The best way to improve the performance of an older PC or to expand the capacity of a newer one is a solid-state drive (SSD). SSDs are considerably faster than mechanical hard disk drives (HDD) and, as such, were traditionally more expensive. Prices have dropped over recent years, and now it's possible to buy 2.5-inch SATA and M.2 NVMe SSDs for less. During promotions such as Amazon Prime Day, which takes place July 11-12, some of the best SSDs on the market will be discounted, allowing you to buy more capacity at reasonable prices.
The retail giant won't be the only place to find deals these days, however, as other online stores have also announced similar promotions. We're continuously searching for the best SSD deals each day and will be updating this post with 2.5-inch and M.2 picks, as well as highlighting our favorite storage deals. Picking up a great discounted drive here would work well when taking advantage of the best Prime Day laptop deals.
Best deals
WD Black SN850X 4TB
Ready to up your game? This 4TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD from Western Digital is capable of hitting speeds beyond 7,000MB/s, which is impressive given the heavy discount for Prime Day.
TeamGroup AX2 2TB
TeamGroup makes some solid PC components, including SSDs and RAM. The company's AX2 is a great budget-friendly way of storing a lot of data without having to resort to mechanical hard drives.
Crucial P5 Plus SSD
The Crucial P5 is a popular choice among system builders and gamers, thanks to its reliable performance, good value, and excellent warranty. This 2TB version is just $104 for Prime Day.
Acer Predator GM7000 4TB
Just when you thought an NVMe 4TB SSD couldn't get any cheaper for Prime Day, Acer decided to knock its GM7000 down to $200. That's $0.05 per GB for a drive that can hit speeds of up to 7,400MB/s.
This is a short list of our favorite SSD deals from Prime Day. There are countless other drives on sale right now, which will be categorized below for 2.5-inch SATA and M.2 NVMe.
2.5-inch SATA SSD deals
The price of 2.5-inch SATA drives has fallen dramatically over recent years, and it's now possible to buy 2TB drives for less than $70, making them almost competitive against mechanical HDDs. We're big fans of the TeamGroup AX2 with its reliable performance and excellent capacity with 2TB of storage space. There's also the brilliant Crucial BX500 for those who need to maximize endurance and battery life. Either one would make an excellent addition to your desktop PC to store games, media, and more, offering a substantial upgrade over mechanical HDDs.
M.2 SATA & NVMe SSD deals
Regardless of when you're looking to buy an M.2 NVMe drive, you'll need to be prepared to pay a fair chunk of change, even when they're discounted. ADATA's Legend range of storage is considered budget-friendly and affordable, yet its 1TB drive still costs just shy of $50. Move up the speeds to more than 7,000MB/s, and you'll get to the SK hynix Platinum P41, currently discounted to a whopping $136. These drives should be used as primary storage for the OS and frequently used software. They are the perfect match for the fastest CPUs and GPUs on the market.
Amazon Prime
Ready to enjoy these deals on SSDs and so much more? Subscribe to Amazon Prime and you'll be good to go!
FAQ
Q: How much should you spend?
The price of an SSD depends on its rated speeds, capacity, and form factor. 2.5-inch SATA SSDs are considerably less expensive than M.2 NVMe drives, but are often slower and require a place within the PC case for installation. The higher the speeds and capacity of a drive, the more expensive it will be. We'd recommend setting your budget accordingly.
Q: Should you buy an M.2 or 2.5-inch SSD?
The choice between an M.2 NVMe SSD and a 2.5-inch SATA SSD depends entirely on what your PC supports. Most modern motherboards will have at least one M.2 slot, which can take an M.2 SSD. Doing so saves space inside the PC case by removing both the SATA and power cables required by 2.5-inch drives. They're also considerably fast, but more expensive. Want the highest capacity for the lowest price? Go with a 2.5-inch drive. Want the best performance and save space? M.2 drives are for you.
Q: What makes a good deal?
You will only find SSD deals here that are worth considering. We've seen retailers in the past artificially inflate prices of products ahead of discounts to make it seem as though the deal is new. We make sure the discounts we cover here at XDA-Developers are deals we'd consider buying ourselves. You can check prices yourself by using tools such as CamelCamelCamel.