On Black Friday, is it wise to get an SSD?

Solid-state drives, or SSDs for short, are the industry standard for storage in business computing. They used to be rather pricey, but they are now quicker and smaller than their HDD equivalents. However, because to their growing popularity and occasions like Prime Day and Black Friday, their costs have dropped to more affordable levels. Black Friday is coming around again, and stores like Walmart and Best Buy are stocking their SSD aisles.

You’ll probably come across amazing offers and question if you should take advantage of them. Purchasing items at their lowest costs is fantastic, but before you get carried away, thoroughly assess your needs and why you need them. For this reason, we are outlining some important considerations that you should have before choosing to purchase an SSD on Black Friday.

Make sure everything works

Make sure the SSD is compatible with your PC, laptop, or gaming rig before choosing a bargain. A high-end SSD that you purchase for a low price won’t be much use if it doesn’t work with your setup. The form factor is an excellent place to start when determining compatibility.

Since many SSDs used in contemporary laptops have a 2.5-inch size factor, upgrading from an HDD is simple. But since 3.5-inch SSDs are used in the majority of desktop PCs, you have to be cautious when selecting one for the system you need to replace. Furthermore, some PC cases include mounting choices of their own, so be sure the storage that appeals to you fits your case precisely before purchasing it.

Consider the M.2 form factor if you’re purchasing an SSD for a minicomputer or an ultra-thin laptop. There are two primary types of SSDs available with this form factor: SATA and NVMe. They operate with a variety of devices, including desktops, laptops, mobile PCs, and traditional game consoles. They are also smaller and quicker than the 2.5-inch versions. Thus, before making a purchase, be sure the form factor is correct.

Decide on your computer’s specifications

During Black Friday, it’s inevitable that companies will make claims about product discounts when, in reality, they’re just attempting to get rid of outdated inventory. It occurs with SSDs too, just like it does with other IT devices. Outdated technology is sometimes tagged with terms like “latest,” “fastest,” or “newest”.

Choose PCIe 3.0 SSDs or better when looking for the finest SSD pricing. With sequential read and write speeds of up to 12,400MB/s and 11,800MB/s, respectively, PCIe 5.0 is the newest generation of SSDs. PCIe Gen 5.0 SSDs aren’t currently extensively accessible, though. So be sure you purchase a PCIe 3.0 SSD at the very least.

Remember the kind of slot you have as well. A PCIe 3.0 slot can accommodate a PCIe 5.0 or 4.0 SSD, but it won’t function to its maximum capacity. Since the storage device is utilizing a PCIe 3.0 slot, it can only provide those speeds. Therefore, unless you intend to future-proof your device, make sure you only get the optimal storage for the slot on your PC.

Select reliable brands and evaluate costs

Despite common belief, SSDs can malfunction. And manufacturing flaws are frequently one of the major causes of it. On several websites, notably Amazon, you’ll find a lot of offers from unknown manufacturers. However, despite their allure, you should avoid them. Many of these businesses provide subpar goods, and since they frequently don’t have customer service, you may find it difficult to file a complaint.

You may not receive a refund or replacement if the goods is damaged, and you won’t have someone to complain to. To exacerbate matters, these businesses frequently inflate the pricing of their goods before slashing them to give the impression that they are offering a bargain. Additionally, you must be cautious of third-party resellers. While many sell genuine items, some give dubious listings or rename things to seem similar to genuine ones.

You can purchase one item and receive a completely different one. Additionally, not everyone wants to deal with the hassle of returning goods, even if Amazon and other merchants offer consumer protection. As a result, make sure to read product names carefully, verify brand ratings, and only ever buy from the original retailer when buying a product. You may get SSDs from a number of reputable companies, including WD, Silicon Power, SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, Crucial, Sabrent, Seagate, and Sabrent.

As was previously indicated, a lot of firms employ the dubious strategy of raising the price of SSDs and then lowering it to the original price, making it appear like a large bargain. To find out the true cost and decide if it’s a deal worth taking advantage of, you can look at the Black Friday sales offered by other merchants. In order to monitor the discounts and examine the pricing history of the goods, you can also utilize websites like camelcamelcamel or install browser extensions like Honey.

Whether you want to purchase an SSD during Black Friday, Amazon Prime Day, or other sales events, the aforementioned variables can help you acquire the best one for your setup. Make sure the storage drive is compatible with your computer, select the appropriate specifications, purchase from reliable companies, and shop around to find the best price. This advice may also be used to your Black Friday shopping for discounts on computers, network storage devices, and other equipment.