: plug it in, and it works.

Why we recommend it

WD Elements drives have been a reliable, bloat-free choice for external storage for years, and this 6TB model continues that.

The USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection is plenty fast for backups and media transfers, and the compact, half-pound enclosure makes it easy to toss in a bag or leave connected to a desktop as an always-on backup target.

Because it skips the bundled software and encryption of WD's My Passport series, this is squarely a budget-focused pick: you're paying for capacity and reliability, not extras.

For anyone who already has a backup workflow in mind, whether that's Time Machine, File History, or a NAS-adjacent setup, that's a sensible trade-off.

Price Context & Historical Value

A $60 drop from $319.99 to $259.99 works out to about 19 percent off, a solid but not blowout discount. It's in line with what we've seen on other capacities in WD's Elements Portable line during recent sales, and puts this 6TB drive at a competitive cost per terabyte for anyone who needs bulk storage.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the WD 6TB Elements Portable if... you need a lot of extra storage for backups, media libraries, or overflow files; you want something that works out of the box with no software to install; or you're after the lowest cost per terabyte in WD's portable lineup.

❌ Skip the WD 6TB Elements Portable if... you want built-in backup software or hardware encryption, you need SSD speeds rather than a traditional hard drive, or you're carrying it around daily and want something more rugged.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

This is a traditional hard drive, not an SSD, so transfer speeds and durability won't match solid-state storage, and it's more sensitive to drops and knocks if you're moving it around often. It also doesn't include bundled backup software or hardware encryption, so you'll need your own backup plan and, if data security matters to you, your own encryption solution.

• See all hard drive deals at Amazon.

There aren't many internal SSDs that score the full five stars in our reviews, but this one did it - and smashed all our expectations in tests. Right now, the Samsung 2TB 990 Pro SSD is at $390 (was $640) at Amazon.

That's a near record-low price for a drive that's been the default answer to “which NVMe should I buy” for the better part of two years. And it undercuts most 1TB competitors on a per-terabyte basis. Speaking of, both the 1TB and 4TB models are also on sale, but for my money, of the three the 2TB drive offers the best value for money.

For more demanding professional workloads, I recommend upgrading to the Samsung 9100 Pro SSD for $400 at Amazon.

Why we recommend it

The 990 PRO is still one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 drives you can buy, and TechRadar's own testing backs that up. We called it an absolutely stellar M.2 SSD for both professional users and gamers, and praised how quickly it handled large file saves in our benchmarks. That combination of proven real-world performance and Samsung's five-year warranty is hard to match at this price.

Samsung builds its own NAND flash, DRAM cache, and controller in-house, which is part of why the 990 PRO has held its position at the top of the PCIe Gen 4 hierarchy for so long in a market where flagship drives usually get leapfrogged within 18 months. With over 12,000 reviews and a 4.8-star average on Amazon, it's a well-proven choice for gaming rigs, content creation machines, and general-purpose PC builds alike.

Also consider

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB if... you want a proven, high-performance PCIe 4.0 SSD for gaming, video editing, or general PC builds, you're upgrading a PS5 and want a heatsink-compatible drive, or you want 2TB of fast storage without paying flagship Gen5 pricing.

❌ Skip the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB if... your motherboard supports PCIe 5.0 and you want to make full use of it, you don't need anywhere close to 2TB of storage, or you're on a tighter budget and could make do with a 1TB drive instead.

Price Context & Historical Value

The $639.99 list price shown on this listing is an inflated reference that doesn't reflect what this drive has typically sold for. Street pricing on the 990 PRO 2TB has more realistically run $420 to $480 even during major sale events, so treat the $639.99 figure as a nominal anchor rather than a genuine recent price. Even against that more realistic street price, $389.99 is a meaningful cut and lands close to this drive's lowest price in months.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

This is a PCIe 4.0 drive, not PCIe 5.0, so if your motherboard supports the newer standard, you won't get the full speed a Gen5 drive like Samsung's own 9100 PRO can offer. It also doesn't include a heatsink in this configuration, so if you're installing it in a system that runs hot or you want PS5 compatibility out of the box, budget for one separately. For most desktop and laptop builds without dedicated M.2 cooling requirements, that's a minor caveat rather than a dealbreaker.

If you're after a compact four-bay desktop NAS with modern networking for work and media backups, the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro NAS system has dropped to $680 (was $800) at Amazon

We've tested this exact configuration, and found it's a genuine upgrade over its predecessor with dual 5GbE and a third M.2 slot. But it's not for everyone.

Why we recommend it

In our review, we awarded this NAS device 4 stars, praising the move to dual 5GbE over the previous generation's 2.5GbE as a real, tangible upgrade for large file transfers and multi-user environments. The third M.2 slot gives more flexibility for caching than most four-bay NAS units in this price range offer. The new N350 processor also runs cooler and more efficiently than its predecessor, which matters for a device meant to run 24/7.

TOS 7 is the most polished version of TerraMaster's operating system yet, with solid Docker and VM support, a comprehensive backup suite, and the TRAID hybrid array mode that lets you mix drive sizes more efficiently than standard RAID.

Our review was direct about where it falls short compared to competitors, calling it a NAS hamstrung by PCIe lanes, since both the M.2 slots and networking share a limited nine-lane PCIe budget. If you don't need to push past those limits, it's still a capable, efficient NAS for the price.

Price Context & Historical Value

This deal cuts the 16GB configuration's $799.99 list price by $120, about 15 percent off. That's a modest but genuine discount rather than an inflated anchor price, and it narrows the gap with TerraMaster's own store, which has periodically discounted this same configuration to around $640 to $670 during promotions.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro if... you want a flexible four-bay NAS with modern 5GbE networking and don't need 10GbE speeds, you value low power consumption and quiet, cool running over raw compute power, or you like the idea of experimenting with AI-assisted NAS administration.

❌ Skip the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro if... you want a 10GbE port or Thunderbolt/USB4 connectivity, you plan to fill all three M.2 slots with fast NVMe drives for local storage, or you want to run demanding local AI workloads on the NAS itself.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

The three M.2 slots are limited to PCIe Gen 3 x1 bandwidth, capping NVMe performance at roughly 1GB/s regardless of the drives you install, so there's little benefit to using expensive high-end SSDs here. There's no 10GbE port, not even as an upgrade option, and no Thunderbolt or USB4 for fast external expansion. The single RAM slot also means upgrading beyond the included 16GB requires removing it entirely rather than adding a second module. On top of that, the drive trays still lack physical locks or number labels - a longstanding TerraMaster quirk our reviewer has flagged across multiple generations.

• DapuStor's R6060 packs 512TB into a single E2 form-factor drive
• The drive doubles the capacity of E3.S and U.2 alternatives
• PCIe 5.0 and NVMe 2.0 protocols power this massive drive

DapuStor has unveiled a massive 512TB NVMe SSD at the FMS 2026 storage trade show event, pushing enterprise storage capacity into half-petabyte territory for demanding data center applications.

The drive, officially named the R6060, belongs to the company's high-capacity family and uses its newer E2 form factor design for enterprise storage systems.

At 512TB, the R6060 holds exactly twice the storage capacity of E3.S or U.2 drives, which top out near 256TB.

DapuStor packs half a petabyte into one drive

The 512TB SSD belongs to DapuStor’s high-capacity NVMe family and measures approximately 200 × 76 × 9.5 mm, giving it substantial capacity within a relatively compact enterprise storage form factor for NAND placements, allowing manufacturers to pack substantially more flash memory inside each device.

The drive pairs DapuStor's in-house DP800 controller with PCIe 5.0 connectivity and the newer NVMe 2.0 protocol standard used industry-wide.

DapuStor uses QLC NAND because modern workloads increasingly require huge storage capacity rather than maximum performance from every individual drive.

Artificial intelligence workloads require large repositories for training datasets, while inference systems can also generate substantial demand for high-capacity cache storage.

Video, audio, and other rapidly expanding datasets are creating similar demands, making high-capacity drives increasingly useful for data centers managing enormous volumes of information.

A server equipped with 36 E2 drive bays could theoretically accommodate 16PB of raw storage using these 512TB drives.

That density could reduce the number of servers, processors, memory modules, and networking components required for certain storage-heavy deployments.

The approach is particularly relevant to systems designed around 1PB and beyond, where physical infrastructure can become substantial.

Bigger drives could also reduce infrastructure requirements

The E2 approach can add more storage capacity to a single-CPU or dual-CPU server, potentially reducing overall system requirements.

Fewer processors, memory modules, chassis and network interfaces could also lower power consumption when storage capacity remains the primary requirement.

However, NAND pricing has become an increasingly important factor in determining the overall economics of extremely high-capacity solid-state storage.

Higher flash memory costs can make smaller drives more attractive, as multiple lower-capacity devices may offer greater flexibility in some deployments.

E2 could nevertheless offer another option by accommodating more NAND locations while using lower-density flash components in certain configurations.

That flexibility could potentially create lower-cost capacity points without requiring manufacturers to rely exclusively on the highest-density NAND available.

The 512TB R6060 therefore tries to increase storage density for systems handling rapidly expanding datasets and AI infrastructure demands.

DapuStor has not provided a confirmed price, although current NAND pricing suggests the drive will sit in the premium segment of enterprise storage.

The DapuStor R6060 arrives as NAND and DRAM suppliers report stronger market conditions following periods of weaker demand.

Via ServeTheHome

If you're looking for a capable laptop that can handle demanding tasks without costing the Earth, I found a great deal on the 15.6" Lenovo LOQ for $750 (was $1050) at Best Buy.

The laptop combines an AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS processor with 16GB of DDR5 memory, a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics with 6GB of dedicated memory, making it a terrific choice for students and beginner creators.

The IPS display delivers a Full HD resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 350 nits of brightness, and 100% sRGB color coverage. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4, three USB-A ports, and a backlit keyboard.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Lenovo LOQ if...

You need a capable laptop for demanding work, study, creative projects, and everyday multitasking. With an AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS processor, 16GB of DDR5 memory, GeForce RTX 4050 graphics, and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, it offers plenty of performance for productivity software, photo editing, video work, and other intensive applications.

❌ Skip the Lenovo LOQ if...

You mainly browse the web, stream videos, and work with office documents. You'll be paying for dedicated graphics and a high-refresh-rate display that lighter workloads won't fully benefit from. If portability and battery life are your priorities, a thinner ultrabook with integrated graphics is likely to be a better fit.

Today's top Lenovo laptop deal

Why we recommend it

The LOQ laptop delivers an excellent balance of features for the discounted asking price. The combination of upgradeable memory and storage, a color-accurate 144Hz IPS display, modern connectivity, and solid build quality means it should remain useful for years to come, plus it comes from a top brand.

It is a smart long-term investment whether you're replacing an ageing system or buying a laptop for the first time.

Price Context & Historical Value

At $749.99, the Lenovo LOQ represents excellent value given its hardware and upgrade potential. The last time I saw this on sale at Best Buy was in April, where it was priced at $790.

A $300 discount brings it well below its usual $1,049.99 price, making it far more competitive with mid-range laptops that often offer less memory, slower displays, or integrated graphics.

If you've been considering a higher-performance laptop for work, study, or creative tasks, this is one of those deals that's genuinely excellent.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

While battery life is rated at up to five hours, the Lenovo LOQ is designed as a high-performance laptop that's happiest plugged into its 170W power adapter during heavier workloads. At $749.99, it offers a strong mix of processing power, upgradeability, and display quality for anyone looking to replace an ageing laptop or invest in a more capable everyday machine.

• Shop all laptops at Best Buy

Whether you're running out of storage, thinking of upgrading an ageing system, or building a new creative rig, fast NVMe SSDs remain one of the easiest ways to breathe new life into a desktop PC.

And right now, the 2TB Samsung 990 SSD is down to $370 (was $530) at Amazon - while the 1TB model also gets a discount to $230 on the same page.

It delivers sequential read speeds of up to 7,250 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,450 MB/s, alongside random performance of up to 850K read IOPS and 1,200K write IOPS for responsive everyday use.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Samsung 990 2TB SSD if...

You want a fast, spacious NVMe drive for creative work, or a new PC build. With sequential read/write speeds of up to 7,250/6,450 MB/s, a 2TB capacity, hardware encryption, and improved power efficiency, it's well suited to large libraries, high-resolution media, and demanding everyday workloads.

❌ Skip the Samsung 990 2TB SSD if...

Your PC doesn't support PCIe 4.0 speeds or you mainly browse the web, stream media, and work with documents. You'll pay a premium for performance that lighter workloads won't fully benefit from, and a cheaper PCIe 3.0 or entry-level NVMe SSD will still deliver a substantial upgrade over a hard drive or older SATA SSD.

Today's top SSD deal

Why we recommend it

Samsung's 990 SSD combines outstanding PCIe 4.0 performance with plenty of capacity for demanding workloads. Read speeds of up to 7,250 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,450 MB/s make everything from booting Windows to transferring large files noticeably faster.

The 2TB capacity is enough room for growing projects, while hardware encryption, improved power efficiency, and Samsung's SSD management software add extra long-term value.

Price Context & Historical Value

At $369.99, down from its usual price of $529.99, the 2TB Samsung 990 SSD is a serious, solid purchase and one we'd definitely recommend. It's not only the cheapest it's been in 30 days on Amazon, it's as cheap as it's ever been there, so we'd definitely recommend you snap it up now, and save yourself $160, before the price rises again.

For more savings, we're tracking all the best SSD deals to help beat all the price hikes on components.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

You'll need a desktop with an available M.2 PCIe 4.0 slot to get the most from this drive. While it works in older systems, you won't see its full performance. It's also more expensive than mainstream NVMe SSDs, so lighter workloads are often better served by a cheaper alternative.

Also consider this Samsung SSD deal

• Shop all internal SSDs at Amazon

Samsung's 9100 Pro 2TB SSD has dropped to AU$434.47 at Amazon Australia, well below the typical AU$699 pricing it's selling for at other retailers. Even on Amazon it was AU$644.83 before the current discount.

This isn't a deal to snooze on either, with the sale due to end at 12pm on July 29. Just note that it ships from Amazon US, so delivery can take up to two weeks.

AU$434 is still a lot to spend on a 2TB SSD, particularly if you remember how cheap storage was until relatively recently.

But SSD prices have shifted hugely since last year, and these days this is an excellent deal on Samsung's flagship PCIe 5.0 drive, which can reach sequential read speeds of up to 14,700MB/s and writes of up to 13,400MB/s.

In our review of the 9100 Pro we said, "Samsung's first true PCIe 5.0 drive is the best there is", as well as "This is a very professional-specific drive in ways that previous Samsung Pro SSDs were not. If you're not a professional user, there are better PCIe 5.0 drives out there, but for pros, there's none better than the 9100 Pro."

This is a premium 2TB SSD, so it's aimed at those who can actually take advantage of its performance, whether that's moving huge files, working with demanding creative projects or running workloads that benefit from very fast storage.

But what makes this deal particularly compelling is that the 9100 Pro is currently cheaper than some of Samsung's slower PCIe 4.0 drives. At the time of writing, the 2TB 990 EVO Plus is AU$446 at Amazon, while the 2TB 990 Pro is AU$517.67.

You don't necessarily need a PCIe 5.0 system to take advantage of the deal either. The 9100 Pro is backwards compatible with PCIe 4.0, so it'll work just fine in an older machine, albeit with its performance capped by the slower interface.

That makes it a great buy even if you're upgrading a PCIe 4.0 PC today, or using the drive in a handheld device. Plus, if you do move it to a PCIe 5.0 system later, you can unlock the full performance the drive is capable of.

Just keep in mind that this deal is specifically for the 2TB model without a heatsink as the other versions and capacities of the 9100 Pro aren't discounted.

And yes, AU$434.47 is still frustratingly pricey for 2TB of storage by historical standards, but I think getting Samsung's flagship PCIe 5.0 SSD for less than its slower models makes this an excellent deal considering current prices.

• A Steam user has found a way to store games on SSDs with an auto-navigation and auto-start script
• These are effectively physical 'game cartridges' complete with key art
• However, costly SSDs means this is a pricey endeavor (the Steam gamer was lucky enough to pick up used drives on the cheap)

Physical copies of PlayStation games are coming to an end from January 2028, and as the backlash around that continues, a restoration of physical media on PC has been discovered — and it's novel to say the least.

A Steam user on Reddit has managed to store games on 'cheap 2.5-inch' SATA SSDs, effectively acting as old-school 'game cartridges' with key art, and a script that auto-navigates Steam to each game's page. The user also notes that automatically starting games from each drive is possible.

This comes amid a significant uproar from gamers following the revelation of Sony's plan to eradicate physical game discs, supposedly by the time its next PlayStation console arrives. It's a very controversial move that has united gamers across all platforms to fight to retain discs and to ensure game ownership remains intact.

With that said, physical media for PC has been dead for a long while, since a modern desktop PC doesn't come with a disc drive, and there are hardly any publishers selling physical copies for the platform.

With most games only accessible digitally on PC, in theory those titles can be taken away from buyers at any time. The trouble is that consumer-friendly figures like Gabe Newell, who leads Valve, the owner of Steam, won't be in charge forever.

So in the future, under new leadership, it's possible more anti-consumer measures might be introduced, or other aspects of PC gaming that consumers dislike, such as DRM (like Denuvo).

Imagine if this 'game cartridge' system was adopted by PC game publishers? It's a smart idea, and a nice thought, but clearly not a realistic one. For starters, it'd be a prohibitively expensive method of reintroducing physical PC game copies.

Of course, platforms like Epic Games and Steam require users to be logged in and have their app installed to play games, so it's still a long way off true game copy ownership, anyway.

However, this concept would be paired perfectly with GOG, a platform that is DRM-free and doesn't require the launcher to play purchased games — in other words, you fully own purchased games on GOG.

Admittedly, publishers releasing PC game cartridges in the form of SSDs is a pipe dream, especially with the current state of the hardware market, and the RAM crisis, complete with skyrocketing SSD prices.

The idea comes at the wrong time, then, but if the RAM crisis ever settles down, then maybe this is something we'll see more PC hobbyists doing — and perhaps even the odd publisher.

I’m sure this scenario is familiar to you — you buy an external hard drive for a certain capacity, thinking that it would have more than enough space to store all your current files, and many more in the future — but then you soon realise that you’ve filled it up in no time. You’re then forced to delete some files to make enough room for new ones that you need to back up or archive. And so it goes.

I can definitely relate, having filled up a couple of hard drives ranging from 2TB to 6TB containing photo libraries, videos and Steam game backups, then later finding myself auditing those files more often than I’d like to clear up storage space.

If you’re in the same boat as me, Amazon has discounted the 20TB Seagate Expansion Desktop external hard drive by 32% to AU$623.73. That price averages to around 3 cents per gigabyte, which is brilliant value for a backup drive that’s also fast enough to be used regularly. I don't know about you, but it would certainly cure my storage anxiety woes.

This deal can also benefit those who work with large files regularly, like content creators, video editors, data professionals, graphic artists and more, where they can focus on their work and not constantly worry about storage.

In our best external hard drives buying guide, our reviewer called the Seagate Expansion Desktop the best-performing HDD they'd tested thanks to the read and write speeds of 242 MB/s and 237 MB/s, respectively, and for its relatively compact size compared to others in this category.

The main downsides the tester mentioned were the hard drive’s external power requirement — which is something I would certainly live with for a capacity of this size — and the expensive RRP, which this 32% discount handily takes care of.

While you can invest in some network attached storage (NAS) devices for your growing storage needs, the Seagate Expansion Desktop is an easier plug-and-play solution that won’t require much fiddling to set up — it’s as easy as plugging the drive in and moving files to it via Windows Explorer or macOS Finder. Plus, this deal is a much cheaper alternative as the NAS devices themselves without drives cost around the same or even more in some cases.

On the other hand, this external drive can be used in a NAS device (or your PC, even) through “shucking”, or removing the external casing and installing the bare drive into a hard drive bay to add more storage for redundancy or otherwise. Do note that this will void the drive’s warranty.

In any case, a deal like this in a period of storage component shortages is hard to pass up for anyone in need of extra storage space for backups, archiving or any work that involves large file sizes.

If you have tried to buy one of the best portable SSDs recently, you have likely noticed a painful reality: storing photos and videos has become an incredibly expensive business. Over the past year, flash memory prices have skyrocketed, with some popular portable SSDs doubling or even tripling in cost. For photographers and videographers, who routinely generate many gigabytes of data on a single shoot, this price hike has turned a standard administrative task into a massive financial headache.

The underlying problem is a classic case of demand exceeding supply, which has unfortunately triggered a knock-on effect on pricesacross the entire industry. As high-speed Solid State Drives (SSD) became more costly and harder to source, creators naturally looked for alternatives, driving up the prices of traditional mechanical hard drives (HDDs) in the process. When you couple expensive backup drives with modern cameras that churn out massive file sizes, ignoring your storage workflow is no longer an option. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and it is time to change how we manage our data.

Fortunately, you don't need to empty your bank account to keep your portfolio safe. Surviving this storage crunch is not about buying the biggest, fastest drive on the market - it's about working smarter with the tools you already have. By adopting a strict digital diet, separating your fast working drives from your slower archival backups, and rethinking your camera settings before you fire the shutter, you can reduce your storage footprint without sacrificing your creative freedom.

In this guide, I share the exact strategies I use to navigate these rising costs. From sourcing high-capacity secondhand bargains safely to exploiting hidden compression settings in a camera's built-in menus. I cover why changing your shooting habits can save you terabytes of space in the long run, how to avoid the hidden costs of a hardware upgrade, and how to build a rock-solid backup system on a budget. And if you absolutely must buy new hardware, I've also rounded up the best flash storage deals available right now, so you can expand your setup for less.

1. Use HDDs for back ups

HDD drives, also called mechanical Hard Disk Drives, use a spinning disk inside of the hard drive enclosure to store files. Because there’s a disk with a needle, a little bit like a vinyl player, it takes longer to locate and find your files and also write data to HDDs. Flash storage, such as the SSDs which we’ve seen explode in value over the past year, work much in the same way as your camera’s memory card and can locate files instantly and write much faster – but that comes with a higher price tag.

To keep costs down, the trick is to keep all of your archived content and finished projects on the more affordable HDDs as soon as you can. SDDs are great for working on live projects due to their speed, reliability and portability. You can use one of the best portable SSD drives or the flash hard drive on your laptop, so you’re not limited by the speed of an HDD when you’re working on live projects.

With SSDs going up in price this has had a knock on effect with the price of the best HDD drives being pushed up too. I’ve actually been buying up cheap second hand HDD drives from Facebook Marketplace where I can get much more gigabytes for my dollar. I must stress second-hand drives are a risky business and I always check them with a drive health checker first too, such as CrystalDiskInfo. I only use HDDs for backing up files, so if my second-hand drives ever fail, I at least have another copy somewhere else.

2. Cull your photos

In years gone by I would say there’s not a lot of point going through drives and deleting your ‘duff’ shots or video. However, because we’ve seen some storage drives double, or even triple in price in just the past 12 months alone, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Currently, when I import a batch of photos I think carefully whether I really want to take up valuable space on my hard drives with shots that are never going to see the light of day. This has helped me be more self critical of my work, and motivated me to absolutely nail compositions, focus and exposure settings every time I'm out shooting.

Once a project has been delivered I might even go as far as to go through and delete images that were sub-par and didn’t make the grade. It’s also worth using a disk analyser tool such as WizTree to locate big files that are taking up a lot of hard drive space and aren’t being used so you can erase any large memory hogs.

Once your project is finished be sure to transfer the files from your pricey SSD to your cheaper HDD, to free up space for your next project. This saves you from having to buy a new expensive SSD drive when it gets full. Modern SSDs are incredibly durable and can withstand hundreds of terabytes of data being written over their lifespan, so there is no problem formatting them after you’ve transferred the contents to an HDD and backed them up properly.

3. Choose the right format

The more detailed and information-packed your files are, the larger they will be. So it’s more important now than ever to carefully assess whether you should shoot a scene in RAW or compressed JPEG. The same goes for recording video too, do you really need 8K or the highest possible bit rates, or is that overkill?

I often shoot in 4K which gets downsampled to 1080p for a lot of my social media content. While shooting 4K provides extra editing options (especially cropping), it is quite a wasteful way of working. You could also switch from the H.264 codec to H.265 which compresses 4K to half the size, with no visible loss in quality.

If you’re shooting on a compact camera with built-in picture styles such as the Fujifilm X100VI then it may be preferable to shoot in JPEG to make full use of its various film effects. If you’re shooting a lot of RAW files with pre-capture then you may want to consider switching from RAW to a compressed RAW format to save space, instead. It all depends on your style of photography and finding out the compromize that works for you.

4. Think twice before upgrading your camera

Before you jump into buying a new camera body you should also carefully assess the costs here, too. I’ve been lucky enough to get hands-on with the new Sony A7R VI, which produces mammoth 67MP files, at rates of up to 30 fps. This means memory cards and hard drives fill much more quickly than a camera with say 30MP, usually considered to be the ‘sweet spot’ for most general subjects.

Many of today's pro cameras need pricier CFexpress type memory cards to unlock their full performance potential and avoid any bottlenecks to the memory buffer, rather than cheap and cheerful SD cards. So even if you find a deal you're happy with for a new camera, there are hidden costs such as these pricier memory card types.

Another hidden cost of upgrading to a super high resolution camera is that your computer may struggle with the large stills and video. If that’s the case then you’re now not only forking out for a new camera, pricey CFexpress cards and hard drive storage, but you'll also need to budget for a new high-end laptop or computer that's capable of handing all of that data! The costs can rack up rather quickly.

5. Make use of free cloud storage

I always follow the 3-2-1 method for a secure and robust way of backing up my files; that's backing up three times on at least two different types of media, with one copy kept off site.

For different types of media, this could be one HDD drive and another an SSD, or a DVD, memory stick or even cloud storage. The latter also helps tick the box for keeping one copy of your data off-site, too.

Cloud storage from reputable companies such as Backblaze is of course a great option, but you do have to pay a monthly subscription. For working professionals this is a solid reliable option worth the money.

However, for more casual photographers I’d recommend making full use of free cloud storage from companies like Google Drive (15GB), Microsoft OneDrive (5GB) and Apple iCloud (5GB). Of course, this isn’t a huge amount of free cloud storage, though if you're clever you can 'pool' your free storage together from different companies and it can add up to something substantial. That being said, even the 5GB free options should be more than enough to store backups of your favorite JPEG photos.

Save money today on the best portable SSD deals

Portable SSD deals are hard to come by right now, but I've included the best deals I've found at the time of writing, with discounts on tried and tested Samsung and SanDisk models.

Today's best portable SSD deal (US)

Today's best portable SSD deal (UK)

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £24.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Father's Day: up to 50% off gifts & drinks
• Headphones: up to 50% off
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Eufy & Roborock
• Wearables: Garmin & Huawei from £36.99

You might have noticed that recently the cost of upgrading (or building) your PC has skyrocketed, and this is mainly due to the pressures an explosion in AI has caused to supply chains, with artificial intelligence companies demanding an increasing amount of memory, which has had knock-on effects for the rest of the world.

That means memory-based components, especially SSDs, RAM and graphics cards, have become more costly.

The good news is that due to early Amazon Prime Day sales, I've found some brilliant offers on large SSDs, such as the WD_Black SN7100 2TB NVMe SSD and Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB NVMe M.2.

• View the full Amazon Prime Day sale

The reason why I love these deals (which I've included below) is that these aren't just cheap drives from companies you've never heard of; the likes of Samsung and Western Digital are highly trusted brands in the storage world, and that's important when looking for an SSD or hard drive, as you'll be storing important files and documents, so you need to know that your new drive won't break in the future, potentially losing your files.

These SSDs also use the NVMe M.2 ports of your PC — most modern PCs, including laptops, support these SSDs and they offer incredible speeds. Pop Windows 11 on there and it'll boot up in seconds, while installing apps or games means they load incredibly quickly as well. Before buying you should check that your PC has a spare M.2 port if you want to add one of these drives to your existing storage.

If you're replacing an existing SSD or hard drive, then you should see a huge increase in speed, especially if you're using a hard drive.

Another thing I love is that these deals prove you can still get large capacity storage for a relatively affordable amount — something many of us feared would no longer be possible until the memory crisis, sometimes dubbed the 'RAMpocolypse', is over.

Unfortunately, the memory crisis is far from over, so deal events like Prime Day might be our best shot at getting affordable SSDs for our PCs for now — and because these are in such high demand, I recommend grabbing these deals ASAP before they sell out.

Amazon Prime Day deals – quick links

• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199

Great-value SSDs

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
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More Amazon Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: sign up for a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire TV, Ring & Blink from £21.99
• Apple: AirPods Pro 3 for a record-low price
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja, Tefal & Sage
• Essentials: household goods from under £10
• Laptops: from £149.99
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £125
• TVs: from £129.99

• Google has cut the price of Gemini AI Plus from $7.99 to $4.99 per month
• Subscribers now get 400GB of Google storage instead of 200GB
• Here's how Gemini AI Plus compares with OpenAI's $8 ChatGPT Go plan

Google just slashed the price of its Google AI Plus plan to $4.99/month (£4.99 /AU$7.99), down from $7.99, and at the same time doubled the included cloud storage from 200GB to 400GB. This makes Google AI Plus significantly cheaper than its main rival, ChatGPT Go, which costs $8 a month. But which one offers the better value? Let's find out.

The first thing to note is that both of these offerings sit on the bottom rung of OpenAI's and Google's and paid subscription ladders. They're the first step toward the more fully featured ChatGPT Plus on one hand, and Google AI Pro subscription on the other, both of which cost around $20 a month (Google's is slightly cheaper at $18.99).

That said, both plans offer significant improvements over their free counterparts. The free versions are great for occasional use, but you'll soon start running into limits, particularly when it comes to image generation and other advanced features.

Usage improvements

Everything with AI models is measured in usage. Once you've used up your daily allocation, you start to lose access to the better parts of the models, meaning things can slow down considerably or, in the case of image generation, stop working altogether.

To make matters more confusing, neither company is particularly transparent about exactly how much usage you get each day. That's because limits are often dynamic, and can vary depending on demand.

Google AI Plus comes with usage limits that are up to “twice as high” as those on the free version of Gemini. You also get access to additional features, including video generation.

ChatGPT Go, on the other hand, simply promises "more" access than the free version of ChatGPT without specifying exactly how much more. OpenAI says subscribers get more access to GPT-5.5 Instant, along with higher limits for messaging, uploads, image creation, and memory.

If you look at the small print of OpenAI's offer, you'll also notice it states that "this plan may include ads", which is an immediate red flag for me.

What else do you get with Gemini?

Gemini does seem to offer more than ChatGPT. As well as the increased usage limits, you also get a few extras, including access to Nano Banana, Gemini's image generator in Google Search, and 200 Google Flow credits for creating cinematic video scenes.

But the really interesting addition is NotebookLM, Google's AI-powered research and writing assistant. Subscribers get higher limits for Audio Overviews, the feature that automatically generates podcast-style summaries, along with more notebooks for organizing projects and research.

And let's not forget the 400GB of cloud storage, which can be shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. That’s almost worth the price alone, and you’re getting more Gemini access thrown in.

The story Google AI Plus starts to tell is one of integration. If you already rely on Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, and other Google services, the subscription feels less like a standalone AI chatbot and more like an upgrade for your entire Google account.

That's where ChatGPT Go starts to look a little less compelling. ChatGPT remains one of the best AI assistants available, but at this price point, Google is offering a broader package that combines AI tools, research features, video generation, and a substantial amount of cloud storage.

Whether that's enough to tempt existing ChatGPT users away from OpenAI is another question. But if you've been curious about paying for AI and didn't want to spend $20 a month, Google's new $4.99 price point makes Gemini AI Plus one of the most affordable ways to get access to a premium AI experience.

If you’re constantly running out of storage space on your laptop or PC (as much as I love my Mac mini, 256GB for a desktop computer is not a lot), or you need to work with large files across different devices, then it may be worth investing in a high-speed portable SSD. In fact, a portable SSD is also a very reliable backup device for all your important files, whether you're a professional, creative or student.

Now, admittedly external SSDs aren't necessarily as fast as the best internal SSDs, but some high-performance models can deliver read/write speeds of up to 2GB per second, much like our choice for the best overall portable SSD, the Samsung T9.

The T9 follows in the footsteps of the Samsung T5 and T7, both of which were excellent backup devices in their own right, but the T9 is pricey, retailing for AU$549 for 1TB of storage on Samsung's own website.

So it's a good thing that the 1TB T9 portable SSD is down to AU$369 on Amazon for EOFY. That's a 33% price drop, much more than the 16% off that Amazon is listing and works out to just 37 cents per gig of storage.

• Follow our live coverage of all the best EOFY 2026 sales for more deals and discounts

In addition to the blazing fast 2GB per second read and write speeds, the Samsung T9 also takes advantage of a caching system to maintain writing performance. Our testing found read speeds of between 1,700MB/s and 2,000 MB/s as well as writes between 1,300MB/s and 1,900MB/s depending on the workload. For reference, that’s a sizable jump from the previous generation of portable SSDs.

Also helping with the speeds is Samsung’s Dynamic Thermal Guard technology to prevent overheating to help sustain the same performance. For a different kind of security, users can protect the contents with an AES 256-bit encrypted password.

Samsung claims the T9 has a drop resistance of up to 3m with its rugged exterior, while also being compact at 88mm x 60mm x 14mm and lightweight at 122g.

With soaring storage prices, we are on a mission to inform our readers of any SSD deals as soon as they come along. One of the best offers at the moment is this Samsung 9100 Pro 1TB SSD at Amazon for just £165 (was £267.09) — a surprisingly strong discount considering the current situation.

The price drop is even more impressive when you consider how good this NVMe SSD is. We rated it an almost-perfect 4.5 stars in our Samsung 9100 Pro SSD review, with notable praise for its best-in-class sequential read and write performance.

This is a limited-time deal that ends on May 23 or while promotional stock lasts. So, if you've been waiting for the right time to buy some speedy storage, I'd suggest moving fast before the deal's gone.

Today's best NVMe SSD deal

In our Samsung 9100 Pro SSD review, we said: “this is a drive for professional users and for those who need to save or otherwise write large files to disk regularly, and for that, the Samsung 9100 Pro is the best M.2 SSD on the market.”

Despite being Samsung's first 'true' PCIe 5.0 SSD, it still delivers "fantastic performance with the fastest write speeds" our reviewer has ever tested. With rated sequential read/write speeds of 14.8/13.4GBps, it's fast enough for video, editing, LLM training, gaming, and other heavy-duty workloads.

It's worth pointing out that larger capacities are available (2TB, 4TB, and 8TB), although none of those are currently discounted. You might still choose to go for a larger size if you want to future-proof your system.

Our extensive and in-depth guide to the best SSDs is a great starting point if you're looking to explore your options. You might also like to browse the best laptops if you're also thinking that a complete system overhaul could be on the cards.

• Samsung and Kingston are increasing SSD prices according to a report from China
• We're told there will be a 'price increase of at least 10% for solid-state drives'
• On top of that, AMD Ryzen CPUs have seemingly leapt in price in Japan

SSD prices are reportedly set for another increase, and we're hearing news about CPUs getting hiked, too.

Wccftech spotted a report from Chinese tech site IT Home claiming that Samsung and Kingston have "both notified their distribution channels of a price increase of at least 10% for solid-state drives".

This comes from a source in the supply chain, we're told, and seemingly Samsung has notified three major domestic distributors of this price increase which comes into effect now.

As Wccftech makes clear, we've already seen price hikes on high-end SSDs from Samsung and Western Digital earlier this month, applied as stealth increases that amount to a doubling in cost for some models (the really big drives).

Wccftech also flagged up major price rises for AMD Ryzen processors in the Japanese market, as claimed in a report from PC Watch.

The current-gen Zen 5 lineup has been hit with around 40%-50% price hikes in some cases, with the biggest increases hitting the Ryzen 7 9700X (which is up 57%) and Ryzen 9 9900X (up 37%).

A bunch of Ryzen 9000 models have had around 20% increases applied in Japan, including the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which is a popular choice for PC gamers (and is up 22%).

These price rises extend to older AMD processors as well, with some Ryzen 7000 models going up in a major way, led by the 7800X3D — the predecessor of the 9800X3D — being subject to a 41% hike.

Analysis: a broader sign of things to come

Those are really nasty CPU price increases, make no mistake, but it's not surprising that processors are getting more expensive. This has been happening for a little while now, although the increases have been relatively timid compared to RAM and storage.

However, this is the first time truly worrying rises have been seen with CPUs, and although it's limited to the Japanese market, there's a chance we'll see a similar trajectory with pricing elsewhere. Put it this way: I wouldn't bet against this being a broader sign of bad things to come, although it could still prove to be a more localized problem for Japanese retailers.

As for SSDs, assuming the source from the supply chain is correct — and we should appropriately season all these reports, of course — it's likely that SSDs will continue to get more expensive across the globe, not just in Asia. This is backed up by a recent forecast from analyst firm TrendForce, which believes that NAND flash storage could see a price surge of around 75% quarter-on-quarter.

The outlook for SSD pricing is suitably bleak, there's no getting around that, and the same goes for RAM, with TrendForce predicting around 60% rises there.

Amazon continues its spring deals, and I've just spotted an absolute corker on one of the most highly rated microSD cards on the market. It's this SanDisk Ultra 512GB microSD Card at Amazon for £49.99 (was £85.99).

I own one of these cards and have found it to be an invaluable part of my camera setup. It's fast, reliable, and versatile. I use it for my creative endeavours, but it's equally at home in a phone, tablet, Steam Deck, or Nintendo Switch.

The generous price drop means you're getting 512GB for the price of 256GB. I consider that a bit of a steal given all the price hikes in storage costs lately. Just be aware that the deal ends on April 28, so you haven't got long.

Today's best microSD Card deal

The SanDisk 512GB Ultra microSD card is the best of the best. With speeds up to 150 MB/s, this is a perfect solution for standard photography, 4K video recording, and general device use, such as the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.

Classified as UHS-I (U1) and Class 10, it is optimised for Full HD (1080p) video recording and playback. It also carries an A1 rating, which means it is specifically designed for mobile apps, providing faster app launches and smoother performance when running software directly from the card.

The card impresses in durability, with the ability to withstand harsh environments. More specifically, it is waterproof, temperature-proof, X-ray-proof, and shockproof. To help with compatibility, it ships with a full-size SD adapter so it can be used across a wide range of devices, including laptops and digital cameras.

If it's storage you're looking for, then we have a tonne of guides to get you the best deals. These include the best SD cards, the best microSD cards, and the best external hard drive.

• More fake Samsung SSDs have been uncovered, and the drive maker has said it's 'taking consistent action against such counterfeits'
• At the same time, CPU sales are seemingly in a major slump, the worst seen in a decade, we're told
• With the PC component crisis just getting more intense, there is hope for some relief later this year – but the way it'll be realized isn't very comforting

As the PC component crisis intensifies, with CPU sales now apparently in a serious slump, we've had another warning about fake Samsung SSDs as scammers try to capitalize on expensive higher-end drives.

First off, let's look at the SSD nastiness, with German tech site ComputerBase reporting (via VideoCardz) that an Austrian buyer had the misfortune to receive two Samsung 990 Pro SSDs from a retailer that have both been confirmed to be fakes.

While the packaging of the 1TB drives looked authentic enough, and didn't ring any alarm bells, inspection of the SSDs did, as they had a blue circuit board (rather than the black color Samsung uses). They also used the wrong SSD controller (a Realtek model rather than a Pascal controller).

The real sign that something was very wrong, though, was the fact that these solid-state drives didn't work at all. (Unlike better fakes, which work, and can even appear to be the correct model when installed in a PC if you don't engage in anything other than a cursory inspection).

When Samsung was told about this incident by ComputerBase, the company provided a statement that read: "Samsung takes such reports about counterfeit memory products very seriously. We are taking consistent action against the distribution of such counterfeits.

"We recommend purchasing Samsung storage media exclusively through the Samsung Online Shop or authorized retailers. Consumers can also use the Samsung Magician software to verify that their product is genuine."

With the price of CPUs creeping up, maybe we'll also need to be wary of an uptick in processor fakes (such as the counterfeit Ryzen 9800X3D chips we've seen palmed off on unsuspecting consumers in the past).

More broadly, is it the case that pricier processors, and the squeeze from the memory crisis in general, are killing sales of desktop silicon? Apparently, this is indeed happening, as mentioned at the outset.

PC Gamer reports that TechEpiphany, who regularly posts figures from major German retailer Mindfactory, shared some recent data on X showing that processor sales have fallen sharply in the last three weeks (after being in something of a slump across the whole of March). It's mainly AMD Ryzen sales that have dropped actually – though that's partly a function of Intel sales numbers already being a great deal less at the start of 2026 – and it's an eye-opening slump.

Based on that data, and other sales figures drawn from the likes of Amazon, TechEpiphany posted on X that: "In 10 years of tracking retail CPU (and related) sales, I have never seen such a steep decline."

Analysis: an 11.5-level crisis

Saying that this is the single biggest slump which TechEpiphany has witnessed in the last decade is quite a statement regarding CPU sales. When asked 'on a scale of 1-10, how done are we?' in a follow-up post on X, TechEpiphany replied that we're at '11.5' currently.

Are processor prices really rising that steeply? Well, following rumors of major price increases late last year, they are going up, certainly, as there's a CPU shortage which is getting more serious.

However, this isn't just about processors in a bubble, but the entire custom PC market. With the prices of all components going up, and particularly RAM along with storage, building a computer from scratch – or looking at a substantial upgrade to a new motherboard platform for an existing system – has become a ridiculously pricey affair.

So, people just aren't doing that, and this is going to depress CPU sales, and indeed all components – not just the memory side of the equation, where the price hikes have been truly astronomical.

Counterfeit products being increasingly wheeled out as scammers try to profiteer from these high prices isn't going to help the situation, either. It's not great news that fake Samsung SSDs have now reached Europe, after an increase in Japan was already observed – though at least this latest bout of fakery wasn't as sophisticated as previously seen.

There's one hope here, namely that these stupidly high prices – and the PC market in general getting out of hand – is indeed resulting in a refusal to buy from consumers (as apparently seen with CPUs, but also RAM recently, too). That in itself could rebalance the supply and demand seesaw to some extent, and lead to prices falling. And as PC Gamer also spotted, MediaTek is tentatively predicting a more optimistic pricing trajectory for RAM in the second half of 2026 based on this kind of theorizing.

MediaTek's SVP and head of global sales, Eric Fischer, recently told analyst firm Counterpoint: "We're super cautious, maybe cautiously optimistic about the second half [of 2026], about where it goes because, at some point the prices are going to have an impact on the consumer's ability to spend – whether it's notebooks or [other] consumer products."

This is a sentiment we've heard elsewhere, but it isn't really all that comforting that the best hope for the RAM crisis to slacken its grip on our wallets is that pricing simply gets so high that people point-blank refuse to spend. But, here we are, and this is seemingly what it's come to...

• Sony has announced it has suspended production of CFexpress and SD memory cards
• This is a temporary measure, but it'll be the case for the 'foreseeable future' we're told
• There will still be stock of these memory cards in circulation for some time yet, as existing inventory is run down

The latest blow dealt by the memory crisis is that Sony is no longer shipping out SD and CFexpress memory cards to its partners, or supplying cards direct to consumers.

PetaPixel spotted the official announcement (via The Verge) in which Sony Japan said: "Due to the global shortage of semiconductors (memory) and other factors, it is anticipated that supply will not be able to meet demand for CFexpress memory cards and SD memory cards for the foreseeable future.

"Therefore, we have decided to temporarily suspend the acceptance of orders from our authorized dealers and from customers at the Sony Store from March 27, 2026, onwards."

We don't know how long this will go on for, with Sony stating that it intends to monitor supply levels and when things improve, it'll announce the resumption of production.

As PetaPixel makes clear, this affects all but a few models of these memory cards. Sony's CFexpress Type B 960GB card remains in production (it'll set you back a grand, in case you weren't aware, as these are pro-targeted), and also the lowest-end SF-UZ series SD cards (which are largely discontinued in the US anyway, it should be noted).

Analysis: time to panic?

Does this mean that photographers won't be able to buy a Sony memory card now? No, this represents the shutting down of production (for now). There's still stock which is being shipped out from Sony and in the supply chain, in transit or warehouses, as well as the products that are currently on shelves.

As ever, when this kind of move happens, it'll take some time before all this inventory runs out. But when it does run dry, then you won't be able to purchase these SD or CFexpress cards.

And with that knowledge now public, there may be more urgency for some folks to purchase (especially with more popular products) — even though prices have spiked considerably already. We've witnessed high-end SD cards shooting up massively in price, or going out of stock, and sadly, it looks like the road will only become rockier from here.

• A fake Samsung 990 Pro SSD was found to be very convincing
• It looked authentic, reported the correct capacity, and even worked like a real 990 Pro in some benchmarks
• However, a full suite of testing revealed the weakness in the drive — and there are steps you can take to protect yourself

Fake SSDs and RAM scams are becoming more commonplace now that these products have gotten so expensive, but often such knock-offs are easy to spot — although that's not the case with the latest imitation Samsung drive.

There are no clearly inauthentic packaging or product labels, or other obvious giveaways here, and as Japanese tech site Akiba PC Hotline discovered (via Tom's Hardware), you might not even realize this Samsung 990 Pro SSD was a fake clone at all. As Akiba puts it: "More sophisticated counterfeit SSDs have appeared," while warning that these fakes, which are "harder to distinguish from genuine ones, are now flooding the market" (bear in mind this is a translation).

Granted, there are clues for the tech-savvy Sherlocks out there to pick up, such as the wrong model of SSD controller on the drive (a Maxio MAP1602, rather than the Pascal controller it should be).

There are plenty of folks who wouldn't think to check that kind of detail, though, and overall, this forgery of a drive fully looked the part, plus it reported the correct capacity when installed.

It could even keep up the act through some benchmarks, and as Akiba found, some basic tests showed performance very close to what you'd expect to see with the Samsung 990 Pro. It was close enough that you wouldn't question the drive on that basis, whereas many fake SSDs would be completely off the pace with any such testing (and may not even report the correct capacity).

However, with sustained testing, Akiba found that large file writing operations (copying a big video onto the drive) saw the fake SSD fall way behind its expected performance (once it had run out of cache). In these scenarios, it was running at about a fifteenth of the speed it should have been, and given that, it's clear that something is very wrong.

Analysis: be careful where you buy – and call in the 'Magician' (or similar)

While some folks might feel that this drive isn't that difficult to spot as a fake, everything is relative here. And because it appears to be a genuine Samsung 990 Pro in terms of the packaging and drive labelling, and reports the correct size in Windows — and even passes muster in quick tests with, say, CrystalDiskMark — the reality is that this is going to fool many people. Maybe not really techie folks, as noted, but it's a convincing enough scam that it's far more dangerous than the typical efforts we've seen in the past.

The likely scenario with this drive is that the scammers have used cheap QLC instead of Samsung's TLC flash memory that should be in the 990 Pro, and this is how they're carving out a profit (and where the performance falls down in sustained workloads). Given that the Samsung 990 Pro now costs around $250 in the US even in its smallest capacity of 1TB, there's clearly money to be made — and large drives are now ridiculously expensive (for the 4TB model, you're looking at a grand, no less, these days).

So, how can you be more vigilant and avoid a scam like this? For starters, don't buy from third-party marketplace sellers, because if something is suspicious about the SSD you've purchased, you'll want to be dealing with a reputable retailer (and not, potentially, the architect of the scam itself).

Aside from that, if you buy a new SSD, make sure that you benchmark it thoroughly to put the drive through its paces and spot any potential weak points, such as the QLC switch-out seen here. Alternatively, with a Samsung drive, you can use the Samsung Magician software to check if the SSD is an authentic product — there's no pulling the wool over the eyes of this app, as you might imagine.

Other drive makers offer similar tools — or verification methods on their websites — that you can use to ensure the authenticity of a purchased product. Contact the drive maker's customer support if you're unsure about how to check up on what you've bought, and you'll doubtless be pointed in the right direction.

Safe storage and convenient access to documents, photos, and other files, has become an essential element to our private and work lives.

Right now, Carbonite is offering 75% off plans for World Backup Day. For example, the Carbonite Plus plan is currently $32.99 a year, equivalent of $2.75 a month, instead of $131.99.

The plans provide unlimited, automatic cloud backup that protects all files, photos, and videos. Whether it’s accidental deletion, device failure, or theft - Carbonite has you covered.

There is a lot going on for Carbonite, but the fact that it’s unlimited is probably one of its most standout features. It means users get to back up as many items as they want, forever. No more getting charged for extra storage.

Save 75% on Carbonite cloud backup

Why pick Carbonite

There is plenty to like about Carbonite, but we should start with the vitals - you can easily back up all files, and access them from virtually anywhere. Any device, including your phone, can be used to access all of the files, regardless of if you’re at the office, on the road, or at the beach.

The icing on the cake is the antivirus protection that comes with Carbonite’s Plus and Prime Plans. Through Webroot Antivirus, Carbonite users can sleep sound at night, knowing their sensitive documents are safeguarded against all of today’s threats, be that malware, ransomware, or phishing. Cyberattacks are getting worse by the minute, and Webroot’s service is priceless.

The cherry on the icing on the cake is Carbonite’s 24/7 customer support, and if you ever delete a file by accident, there is a seamless recovery option that will make restoring all files a breeze.

Welcome to our MWC 2026 'Best in Show' awards, where we've chosen our top products being shown off at the big trade event.

MWC used to be all about phones — and there are plenty of those in this list — but now it covers everything from wearables to connected smart devices to home networks. Our awards picks cover this breadth of technology.

Honor Magic V6

Some thing in life are inevitable. Night follows day, the tides rise and fall, Honor reveals the thinnest-ever foldable phone at a big tech show. One of the many impressive things about the Honor Magic V6, though, is that it hasn't skimped on durability in favor of being so slim and stylish — it's IP69 rated against water and dust, which is actually better than almost any other phone, despite being foldable.

It's powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Elite 8 Gen 5 powerful processor, backing that generous 7.95 internal screen with a 2352x2172 resolution, while the 6.5-inch cover display has a 2420x1080 resolution. There's a 6,600mAh battery squeezed into the small frame too. It's an incredibly impressive piece of engineering, and absolutely worthy of our award.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The best way to get the full low-down on why this phone has won an award is to read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review, but one quote from it will tell you most of what you need to know: "Of course it's the best Android phone ever."

You've got Samsung's special Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip at the heart, and a beautiful 3120x1440 6.9-inch display – including Samsung's genius and innovative 'Privacy Display', which can hide individual sections of the screen, such as notifications, from snoopers around you. There are wider apertures on the camera to let in more light, lots of advanced AI skills, S Pen support... It's just a powerhouse of a phone for people who want the most capable device on the planet.

Nothing Phone (4a)

If you want super-slick features in an affordable package, we're expecting this to be one of the hottest phones of the year. The Nothing Phone 4(a) keeps the fun techy design that Nothing is known for, including a version of the Glyph Bar on the back.

The 6.8-inch OLED screen has a high 2800x1260 resolution and 120Hz support, with a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip inside, and 12GB of RAM even though it's a cheaper phone and memory is pricey now. There's even a triple camera system on the back — it makes the new iPhone 17e look miserly in comparison. And on top of all this, coming in four nice colors doesn't hurt its desirability either.

TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro

TCL's NXTPAPER screens have been turning our heads for a while now. They're basically ereader-like screens with a matte and paper-y finish that's great for avoiding eyestrain, but with full color performance and advanced screen tech such as 120Hz support. The NXTPAPER 70 Pro phone uses the latest version of this tech, and actually has three adjustable paper-like modes: Color Paper Mode, Ink Paper Mode, and Max Ink Mode. You can hit a button to cycle through them.

There's even an included pen for drawing and making notes on the screen, so this works as a hybrid of phone, ereader and digital note-taker — plus all the other things you expect a phone to do, including taking photos. We've seen NXTPAPER phones from TCL before, but this is the first time we're starting to consider ditching a regular smartphone for one.

MemoMind One

These smart glasses stand out due to the smart flexibility that's built into their core concept. The key idea is that they have a display for each eye built-in, and Harman Kardon personal speakers you can hear, so you can get subtle information from AI assistants easily.

What's really interesting is the modular approach, which applies to both the hardware and software. The glasses offer eight frame styles and five temple designs, so you can find a specific style that suits you — along with prescription lenses. And the LLM support isn't one-size-fits-all; instead it analyzes the task you need it to perform and uses OpenAI, Azure or Qwen, depending on what's the best fit. It's a really clever approach to smart glasses, and we're looking forward to seeing more of (and through) them.

Honor Magic Pad4

The stunning tablet almost seems impossible. At just 4.8mm thick, it feels like there's just not enough space for it to contain a load of great tech — but you've got a beautifully bright 12-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 3000x1920, backed by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor, and up to 1TB of storage.

Being so thin and weighing just 450g (slightly less than the 11-inch iPad Air, despite having a larger screen), it feels like the ultimate portable slate. But the finishing touch is that Honor has made it an interesting work companion too, with a desktop windowed mode that seems very slick, plus stylus support. This might be the most impressive-looking tablet in the world.

Soundcore Space 2

Anker's audio brand Soundcore makes a lot of great-value headphones, and its Space One and Space One Pro models went a little more little more premium — with very strong results. The Space 2 look like they'll take that idea into the stratosphere, though.

Soundcore says the headphones will have the brand's most advanced active noise cancellation yet, and reengineered 30mm silk and ceramic drivers to produce "full, rich bass, clear vocals and crystal-clear highs". LDAC higher-res support will help with that, as will the personalized sound feature, which tests your hearing and adjusts the audio frequencies to boost in areas where your hearing struggles. It sounds like an excellent package, especially with 70 hours of battery life, and a launch price of $130 / £130.

Lenovo ThinkBook Modular PC Concept

This might be the "future of laptops", as we said when Lenovo showed it to us along with some other interesting concepts. It's modular in the sense of having an easily changed configuration on the outside. It looks like a normal laptop, though it has a screen on the back of the lid as well as in the normal place you'd expect to find a screen.

This screen can be popped off, and used as a separate external display. Or you can remove the keyboard, and replace it with this second screen, for a dual-display laptop/tablet hybrid. Finally, the range of ports under the keyboard can be swapped out, so you can customize them for what you need most. We love this idea, and while it might remain largely niche even if it comes to a real product, we're thrilled with the possibilities.

Biwin Mini SSD CL100

For creative pros or anyone with a need to carry a huge amount of data around, Biwin's latest Mini SSD looks like a revelation. The small cards (around the size of a coin) contain up to 2TB of flash storage, but these aren't like SD cards — their data transfer speed is at PCIe 4 pro SSD levels.

Using the Biwin Mini SSD Reader RD510, you can transfer data from the CL100 drives at up to 3.7GB/s read speeds, and up to 3.4GB/s write speeds. They're a mind-blowing bit of design, taking elite storage performance and putting it in a package that would enable you to take hundreds of terabytes with you in the same size and weight as a single regular external SSD.

TP-Link Aginet HB810

This is designed to be the ultimate ultra-fast home mesh Wi-Fi system, and it's on this list because it really seems to achieve that goal. Offering tri-band Wi-Fi 7 across its mesh devices, TP-Link says you'll get 19–22Gbps of wireless speed, and if you want to wire in there's a 10 GbE/SFP+ combo WAN/LAN port, plus 10GbE and 2.5GbE ports.

Part of the key promise here is to be able to maintain the fast speeds even when things get busy or complicated. There's support for 12 spatial streams at once, 320MHz channels, and tech such as Multi-Link Operation to ensure the network is rock steady when loads of people are using it across multiple nodes. Throw in the security and parental control options that you'd expect from an elite Wi-Fi system, and you've got a great-looking home network upgrade.

uCloudlink OmniFlex Pro

This is a pro-level Wi-Fi router that's designed for when you need to set up a network in a new place quickly, and it can pull its internet connection over broadband or over a mobile connection. Nothing new there, but what made this stand out is its commitment to fast performance, combined with the fact that you don't need to have a SIM card for the mobile internet.

It's eSIM only, which means that's one less thing you need to worry about before deploying — whether you're using the mobile connection as a backup only (it will auto-switch to cellular internet if the main connection fails), or using it in a new country, either way you don't need to have planned your SIM use in advance.

Just take out a new digital connection when you need it, or manage your provider so much more easily. And with a 5G connection and Wi-Fi 7 for connection to devices, it'll work as quickly as anything in the category can, plus it has mesh options for expanding the network. Comprehensive!

TP-Link Tapo C665G KIT

This comprehensive outdoor security camera is designed to be something you just never have to worry about — unless it sees something you need to worry about. It's built to be super-tough, standing up to any weather conditions, dust blasts or temperature changes. It's battery powered for total flexibility on placement, and uses its own solar panels to charge the battery during the day, so it can run at night.

Crucially, a very sharp 4K sensor with enhanced night vision combines with AI-based recognition of events, so that it not only can see everything it needs to, but it can also differentiate between movement that's just things blowing in the wind, and disruptions that are really worth warning you about. TP-Link emphasizes that the goal is to make sure it can cover a really broad area efficiently and smartly, making it a great investment — especially since it even has 4G support so it doesn't need to be near your router.

TechRadar is on the show floor for this year’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona, Spain, and we’ll be covering the latest news from some of the biggest names in mobile, computing, fitness and more.

• John Carmack has shared an idea for using fiber rather than RAM
• This is a vision of the future for replacing RAM modules in AI workloads
• While it's highly theoretical and a long way off, there are other possible nearer-term solutions to reduce AI's all-consuming appetite for RAM

John Carmack has aired an idea to effectively use fiber cables as 'storage' rather than conventional RAM modules, which is a particularly intriguing vision of the future given the current memory crisis and all the havoc it's wreaking.

Tom's Hardware noticed the cofounder of id Software's post on X where Carmack proposes that a very long fiber optic cable – and we're talking 200km long – could effectively fill in for system RAM, at least when working with AI models.

Carmack observes: "256Tb/s data rates over 200km distance have been demonstrated on single-mode fiber optic, which works out to 32GB of data in flight, 'stored' in the fiber, with 32TB/s bandwidth. Neural network inference and training [AI] can have deterministic weight reference patterns, so it is amusing to consider a system with no DRAM, and weights continuously streamed into an L2 cache by a recycling fiber loop."

What this means is that said length of fiber is a loop where the needed data (normally stored in RAM) is being "continuously streamed" and keeping the AI processor always fed (as the AI model weights can be accessed sequentially – this wouldn't work otherwise). This would be a very eco-friendly, power-saving way of completing these tasks, too, compared to traditional RAM.

As Carmack points out, this is the "modern equivalent of the ancient mercury echo tube memories", or delay-line memory, where data is stored in waves going through a coil of wire.

It's not an idea that's feasible now, but a concept for the future, as mentioned – and what Carmack is arguing is that it's a conceivable path forward which possibly has a "better growth trajectory" than we're currently looking at with traditional DRAM.

Analysis: flash forward

There are very obvious problems with RAM right now in terms of supply and demand, with the latter far outstripping the former thanks to the rise of AI and the huge memory requirements therein. (Not just for servers in data centers that field the queries to popular AI models, but video RAM in AI accelerator boards, too.)

So what Carmack is envisioning is a different way to operate with AI models that uses fiber lines instead. This could, in theory, leave the rest of us free to stop worrying about RAM costing a ridiculous amount of cash (or indeed a PC, or a graphics card, and the list goes on with the knock-on pricing effects of the memory crisis).

The problem is that there are a lot of issues with such a fiber proposition, as Carmack acknowledges. That includes the sheer quantity of fiber needed and difficulties around maintaining the signal strength through the loop.

However, there are other possibilities along these lines, and other people have been talking about similar concepts over the past few years. Carmack mentions: "Much more practically, you should be able to gang cheap flash memory together to provide almost any read bandwidth you require, as long as it is done a page at a time and pipelined well ahead. That should be viable for inference serving today if flash and accelerator vendors could agree on a high-speed interface."

In other words, this is an army of cheap flash memory modules slapped together, working massively in parallel, but as Carmack notes, the key would be agreeing on an interface where these chips could work directly with the AI accelerator.

This is an interesting nearer-term proposition, but one that relies on the relevant manufacturers (of AI GPUs and storage) getting their act together and hammering out a new system in this vein.

The RAM crisis is forecast to last this year, and likely next year too, potentially dragging on for even longer than that with all sorts of pain involved for consumers. So, looking to alternative solutions for memory in terms of AI models could be a valuable pursuit towards ensuring this RAM crisis is the last such episode we have to suffer through.

While we've witnessed some nasty price hikes with higher-end SSDs, budget drives are being affected too – and the situation is set to get worse, according to one executive at a big storage firm.

This is Shunsuke Nakato of Kioxia – a major SSD and NAND flash storage manufacturer – who is managing director of the firm's Memory Business Unit. As Tom's Hardware noticed, he spoke to Digital Daily, a South Korean tech news outlet.

Nakato observed that we're at the end of the era of affordable 1TB SSDs, and that: "To be honest, this year's production volume is already sold out. The days of cheap 1TB SSDs for around 7,000 yen (about $45) are over."

As Tom's Hardware points out, not so long ago, it was possible to pick up a 1TB solid-state drive for as little as $35 in the US. Right now, I'm not seeing anything less than $100 for a 1TB SSD at major US retailers – and many 1TB NVMe drives are at least $130.

The worry is that, given the chatter about spiking storage prices – which are following after RAM's lead – these SSDs will get a lot pricier soon. Nakato isn't the only person with industry knowledge sounding warning bells, and it's possible that while SSD prices haven't witnessed nearly as steep a climb as RAM, this could change as 2026 rolls on. Indeed, pricing pressure may well be felt throughout 2027, too.

So, the safest bet is likely to buy a wallet-friendly drive now, before all SSDs become distinctly more wallet-hostile, and not just high-end models (some of which have already doubled in price).

I'd be inclined to take this route, and to that end, if you're looking for a 1TB drive, here are my recommendations for what to grab right now.

Top 3 SSDs to consider now

These are my top three choices for the 1TB SSDs that you'll want to consider – though you may have to move very fast to snag some of them (one in particular). I've linked to US retailers for the deals you can get there, but you'll also find links to buy these SSDs in your region below, too, if you aren't in the US.

While these prices are already hiked to a degree, which may be off-putting, just bear in mind that the likelihood is they could seem cheap compared to the inflation the SSD market may incur over the next, say, six months.

WD Black SN850X 1TB: the drive to buy before it goes out of stock

This WD drive is a highly-rated NVMe SSD – we loved the base SN850 model, and there have been other versions since, like the SN850P and this SN850X, which is a slightly peppier, faster variant.

Priced at $109 at Walmart in the US as I type this, I don't think this SN850X will hang around long, given the value proposition it represents in a market where prices are rapidly inflating.

Crucial P310 1TB SSD: the cheapest you can get

If you want to buy as cheap as possible right now, the best deal I'm seeing – at the time of writing – is the Crucial P310. This is a nippy, power-efficient NVMe SSD that is priced at $106 at Amazon in the US currently.

Again, I'm not sure it'll be in stock for long at this price, mind. Technically, it's hardly cheaper than the WD drive above – and I'd definitely recommend that product over this SSD – but if the SN850X has sold out, this is still a great drive for gamers and everyday computing.

Samsung 990 Evo Plus SSD 1TB: a powerhouse drive with endurance aplenty

If you want to go a bit pricier, check out Samsung's 990 Evo Plus in its 1TB flavor, which is a relatively palatable $155 at Newegg. It doesn't make any sense compared to the WD Black SN850X in all honesty, but if that has vanished from Walmart's shelves (or the price has changed), this is a good alternative to the Crucial SSD.

Compared to the Crucial P310, the Samsung 990 Evo has a few advantages, including slightly faster performance, PCIe 5.0 support, and much better endurance (so the drive will last longer – it uses TLC rather than QLC NAND). The latter is crucial (ahem) if you'll be performing many write operations on the drive, and this Samsung model is the better bet for longevity.

However, from a pure value perspective for the everyday user, I'd still plump for the Crucial SSD at the current pricing (although as mentioned, the WD drive is still the top choice, assuming it stays in stock for any length of time).

• SSDs have shot up in price over the past month and a half
• Tom's Hardware compared the cost of some top-end SSDs against gold in terms of their relative weight
• It turns out that high-end 8TB SSDs are, on average, worth more than gold now by weight – and a few 4TB models are, too

If you've ever wondered whether SSDs are more valuable than gold, gram-for-gram, in weight terms – and some folks have, following price inflation driven by the memory crisis – the answer is, rather incredibly, yes, for capacious high-end drives, anyway.

Tom's Hardware reports that a Reddit discussion sprang up around this topic, and our sister site ran some comparisons of the relative cost-to-weight ratios of 24k gold versus certain NVMe SSD models.

Those are the compact stick-style SSDs, of course, that plug into your motherboard via an M.2 slot. (It's worth noting that SATA SSDs, which are much slower than NVMe drives, are in danger of having the plug pulled by a major manufacturer, Samsung, as you may have seen recently.)

To work this out, Tom's collated a list of SSDs (over 100) from major US retailers (Newegg, Microcenter, Best Buy, and Walmart), which were all PCIe 4 or 5 models with at least 4TB capacity (and currently in stock). These were all consumer models, with pricey enterprise drives (laden with a bunch of extra bells and whistles), not considered as they'd throw out the overall value equation.

And obviously, no SSD with a heatsink was included as that ramps up the weight a lot (which averaged around 8 grams for 4TB models, and only slightly more at 8.2 grams for 8TB drives).

With the 8TB models, Tom's worked out that the average price is now $1,476 with their sample. And the price of 8.2 grams of gold? That's about $1,200, based on a price of $148 per gram at the time of compiling the comparison.

So, these top-end SSDs are more than worth their weight in gold, quite literally.

As for the 4TB SSDs, they aren't there yet with their average price, but a few of the very top models edge past the price of the equivalent weight in gold.

Analysis: storage pain

Storage is unfortunately following in the footsteps of RAM. While the price of SSDs hasn't shot up as much as system memory has, matters have already gotten pretty bad.

Tom's shows us a graph of 4TB NVMe drive pricing from PC PartPicker, and you can clearly see that prices rose considerably in December, and there's been an even sharper uptick in the first half of January. Hence, this eyebrow-raising comparison to the price of gold, and it's even worse with faster 8TB models.

Where are we headed from here? I don't think it's too controversial a suggestion that the only way is up. It's just a question of what the flight path might be from here and how steep a climb.

So, if you're needing an SSD for an upgrade or a new PC build, you may want to pull the trigger on a purchase sooner rather than later (no matter what the size, but certainly with top-end models). For example, you can still get a Samsung 9100 Pro for $600 at Newegg in the US, and while the same drive was $400 on sale for Black Friday just a couple of months ago, odds are it could increase in price at a rate of knots from here on out.

Looking at our favorite SSD, the WD Black SN8100, the 2TB model was $220 during Black Friday, but is now – wait for it – $499 on Newegg. Ouch. Western Digital models seem to be riding the crest of the price hikes, Tom's observes, though that could partly relate to the popularity of the drives and how fast stock is selling through as a result.

It's nasty out there in storage land right now, but it could well get worse – and it very probably will. Meanwhile, we might see some creative solutions floating around, and as we made clear earlier this week, those who are on the hunt for an SSD for their PS5 could look at an alternative way to fix their storage predicament.

For all the hype around cloud storage, there are some significant benefits to storing and backing up your files locally. If that sounds good to you, I have a deal that makes it all affordable. Right now, you can get the Crucial X9 2TB Portable SSD at Amazon for £99.99 (was £124.99).

This is a fantastic price for a reasonably sized and fast portable SSD that is more secure, provides fast access, and has no recurring subscription fees compared to cloud storage.

If 2TB of storage isn't the right fit for you, then other sizes are available and also discounted. 1TB can be snapped up for just £68.99 (was £81.99), while the larger 4TB now costs £199.99 (was £239.99).

Today's best portable SSD deal

If you've never heard of Crucial, don't worry; the company is backed by Micron, one of the world’s largest NAND manufacturers. The parent company has been operating since 1978, which not only provides a lot of expertise but also that precious peace of mind to you, the customer.

This particular SSD from Crucial is fast, topping 1.05GB/s in read/write benchmarks. If you need superfast, then you'll need to go for an SSD that supports USB 4 or USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 SSDs, but the X9 should be more than capable for most tasks.

If you'd like to see what else is out there, then our guide to the best SSDs should be your first port of call. While you're at it, you might want to explore our guide to the best laptops if your machine needs an upgrade.

• Samsung is rumored to be ditching SATA SSDs
• The firm will supposedly announce this in January 2026
• This means fewer models at the cheapest end of the SSD spectrum, which is likely to impact pricing considerably

There's some more bad news on the SSD front to join yet another worrying development in the RAM world, both of which relate to supply difficulties and increased prices for these PC components.

First off, the main event here, which is the SSD gloom. It comes via a new video courtesy of Moore's Law is Dead (MLID) in which the YouTuber provides a rumor about budget Samsung SSDs (as TweakTown highlighted).

We're told that one of MLID's trusted sources in distribution claims that Samsung is about to cut off SATA SSD production, and an announcement to this effect will be coming in January.

These SSDs are cheaper models that use the slower SATA interface, as opposed to NVMe SSDs which are the more modern, much faster storage medium, using PCIe lanes (and usually plugging directly into the motherboard in an M.2 slot).

Another of MLID's sources, this time in retail, backs up this idea, telling the leaker that SATA SSDs will be harder to get by the middle of 2026.

On top of that, VideoCardz reports that SK Hynix, a big memory maker, is expecting supply of consumer RAM to remain tight through until 2028 – which isn't the first time we've heard that prediction. This is based on a leaked slide purportedly from SK Hynix aired on X by BullsLab Jay.

Analysis: SSD – scarce supply drives?

Of course, take this with some seasoning, and just because Samsung might be pulling the plug on SSD production soon – in theory, and that may not happen straight away – there will still be existing contracts to fulfil, and stock to sell through.

Still, the message is clear enough: SSDs of the SATA variety are on borrowed time. And even though some of you might be thinking "good riddance, who uses these slow old drives now, anyway?" – well, yes, they are outdated, but there are still buyers looking for budget-friendly SSDs who go this route.

That could be especially true if people building a PC are forking out a fortune for RAM, as the price of that potentially shoots up further next year, and folks look to make savings elsewhere.

As to the reality of how many buyers of SATA SSDs there are, MLID theorizes that it's something in the order of 20% of the solid-state drive market, pointing out that some of the top sellers on Amazon are SATA drives. Samsung likely represents something like half of those sales, so these drives disappearing from shelves could account for the supply of budget SSDs drying up as 2026 rolls onwards. Fewer cheap SSDs could also put pricing pressure on more affordable NVMe models, too.

Why is Samsung making this move? That would be because NVMe drives are simply more profitable, with higher premiums to be charged – as they are a lot faster than SATA products – and they're easier to manufacture, too (as a bare board that plugs into the motherboard, as opposed to a full drive with a case).

Samsung is going to be focusing on making HBM4 memory and GDDR7 video RAM, as well as NVMe SSDs, all of which are more profitable enterprises, particularly given the current AI boom.

Needless to say, if you're looking at buying an SSD, now is likely the best time to act, especially if you can find anything in the way of a holiday deal on a drive – because as of Q1 2026, prices could head upwards quite quickly, particularly for budget SSDs.

Most predictions have memory supply levels being tight until 2027, if not longer – and MLID reckons we're looking at maybe late in 2026, possibly through to mid-2027, before pricing woes settle down somewhat.

Don't forget that storage and RAM price hikes don't just impact those individual components and prebuilt PCs, but also laptops.

Constantly running out of storage space on your laptop? Best Buy has a solution for you today, with a number of excellent Cyber Week discounts on a range of Samsung storage devices.

While several models are on sale, I highly recommend checking out the 4TB Samsung S9 Portable SSD on sale for $299 (was $439). While it's a little pricey, this particular model is the current top pick on our best portable SSD buyers' guide, so it comes with a high recommendation from us.

With 4TB of space, you'll be set for years with the Samsung S9 – although that's not the main selling point. The S9 features a highly resilient exterior that can withstand some serious punishment, as well as support for USB Gen 2x2. In layman's terms, that means extremely quick read and write speeds, although your computer or other device will also need to support that to achieve the best performance.

Either way, the S9 is a great device that should last more than a few good years down the line.

Samsung T9 SSD deal at Best Buy

• See more: check out all of today's storage deals at Best Buy

More storage deals at Best Buy today

It's been a whirlwind this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with surprising and generous deals for all to enjoy, and as the latter's sales come to a close, it's worth highlighting that the KingSpec XG 7000 4TB SSD on Newegg is now $229.99 (was $299.99), with a $70 price drop that places this within the same price region as a 2TB SSD.

Shop Newegg's full Cyber Monday sale

With the benefits of read and write speeds up to 7,400MB/s and 6,600MB/s, respectively, and a whopping 4TB of storage space, you'll never have to worry about slow file transfer speeds or insufficient storage space. This is an ideal option for console or PC gamers, thanks to the 2280 form factor.

(Not in the US? See today's best deals in your region below!)

Today's best KingSpec XG 7000 SSD Cyber Monday deal

Ever since buying my own 4TB SSD for my gaming PC, I've no reason to look back or look to upgrade, and that's because 4TB of storage space is almost perfect for storing a plethora of large games.

Of course, you won't be able to store your entire Steam library onto this drive (you'd probably need an 8TB drive to do that), but this is more than enough space for most users, whether you're gaming or using it for work.

Whether you're on a desktop PC, laptop, or gaming console, or even a handheld gaming PC, this is a drive that can easily cater to your needs of storing large files, especially if you're editing 4K videos. Don't miss it!

More Cyber Monday deals in the US

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

So you might have heard that memory prices are through the roof right now, and it's absolutely true, and unfortunately that also applies to many of the best SSDs on the market. But for Cyber Monday at least, you can get the incredible Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB with heatsink for just $209.99 at Best Buy, an impressive $110 discount while prices for NAND-based components are all heading in the other direction.

• Shop Best Buy's full Cyber Monday sale

The Samsung 9100 Pro is an amazing SSD for high-performance builds that want fast read and write speeds without compromise.

With sequential read speeds up to 14,700MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 13,400MB/s, this drive can handily just about any professional or resource-intensive workload you can throw at it, including PC gaming, with ease.

(Not in the US? See today's best deals in your region below)

Today's best Samsung 9100 Pro Cyber Monday deal

In my most recent testing, the Samsung 9100 Pro delivered blistering fast read and write speeds, perfect for professional users and enthusiasts alike.

While other drives, like the Crucial T705 and Lexar NM1090 Pro beat the 9100 Pro on some tests, only the 9100 Pro delivered consistently high results across workloads, making it my pick as the best SSD for professionals this year.

Shop more Cyber Monday deals

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

How often have you found yourself running out of space for a new game or for that video editing project you’ve been working on? If you’re like me, it happens annoyingly often, which means I’m frequently scouring SSD deals to find a cheap way to add more storage. Right now, you can buy the Crucial T710 2TB NVMe SSD at Amazon for £189.99 (was £249.99) this Black Friday, which is the lowest price it’s ever been.

The standard Crucial T710 2TB NVMe SSD is best for PC upgrades. If you want to upgrade your PS5’s storage, check out the Crucial T710 2TB NVMe SSD Heatsink for £186.99 (was £219.99). In either case, you get fast read/write speeds up to 14,500/13,800 MB/s, so this is a reliable upgrade, whatever your plans.

Today’s best NVMe SSD deal

Crucial has been making SSDs and other hardware like RAM for many years. It may not be a brand currently among the best SSDs but it’s still a reliable option.

With speedy sequential reads/writes of 14,900MB/s and 13,800MB/s, and random reads/writes of 2.2M/2.3M, it’ll cut down on loading times nicely. If you’re considering buying the heatsink model to add to your PS5, it’ll be similarly convenient when loading new games.

If such an upgrade sounds intimidating, don’t worry. It’s very simple to learn how to install a PS5 SSD - and I’ve done it myself. When I did it, it only took me around 10 minutes, and I was impressed at how easy it was to do. Storage is something we all end up needing more of over time and the Crucial T710 is a great solution to that problem.

If you’d prefer the simplicity and portability of an external solution, take a look at the best external hard drives around at the moment. If you need an even bigger upgrade, it might be time to eye up the gaming PC deals going on right now. There are some great discounts around.

Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch & PS5 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

It is not a Black Friday deal per se but this obscure SSD from Onn, Walmart's own brand, is the cheapest ultra fast portable SSD available in the market at just $59 for 500GB. An equivalent product from Sandisk, the Extreme Portable, costs $95.99 while a similar from Samsung, the T7, retails for even higher at $104.99. It is just a real shame that higher capacities (1TB, 2TB, 4GB) aren't available.

Today's best portable SSD deal

What makes the Onn so special is its performance. 2GBps on read and 1.9GBps on write, thanks to the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connection that it provides. I applaud Onn's decision to include a useful case and a pair of relatively long (400mm) USB cables.

Its design reminds me a lot of the Sandisk Extreme portable SSD especially as it also features a bright orange carabiner hole and a textured chassis surface. Unfortunately, it has a 1-year warranty (its rivals have up to 5-year as standard) and doesn't come with any software or data recovery services.

Also consider these portable SSD

Black Friday is already well underway and big savings on hard drives aren't stopping, especially with Newegg.

Right now, you can get this cavernous Seagate Expansion Desktop 26TB Hard Drive for just $250 at Newegg. Amazon is offering a 11% saving (that's $30 savings on the usual price of $280), bringing its SRP down to well under $10 per terabyte ($9.62 to be more precise).

Don't worry if it runs out of stock - as other vendors stock this particular model (STKP26000400 ) for the same price:

• Walmart
• Bestbuy
• Seagate
• Microcenter
• B&H Photo

Seagate's huge 26TB capacity means you'll have enough space for thousands of videos, images, documents and anything else you might need to store, while the USB 3.0 connection will do a speedy job of moving them from your PC or laptop.

Today's best Seagate 26TB Expansion Hard Drive deal

If you're looking to boost your computer storage for any reason and don't want to shell out for the best cloud storage, this might just be the best deal you can find.

We see loads of Black Friday portable hard drive deals but nothing offered quite as much space for so little a price.

Plus, it sports a USB 3.0 connection that allows you to instantly plug-in and backup your files, photos, videos, creative endeavors, and sensitive data at up to 5 GBps, all without any setup.

In a form factor of just 7" x 1.65" x 5" and weighing just under 2.6 lbs, this external hard drive is a smart choice for all those looking to keep their desk clutter free and their treasured files stored securely.

As an additional bonus, this deal includes Seagate's Rescue Data Recovery services, so you can rest assured knowing that the experts are on hand for all your data recovery needs.

Also consider

Newegg is taking preorders for a $50 WD 5TB My Passport for Mac (in blue) portable external hard disk drive, a whopping 68% off its $160 sticker price.

This fantastic Black Friday deal will only be available later today from 9am PT and will last as long as stock is available. You can only buy two, and hundreds of people have already loaded their baskets with this superb offer.

(I have also reached out to Newegg to find out how many they have).

I’ve never seen any hard drive selling for less than $10/TB and this is the first one to achieve this, albeit in very limited numbers. The fact that it is both portable and a 2.5-inch model only enhances its value as an exceptional deal.

The My Passport for Mac is designed for Mac and its Time Machine system. It integrates 256-bit hardware encryption password protection solution and features a 3-year warranty.

WD has included a suite of applications called WD Discovery which enables the end user to import social media cloud storage data as well as improving the performance and security of this portable HDD.

Today's best Western Digital 5TB portable HDD

Despite being designed for Mac, you should be able to use it across Windows, Mac, and Chromebook devices. The 5TB capacity is large enough for backing up large photo and video collections, work archives, and even game libraries.

We reviewed the 6TB version of the drive a while back and said it performed well. We had a slight issue with the robustness of the USB 3.2 microB connector but I think it is a minor point. Overall we gave it a highly recommended award.

While you're here, check out our roundup of the best external hard drives, and also the fastest hard drives.

Also consider these 5TB portable drives

USB flash drives (also known as pen drives, memory sticks or thumb drives) are, like MicroSD cards, cherished companions in our digital lives. They store pictures, documents, videos, music and have evolved from slow storage devices with small capacities to multi-terabyte powerhouses capable of transferring Gigabytes of data per second.

I have researched the best value-for-money flash drives and have arranged them in descending order of price. My top pick is the Buffalo External SSD. Yes, it is an SSD but so small that it fits in the body of a pen drive. It is extremely fast as well (quicker than any hard drive), surprisingly affordable with a whopping 2TB capacity.

As for microSD cards, I don't recommend buying flash drives with a capacity below 128GB, as the price difference with smaller capacities (32GB, 64GB) is insignificant. The only exception being for niche products like secure drives, rugged memory sticks or small models.

I've added the cheapest models for 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB and have only considered trusted brands such as Teamgroup, Sabrent, Move Speed, Kingston, Buffalo, Sandisk and a few others.

I have picked the best USB flash drives (when it comes to sheer value for money) for this Black Friday. I've also selected the largest (in capacity), fastest and smallest memory sticks to cover all bases.

I've added the Sabrent Rocket Nano as it is barely bigger than your average USB flash drive but doesn't have a built-in connector. I also threw in the Picolabs Picodrive, a minuscule USB 4.0 drive that's ridiculously small and absurdly fast.

Remember to back up your precious pen drives to avoid any headache if they are damaged, stolen or lost (or chewed by your dog). I strongly recommend getting a cloud backup or cloud storage solution. Data recovery plans from Amazon (via a third party like After Solutions) can be purchased for as little as $2 per year, providing you with extra peace of mind.

Cheapest USB drives you can buy per capacity

Largest flash drives in capacity

Fastest USB flash drives

Smallest thumb drives in size

• Shop all Black Friday USB drive deals at Amazon.com
• Check out all Black Friday USB drive deals at Amazon.co.uk
• See all USB drives at Newegg

MicroSD cards are an essential part of our digital life, allowing us to store absolutely incredible amounts of data cheaply, on something barely bigger than your pinkie fingernail.

I have been following the meteoric rise of memory cards for almost a quarter of a century and have owned (and tested) dozens of them.

Anything below 128GB is not worth purchasing in my view, as the price difference with smaller capacities (32GB, 64GB). I've added the cheapest models for 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB and have only considered trusted brands such as Silicon Power, Teamgroup, Lexar, Sandisk, Amazon, PNY and Samsung.

I have also added three other products to cover specific use cases. Delkin microSD cards for their overall performance (300MB/s - albeit with a 1000% premium), Sandisk Max Endurance for continuous recording, and PNY 5-pack for affordable storage.

Remember to back up your memory cards to avoid any disappointment should they be damaged, stolen or lost. I strongly recommend getting a cloud backup or cloud storage solution. Data recovery plans from Amazon (via a third party like After Solutions) can be purchased for as little as $2 per year, providing you with peace of mind.

I have picked the best microSD cards (as far as value for money is concerned) for this Black Friday across several use cases and storage capacities and arranged them, below in order of preference.

The best value microSD cards you can buy right now

• SSD prices could be on the verge of skyrocketing due to increased NAND flash memory demand
• Pricing for NAND flash has doubled over the last six months
• This is due to the AI boom, with more data centers shifting from hard drives to SSDs

We're fast approaching Black Friday and the holiday season sales in the latter stages of 2025, and for consumers attempting to get their hands on one of the best SSDs, it may be the most important window of opportunity to grab a good price on PC storage that we've witnessed in some time.

As reported by DigiTimes, prices of NAND flash memory (used in SSDs) have doubled over the last six months due to the 'AI boom' according to Phison's CEO Khein-Seng Pua. The growing demand from data centers (shifting away from hard drives to SSDs) means we're looking at potential supply shortages in 2026 and beyond, possibly for several years, the chief executive believes.

It's also worth noting that the prices for TLC 1-terabit NAND (a popular flash memory chip) have increased to $10.70 from $4.80, with similar price hikes across other modules as well, illustrating a significant shift in demand for these storage components.

Phison, which is a major player in providing components for SSDs (controllers, mind you, rather than memory chips), had a 30% year-on-year increase in revenue in the third quarter of 2025, which has been attributed to the increased demand and price of said SSD controllers.

DigiTimes also reported that SanDisk has already increased NAND flash prices by 50% this November, again as a result of increased AI usage and data storage needs, a trend that's been ongoing for months (with the likes of Western Digital).

This all adds up to plenty of evidence to suggest that consumers may feel the impact of price hikes when looking to purchase a new SSD.

Analysis: Black Friday is your best friend, SSD hunters

It therefore looks like there's no better time than now to buy a new SSD, because Black Friday is fortunately upon us this November. And since I've not yet noticed any significant price changes at the consumer level just yet, it's likely better to take advantage of current pricing while you still can, particularly with a Black Friday discount thrown in.

Securing a 4TB SSD has worked wonders for my gaming PC for years now, and while that might seem like overkill for some (especially because they don't come cheap), it's definitely worthwhile. You'll rarely be left worrying about insufficient drive space, and perhaps most importantly, you'll be set for your storage needs for some time, whatever happens with SSD pricing in the future - which looks pretty bleak.

Whether it's an M.2 SSD to slot into your PC's motherboard, or a portable external SSD, there's bound to be plenty of bargains to find leading up to Black Friday and the special day itself, and we'll be here to cover it once the big sale kicks off.

The storage of important documents, precious photos, sensitive work data, and the like is becoming increasingly important. We want our files to be both secure and instantly accessible, which is why everyone should consider one of the best cloud-based backup solutions.

One of our favorites is Carbonite who offer unlimited, automatic cloud backup that protects your files, photos, and videos from accidental deletion, device failure, theft, and more. Better still, Carbonite cloud backup plans are currently discounted by up to 40%.

There are a number of benefits to going with Carbonite, but at the top of my list is that it's truly unlimited. That means you can back up as many items as you want, with no limit whatsoever. Say goodbye to being charged for extra storage.

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Why we love Carbonite cloud backup

With Carbonite, your data is not only backed up but also easily accessible from anywhere. You can access them from any device, including your phone, so your important documents are always with you—whether you're at the office, at home, or on the road for a business trip.

If antivirus protection is important to you, Carbonite's Plus and Prime plans come with complimentary Webroot Antivirus. This powerful service helps safeguard your computer against a wide range of threats, including viruses, ransomware, and phishing attempts. In a world where data breaches are on the rise, Webroot provides a crucial layer of defense.

Should you ever need help, Carbonite offers 24/7 customer support. And if you accidentally delete a file, their seamless recovery options make it easy to restore your data.

If you missed out on this current deal, check out our Carbonite promo codes for more ways to save on data storage and cloud backup.

If you're looking to purchase some of the best antivirus software, then Webroot Essentials should definitely be up there at the top of your list. Your confidence should be strengthened by the fact that Webroot was ranked number one in the recently released July 2025 PassMark study.

If that sounds good, you'll be glad to hear that Webroot Essentials is currently 50% off. That means you can get one-device protection for as little as $25/year or if you'd like cover for five devices, it'll cost you $45/year.

Webroot Essentials is a powerful, cloud-based antivirus that protects customers across PCs, Macs, tablets, Chromebooks, and smartphones. With Password Manager and Web Threat Shield baked in, Webroot Essentials empowers people to live their best digital life online without the fear of falling victim to viruses, ransomware, phishing, and more.

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Say goodbye to antivirus software that causes your computer to grind to a halt. With Webroot Essentials you'll enjoy fast and efficient virus scans that avoid hogging memory or storage space. According to the July 2025 PassMark study, Webroot Essentials was six times faster in performing scans compared to Norton, McAfee, and Bitdefender.

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