- 4TB external SSDs now reduce the price of slower SATA internal storage
- Changes in memory production are reshaping NAND supply and storage pricing dynamics
- SATA SSDs Face Decreasing Relevance as NVMe and External Drives Converge
High-capacity external SSDs now sell for less than 4TB internal SATA drives, a situation driven by ongoing changes in NAND flash memory production and pricing.
The gap has narrowed to the point where slower internal SATA SSDs are increasingly difficult to justify, even as demand for high-capacity storage continues to grow.
Current supply pressures mean memory manufacturers like Micron and Samsung are prioritizing DRAM over NAND. That allocation change has reduced downward pressure on NAND prices and limited incentives to continue producing slower, low-margin SATA SSDs with higher capacities.
SATA SSDs in danger of extinction
This is most visible at the 4TB tier, where a Crucial X9 Pro 4TB external SSD is currently priced at $279.58. It connects via USB 3.2, offers read and write speeds of up to 1050 MB/s, and is aimed at creators who need fast, portable storage across multiple devices.
For comparison, a Silicon Power 4TB SATA internal SSD is priced at $299.99. Despite using a standard 2.5-inch form factor and a SATA III interface, it costs more and offers much lower performance than modern external SSDs.
The situation becomes more surprising when compared to PCIe storage. A Crucial P310 NVMe 4TB PCIe Gen4-based SSD currently sells for around $341. That puts high-speed internal NVMe only modestly above external SSD price, while SATA remains stuck in the middle.
Price tracking data PCPartPicker shows that over the past 18 months, 4TB SATA SSDs did not benefit from the aggressive price drops that NVMe and external SSDs did.
As memory supply shrinks and prices rise (quite significantly in many cases), SATA drives are now increasing in price along with faster storage, leaving them stuck without a significant cost advantage.
For system builders and updaters, this creates an unusual situation. External SSDs are no longer just a convenient option, but a cost-effective way to add large amounts of fast storage without opening up a system or committing to outdated interfaces.
At the same time, motherboard support for SATA continues to shrink, especially on smaller form factor systems and newer platforms. That reduces the long-term appeal of investing in high-capacity SATA drives.
Taken together, pricing, performance, and platform trends suggest that 4TB SATA SSDs are nearing the end of their practical relevance.
External SSDs and NVMe drives increasingly offer more value and with fewer compromises.
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