Over the years, we’ve tested a lot of hard drives of all kinds, from premium to budget options. We’re here to help you find the best cheap SSDs for your storage needs. You’ll find plenty of options out there that don’t sacrifice performance in whatever budget range you’re looking for. Whether you’re looking for the latest PCIe M.2 SSD (opens in a new tab)external SSD or a SATA-compatible drive, you’ll find something here that’s right for you, whatever your storage needs.
When solid state drives were first introduced, there was no such thing as the best cheap SSDs. The SSD was expensive. These were premium upgrades to every computer system that received them. Fortunately, a lot has changed since then, and finding affordable solid-state drives is now relatively easy. And they’re just as good as the pricier ones from previous years – especially when you consider that SSDs are often heavily discounted during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday seasonal sales.
Although there are many expensive solid state drives (opens in a new tab) also on the market, the best cheap SSDs can keep up with the performance, although they may not offer the same amount of storage. Whether you’re on a budget and need more capacity, whether it’s for storing creative projects, excess games or all your work documents, here’s your storage solution.
Best NVMe M.2 SSD deals
The Crucial P5 Plus now picks the best SSD deal if you’re looking for the fastest NVMe storage possible. While it’s not the fastest product on the market, it’s certainly the most competitively priced PCIe 4.0 option, which means it supports the latest hardware in terms of non-technical laymen. It’s simply a fantastic option for everything from gaming to creative applications, and a limited 5-year warranty will help future-proof your build.
The best budget NVMe SSD deal
The Crucial P3 is the more budget sibling of the P5 Plus and is even more value if you’re just looking for a decent NVMe SSD on a budget. It’s PCIe 3.0, which means it won’t be as fast (it only has write speeds of up to 3500MB/s), but it’s more than capable of pretty much any application. It’s also much faster than the equivalent 2.5-inch SSD, which typically only offers speeds around 500MB/S. Overall, it’s a super solid drive that has plenty of great storage options ranging from 500MB all the way up to 2TB.
The best 2.5 inch SSD deals
No list of the best SSDs seems complete without the Samsung 850 Evo, which consistently tops the pack. While the 850 Evo is available as an M.2 and mSATA drive, it’s a standard 2.5-inch drive that proves time and time again to be an SSD you can’t go wrong with.
The 850 EVO comes in many different storage sizes, allowing you to choose what’s right for your budget. With fast read and write speeds and reliable 3D NAND backed by a 5-year warranty, the 850 Evo is the ultimate drive from a respected brand. While the price may fluctuate a bit, now is a great time to pick it up – especially with the launch of the Samsung 860 Evo.
The best budget 2.5-inch SSD offering
The Crucial MX500 SSD offers incredible value, giving you plenty of space for your dollar. It comes in a standard 2.5″ drive size, so it should fit in any standard desktop and will also fit in many laptops.
In addition to the great value of the MX500, there is also its excellent performance. Despite its affordable price, the MX500 is built using fast, highly durable 3D NAND flash and comes with a 5-year back-up warranty. It reads and writes data quickly, both large and small, and keeps up with the competition.
Best laptop SSD deals
Want to upgrade your laptop? SanDisk has the answer. The SanDisk Ultra II offers great value and performance for your dollar, and with a standard 2.5-inch drive size and just 7mm thin, it should fit a wide range of laptops.
The SanDisk Ultra II’s speeds are on par with its closest competitors, but at its best 500GB it undercuts the price of other drives. This makes it a good choice for upgrading your laptop. It comes with a 3-year warranty.
The best external SSD deals
Western Digital has an external SSD that is worth the money. While many other external SSDs warrant serious consideration of building your own external SSD by purchasing a normal SSD and USB enclosure separately, WD’s My Passport offers a price that’s only slightly higher than an internal SSD of the same size. Plus, you won’t find a third-party enclosure smaller than the WD My Passport SSD.
Supporting USB-C and USB 3.1 Gen 2, the My Passport external SSD allows you to quickly connect to your computer. It’s also small and lightweight, measuring just 1.8 x 3.5 x 0.39 inches and weighing 1.44 ounces. Of course, with portability comes the issue of security, but My Passport includes 256-bit encryption to protect your data from intruders, and it’s drop-tested up to 6.5 feet to protect your data from accidents.