Getting your hands on a high-capacity and speedy 4TB SSD in 2026 for under $200 is a distant dream, as even 2TB drives are often priced at $300. In short, the DRAM shortage has ensured that the consumer market will remain miserable for quite some time, and to rub salt into the wound, one owner of Samsung’s 870 EVO in the 4TB capacity reveals that the drive he purchased for $169.99 back in 2023 is now available for six times the premium.
The price of a 4TB 870 EVO was $169.99 when it was purchased by Redditor “tylerbagot” on October 11, 2023, from Amazon, and now the exact same listing shown in the image below shows the solid-state drive in the exact capacity is $1,099.90, making it out of reach for the masses, except the absolute ballers who will spend every nickel and dime on these upgrades
What is appalling to learn is that the price hike has affected SATA III SSDs, which continued to possess some relevance in the market thanks to their insane value, but the AI boom has taken away this advantage too. Fortunately, it is not like the $1,000 figure has branched out to all SATA III SSDs, because you can still find decent value on Amazon if you search hard enough.
For instance, TeamGroup’s T-FORCE VULCAN Z SATA III SSD in the 4TB capacity can be yours for $329.99 on Amazon after a 12 percent discount. Some of you might conclude that this is terrible value, but if you search on the online retailer carefully, you will find that one of the lowest prices for a 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 SSD is $289.99 , belonging to Crucial’s P310, with speeds of up to 7,100MB/s.
If you have an older laptop or even a new desktop computer and want a drive to store files that you can access quickly, SATA III SSDs still have their use cases, just as long as you have the required budget. However, if your requirements are purely performance-driven, you are far better off investing in a PCIe NVMe Gen 4 solid-state drive.
News Source: Reddit
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