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).
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