There’s never been a better time to buy an SSD than 2023. Prices of solid-state drives have dropped across the board in the last few years, putting even some of the best SSDs in the hands of even the most casual PC builder.
But just because prices are low doesn’t mean they can’t be lower. Pick up an SSD at the right time, and you can net yourself a chunky saving even on new drives and high-capacity models. And it’s not just PC gamers that are in luck. Many of the best PS5 SSDs and best Xbox Series X|S SSDs also get price cuts throughout the year during major sale events.
Best Time to Buy an SSD
Black Friday/Cyber Monday
SSDs often receive hefty discounts during Black Friday sales. Better yet, the higher-end and newer models are often the ones that enjoy the best deals. Last year, for instance, the 1TB WD_Black SN850X dropped to its lowest-ever price at nearly a 50% discount only a few months after hitting shelves. It’s a useful reminder: If an SSD you like the look of appears in the summer, it’s worth waiting a few months to see if you can grab it at a bargain price in autumn.
Black Friday is November 24th this year, though retailers often launch discounts in the preceding weeks. Your next best bet is the Amazon Black Friday sale kicking off on Friday November 17. They’ll also tick over to Cyber Monday on the 27th if you miss those sales. There’s rarely much, if any, difference between the discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so if you see something on Friday for a price you like, don’t hang about in the hope it will get a further price cut by the following Monday. It won’t, but stock could run out.
Amazon Prime Day
Big deals also pop up on Amazon Prime Day in July. We saw discounts topping 50% and on several new-ish drives in 2023. Prime Day deals are usually a touch more scattershot, with many lesser-known brands advertising the biggest discounts while the heavyweight SSDs get less impressive price knocks. That’s not always the case, though, and the Xbox expansion cards received hefty price cuts during the last October Prime Day.
Amazon held two Prime Day events this year – in the spring and autumn. The second had fewer deals overall and few of those were worth raving about. Amazon will likely bring back both in 2024, so you can expect discounts in both July and October once again.
Seasonal Retailer Sales
Other online retailers – like Newegg and Best Buy – also hold their own seasonal sales throughout the year. They’re worth keeping your eye on, although some of the best deals are usually saved for Black Friday. Still, if you see an SSD you like for a price you fancy earlier in the year, it could be worth grabbing as there’s no guarantee the deal will return for Black Friday.
Prices Have Never Been So Low
It wasn’t too long ago that SSDs could only be afforded by the most enthusiastic PC gamers. Now, they’re found in every new PC gaming rig as well as the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. They’ve become a staple, in large part because their prices have plummeted. Flashy 2TB SSDs that would a few years ago have set you back $300 can now be had for just over the $100 mark. Smaller capacities are even cheaper, and it’s not hard to find a reliable drive for half that.
The prices of the best PS5 SSDs have also been steadily dropping over the last couple of years, but Xbox players aren’t having quite as good a time of it: the Xbox Series X|S is only compatible with a couple of bespoke expansion cards, driving up their prices.
All of which is to say you can’t go far wrong. Time your purchase around a big sales event like Black Friday or Prime Day for the biggest savings, or consider waiting another 12 months to see just how low the ever-falling prices will drop. Buying an affordable SSD has never been easier.
Do You Need an SSD?
Before throwing down the cash for a new SSD, it’s worth considering whether you really need one. If you like dipping into several AAA games at a time, or don’t want the hassle of re-downloading them when you fancy another go around, then a roomy SSD is essential. Some of the most popular video games eat up increasingly large amounts of storage space, and live service titles like Fortnite and Destiny 2 only get more greedy with their storage requirements as they drop new seasons of content and expansions.
Similarly, it’s worth nabbing an SSD if your gaming PC is still running off a hard drive. SSDs are quicker, more durable and less noisy. Install Windows on an SSD and your PC will boot faster. Install games on it, and they’ll load more quickly. The difference will be instant and noticeable.
If you already have an SSD, though, and tend to only rotate between a small selection of games or enjoy having one on the go at a time, you may not need to upgrade. Not everyone needs oceans of extra storage, and unless you frequently capture screenshots, video clips, and intensely transfer files to and from the drive, faster read and write speeds will be redundant. In that case, you may find your money is better spent (or saved) on the best CPUs or best graphics card to upgrade your rig.
Can Your Rig Handle It?
Nabbing an SSD at the right time thankfully less of a chore than finding the best time to buy a graphics card. There’s never any downside to expanding your PC or console’s storage capacity, and the performance of your sparkly new SSD won’t be bottlenecked by any of your rig’s other ageing components.
But consider your build all the same. If you’re upgrading your SSD with the hope of installing more of the latest AAA blockbusters, check whether your GPU and CPU are up to the task of playing them. That expansive storage won’t count for much if you’re only able to play the games you cram on it at low, juddering frame rates.
Callum Bains is a freelance tech contributor and writer for IGN, with work seen on MSN, Yahoo and more.
