External SSDs Now Outshine Internal SATA Storage in Price and Performance
The storage landscape is undergoing a significant shift, with external SSDs now offering better value than internal SATA drives, particularly at the 4TB capacity level. A Crucial X9 Pro 4TB external SSD, for instance, is priced at $279.58, delivering up to 1050MB/s read and write speeds over USB 3.2. In contrast, a Silicon Power 4TB SATA internal SSD costs $299.99, despite its lower performance and older SATA III interface.
This price disparity is largely driven by changes in NAND flash production and pricing. Memory manufacturers like Micron and Samsung are prioritizing DRAM over NAND, reducing the downward pressure on NAND pricing and limiting incentives to produce slower, low-margin SATA SSDs at higher capacities. As a result, the gap between external SSDs and internal SATA drives has narrowed, making the latter harder to justify, even as demand for high-capacity storage continues to grow.
SATA SSDs Facing Extinction
The situation is most visible at the 4TB level, where external SSDs and NVMe drives are becoming increasingly cost-competitive. A Crucial P310 4TB NVMe SSD based on PCIe Gen4, for example, is selling for around $341, placing high-speed internal NVMe only modestly above external SSD pricing. In contrast, SATA SSDs remain stuck in between, with prices rising alongside faster storage options, leaving them without a meaningful cost advantage.
According to price tracking data from PCPartPicker, 4TB SATA SSDs have not benefited from the aggressive price drops that NVMe and external SSDs have experienced over the last 18 months. As memory supply tightens and prices increase, SATA drives are becoming less appealing, especially with motherboard support for SATA shrinking, particularly in smaller form factor systems and newer platforms.
Implications for System Builders and Upgraders
For system builders and upgraders, this creates an unusual situation. External SSDs are no longer just a convenience option but a cost-effective way to add large amounts of fast storage without opening a system or committing to aging interfaces. With fewer compromises, external SSDs and NVMe drives are increasingly offering better value, making 4TB SATA SSDs approach the end of their practical relevance.
Taken together, pricing, performance, and platform trends suggest that SATA SSDs are becoming less relevant. As the storage landscape continues to evolve, it’s essential to consider the latest options and pricing when upgrading or building a system. For more information, visit Here
- External 4TB SSDs now undercut slower internal SATA storage on price
- Memory production shifts are reshaping NAND supply and storage pricing dynamics
- SATA SSDs face shrinking relevance as NVMe and external drives converge
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