Four years ago I wrote a story proclaiming I’d never buy a hard drive again , and every year since, that promise has gotten easier to maintain as flash-based storage just keeps getting cheaper. If I didn’t already have several 2TB SSDs (yes, I have a storage problem), I’d be sorely tempted to pick up one of the 4TB options below, most at their lowest prices ever.
Crucial and TeamGroup lead the SATA affordability pack, with the 4TB MX 500 for just $269 (opens in new tab) and a two-pack of 2TB AX2 SATA SSDs for an incredible $185 (opens in new tab) . Don’t expect extreme speed from either of these drives—especially the entry-level AX2s. But if you need lots of space to store your games or media, it’s hard to complain about paying less than a nickel per gigabyte. And the endurance on both options is quite good, with the Crucial drive rated to 1,000TBW, and the TeamGroup drives promising 1,600TBW per drive.
If you prefer WD and/or the color blue, B&H has the mid-range 4TB WD Blue SATA SSD on sale for $289 (opens in new tab) , also an all-time low. Looking for something at the top of the SATA drive stack? Samsung’s 4TB 870 Evo is also down to its lowest price ever, at just $299 (opens in new tab) . This drive tops our Best SSD list for a consumer SATA drive for its class-leading performance, 256-bit AES encryption and long 5-year warranty.
Stepping up in speed and down in physical dimensions is TeamGroup’s 4TB MP34 M.2 PCIe 3.0 SSD for $329 (opens in new tab) , or about $30 less than it’s ever been. With 3,500/2,900 MB/s rated sequential reads and writes, it would do quite well as a cavernous boot drive or fast secondary storage. It’s also rated to an astounding 2,400TBW of endurance and comes with a 5-year warranty.
Last up, and fastest of this SSD deals pack – although no leader in its PCIe 4.0 class – is Crucial’s P3 Plus M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD, at $299 (opens in new tab) . Rated at 4,800 MB/s sequential reads and 4,100 sequential writes, it’s at the low end of the speed PCIe 4.0 spectrum, but still faster than PCIe 3.0 drives. And it comes with a nice 5-year warranty. This drive would make a good boot drive in a new mid-range build, or a great secondary storage drive in a high-end build with a much faster PCIe 4.0 drive, like the Samsung 990 Pro .
(opens in new tab) 4TB Crucial MX500 2.5-inch SATA SSD: now $269 at B&H (opens in new tab) (was $359)
The MX500 has been around since 2017, but this TLC drive is a dependable workhorse that would be great as a secondary storage or game drive. Its 560/510mb/s sequential read/write rating is pretty close to the limit of SATA performance.
(opens in new tab) 2x 2TB TeamGroup AX2 SATA SSDs: now $185 at Amazon (opens in new tab)
This two-pack of TeamGroup’s 2TB AX2 SATA drives is hard to beat at under $200. These are admittedly low-end drives, and TeamGroup’s product page lists speeds of only up to 540/490 MB/s sequential read/write. But the drives are covered by a 3-year warranty and a 1,600TBW endurance rating (per drive).
(opens in new tab) 4TB WD Blue 3D SATA SSD: was $349, now $289 at B&H Photo (opens in new tab)
This 2.5-inch SATA drive is rated to 560MB/s reads and 530MB/s writes. Its endurance rating of 600TBW is low but not likely to be an issue if you're using the drive for game or other types of storage. It ships with a 5-year warranty.
(opens in new tab) 4TB Samsung 870 Evo SATA SSD: now $299 at Amazon (opens in new tab) ( was $379)
Samsung’s 870 Evo is our favorite SATA SSD, with the 4TB model delivering the best performance in its class in our testing. And its rated endurance is astounding, at a whopping 2,400 TBW. You won’t find a faster or higher-rated SATA SSD, and at $299 this drive is about $30 cheaper than it’s ever been.
(opens in new tab) 4TB TeamGroup MP34 M.2 PCIe 3.0 SSD: was $399, now $329 at Newegg (opens in new tab)
When we reviewed the MP34 back in 2019, it was an excellent value, offering solid performance (it’s rated to 3,500/2,900 MB/s sequential reads/writes) and high endurance at competitive pricing. Here in 2022, the 4TB model is down to $329, which is about $30 cheaper than we’ve ever seen it before.
(opens in new tab) 4TB Crucial P3 Plus M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD: now $299 at Amazon (opens in new tab) (was $359)
Crucial’s P3 Plus isn’t the best-performing drive by any measure, as we saw in our review. But it’s a PCIe 4.0 model rated to top 4,000 MB/s sequential reads and writes, with a good 5-year warranty. At its lowest price yet of $299 for the 4TB model, it’s hard to argue against.
